About Us

Alisa has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Interior Design and Architecture from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and has been designing kitchens and baths since the year 2000. She founded Design Set Match in 2010 in the middle of the recession and it was through her passion for remodeling and previously formed business relationships that the company took hold and grew.

Alisa is active in several trade associations and participates in additional courses to maintain her certification status. She is a Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer (CKBD), a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), and a Universal Design Certified Professional (UDCP) and a Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP). And she has been honored to be the President of the San Francisco chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (SFBANARI) 2018-2020, and is a New National Board member and Chairperson of the Bylaws and Ethics Committee of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

She finds that kitchen and bath design is like a Sherlock Holmes puzzle. There is a fine balance to space planning, building codes and budget constraints mixed with meeting the homeowners’ needs to address the problems they need solved.

Irma has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Interior Design and Architecture from Academy of Art in San Francisco, where she studied with Alisa. With her work in design, Irma’s focus has always been on kitchens and baths. She’s worked with Inside Sales, Expo Design Center, Cal York Construction, ih Designs and most recently Lowe’s as the installation manager. When she decided to refocus on design and less on business, it was natural for Irma to join the Design Set Match team.

Irma loves solving space-planning problems. She is most satisfied when she helps her clients fall in love with their kitchen again, through better function within a defined space. She is involved locally with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

Philosophy

From childhood Alisa was fascinated with homes of all shapes, sizes and styles. was disappointed when visiting an older home that had been poorly remodeled by a well-meaning do-it-yourself homeowner who, with a little design guidance, would have a functioning room that didn't stick out like a sore thumb. When she discovered there was a career to improve the life of a family and a home, she knew interior design was the right choice. Alisa teamed up with Irma at Design Set Match in 2017, but these two have been working side by side for over 20 years and graduated together in 2000 with a BFA in Interior Architecture and Design at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.

Sustainable design was being rediscovered and taught practically while they were in school and has become mainstream in everyday living and design. We are not a step-in and design-it-for-you firm. While there are certain design elements and placements that must meet requirements, we prefer to work side by side with homeowners to guide their decision-making process. With too many choices in the showrooms and online, it is easy to get overwhelmed. As your designer, we help guide your decisions through a series of questions and step by step, enabling you to focus on what materials and options are right for you and your family.

While many homeowners may be adept in construction, we only recommend choosing contractors and specialty installers who are licensed, bonded and insured and are certified professionals such as through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and Marin Builders Association (MBA). Our goal is for you to have the best remodeling experience possible. This comes not through the cheapest bidder on a project, but through companies and individuals who listen, work as a team, document all processes, and desire to provide you with a service that will interrupt your home life as little as possible.

With the onset of COVID-19 and shelter-in-place restrictions we have modified how we work in our daily interactions. We utilize virtual meetings through Zoom, creating bite-size appointments, to reduce the overwhelming effects of making many personal decisions in a short period of time. We will also bring sanitized/wiped samples to the doorsteps of our clients, while wearing gloves and masks, to reduce exposure and enhancing the hands-on experience of selecting tile, countertops and other materials.