If you’re in the market for new homes for sale in Birmingham or Auburn, you’ll likely be looking at a variety of different new home builders. As a new home builder in both markets, one of our key differentiators that sets us apart from others is our unique design process. We proudly offer in-depth, customizable interior design services for our new homeowners. Once under contract, each new homeowner is paired with one of our three designers to design the house of their dreams! The design process is one of the most fun and enjoyable parts of building a new home, and our designers love helping new homeowners make their visions a realty. You’ll be spending a lot of time of the course of the homebuying process with one of our three talented interior designers, so get to know your designer prior to your first design meeting on our blog. We’ll be featuring each designer in our designer spotlight series. First up, our brilliant and creative soul, Alice Allen from Kentucky!

  A native of Kentucky, Alice graduated from Western Kentucky University (Go Tops!) in Bowling Green. Alice became a licensed interior designer in 2010 after passing the NCIDQ exam, the interior design boards. Prior to joining Harris Doyle Homes in 2011, Alice was a plan designer and drafter for another local Birmingham builder, Thornton Homes. Prior to Thornton, Alice worked at Alabama Business Furnishings, a Haworth dealer specializing in interior business solutions, as an interior designer. She has been working in the home building industry going on 11 years.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in interior designer?

I always knew I would be an interior designer. My mom said she knew it before me, apparently my Barbie Townhouse was more of a staging project than a dollhouse to me. By the sixth grade I was sketching elevations of homes and space planning by taping off floor plans with masking tape in my living room floor. I have always been a creative soul, so this has always been my passion.

What makes you excited about being an interior designer?

I love being an interior designer for many reasons. I enjoy the problem solving aspects of a space and coming up with fresh ideas. I also am a paint fanatic! I shouldn’t admit this, because it will tell you what a nerd I truly am, but I enjoy sitting down at my kitchen table while eating lunch and look at fan decks. See?!  Told you I was a nerd. I’m also obsessed with light fixtures. I like to plan my finishes around a light fixture to see where it will take me in a design.

What’s the most rewarding part of being an interior designer at Harris Doyle?

Interior design has many layers, but the main goal of our profession is health, safety and welfare. The best part of it is taking it a few layers deeper and helping create a sense of home in a space.  I absolutely LOVE being in my own home and enjoy the space I have created for my family. It’s the place we have taken root and I get to help people plant their roots too! I adore working with first time homebuyers! They are so happy and overwhelmed at the same time, but this is their DREAM!  Meeting new people (some that have become lifelong friends) makes my job enjoyable.

What’s your favorite Harris Doyle floorplan and why?

If I were building a home I would build a Rosemont plan. The Rosemont has a traditional dining room and a breakfast nook, and I adore traditional layouts. I love entertaining, so a dining room is a must for me!

Do you have any tips for future homeowners? 

Expect the unexpected!  I like to nudge homeowners to try new things that respect what they want in a home, but I encourage them to look at it from another angle by using a new paint color or jazzing up a space with an interesting light fixture. Going outside the box is what will make your home special!

Tell us about your family.

My husband, Chase, and I are celebrating 10 years of marriage this summer! We have a five-year-old daughter, Ann Adele, who is in kindergarten. She loves gymnastics and drawing. Our little caboose is Woods, who is 20 months old and loves all things trucks and heavy machinery! Woods also has a deep love for eating!  My parents relocated from Kentucky to my mom’s hometown in Athens, Alabama nearly 4 years ago.  I love having them close by and our children see them often!  I have a sister, Sally, who lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  She and her husband are expecting their first child in June, so I am looking forward to getting my first nephew and being the “fun” aunt!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Outside of work, my family and I enjoy escaping to Smith Lake. We travel to the lake during winter, spring, summer and fall!  Fall is the best, we typically watch most Alabama Crimson Tide games there. When I’m not at the lake, you can find me at home or out and about with my family in the neighborhood or at the park. In my very little spare time, I enjoy reading and cooking.  We are actively involved in our church, Liberty Crossings United Methodist Church.