At LTD, we’ve never believed architecture ends where interiors begin; they are equal parts of creating a thoughtful, complete environment. The two disciplines have always been intertwined in our work; formalizing that relationship by offering interior design services in house through LTD Interiors feels like the natural next step.

For many years, we’ve consulted with clients on furnishings and decor as part of our work together. Now, with a dedicated lead interior designer on the team and the ability to procure items directly for our clients, we’re able to bring that aspect of the design process further into the practice. We also recognize that interior design is a different expertise. Architects and interior designers approach space differently, and we’re excited to have both perspectives represented within the studio.

This expansion gives us the ability to tailor our services to each client. We can continue to provide architectural design and consult on furnishings and decor as needed, without procurement. For clients looking for a more comprehensive experience, we can bring architecture and interior design together from the start for a seamless, intentional process. And we’re always happy to work alongside design partners that clients have already identified.

LTD enthusiastically welcomes Derek Miller to lead this next chapter of interiors for the firm. His deep knowledge and passion for furniture and design, as well as his experience refurbishing original mid-century furniture and decor, naturally led him to LTD's doorstep. Derek and his wife, Jen, former clients turned friends, worked closely with Lauren and her team on a major renovation of their 1952 mid-century Penn Valley home. Throughout the architectural design and interiors selection process, their style, vision, and communication aligned clearly.

Derek’s decades of experience as a creative director also gives him incredible listening skills and the ability to hone in on meaningful personal stories. To LTD, interior design should not be about evoking a certain style or formal gesture. Instead, it is about creating spaces that are personal and meaningful to the people who live in them. That shared perspective made Derek a natural fit to lead this next chapter of LTD.

Meet Derek

We thought the best way to introduce him was through a conversation.

Tell us a little about your background and what led you to interior design.

With over two decades as a Creative Director, I’ve shaped brand identities, crafted campaigns, launched products, and created worlds across industries from entertainment to hospitality to food and beverage. My true passion has always lived in the art of atmosphere: set design, photoshoots, and art direction, where I could distill a mood or story within the smallest window of time or space. That same instinct drew me naturally to interiors, where space, texture, color, and form speak their own visual language. I believe your environment can elevate your mood, inspire your mind, and enrich your daily life.

How would you describe your approach to interior design?

My approach to interior design starts with the person, not the room. I want to understand the story of the people who live there, how they live. I’m particularly interested in creating homes that feel collected, not decorated. Often, a “hero” piece establishes the direction of a room, but the surrounding layers give it depth and personality. I want every piece to have a reason for being there, whether for its craftsmanship, history, function, or simply because it makes the client happy. A room needs a sense of discovery: a piece you notice differently every time you walk past it, an unexpected material combination, or an object whose story makes you want to know more. The goal is to create an environment that makes you feel something, makes you smile, sparks a conversation, or reminds you of a person, place, or moment. That’s what makes a house feel like home.

What are you most excited about bringing to Lauren Thomsen Design as the firm expands into interior design?

Being the first interior designer on the team is especially exciting because I see a huge opportunity for the two disciplines to inform one another from the very beginning. My perspective considers not only how a structure looks, but how the lighting, materials, furniture, objects, and personal history of the people living there can work together as one experience. In my designs, the furniture, lighting, art, and objects have a real relationship with the architecture: sometimes reinforcing it, sometimes contrasting with it, and occasionally challenging it. That might mean pairing a lamp from the 1940s with a chair designed last year, using an unexpected vintage find to solve a spatial problem, or letting something not traditionally considered “good design” become what gives a room its personality. Ultimately, I’m excited about helping LTD create spaces that are not only beautifully designed, but deeply personal, layered, and lived in. Bringing architecture and interior design together gives us an opportunity to create something greater than either discipline could do independently.

Your current design obsession

I’m currently reading Super Normal, centered on Jasper Morrison’s philosophy about everyday objects, and I’m fascinated by his idea that an object doesn’t have to be loud or overly designed to be interesting. There’s something really compelling about finding beauty and meaning in the everyday objects that do their job well. At the same time, I’ve been diving deep into the Memphis group’s philosophy and the movement’s confrontational reaction against the restraint and the minimalism that preceded it. I love how radically different that approach was compared to Morrison’s philosophy. I’m also increasingly drawn to Brutalist furniture from the late 1970s, particularly pieces created toward the end of the movement. There’s something intriguing about the tension between these ideas: Morrison's quiet, almost invisible design philosophy, the expressive irreverence of Memphis design, and the weight and materiality of late Brutalism.

The object in your home you’d never part with.

Right now, it would probably be my Flag Halyard Chair, which we ordered on a trip to Copenhagen; a Taccia lamp from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia; and an onyx coffee table attributed to Gae Aulenti. But ask me again in a year, and the answer could be completely different. So maybe the honest answer is that I don’t really have one object I’d never part with. It’s constantly changing, and I think that’s a good thing. The things we value should evolve as our lives do.