Great design is

what I live for.

Fearless from the start, I have been honing my love of pattern, color and texture as a designer for more than 15 years, creating stunning spaces that exude YOU.

Emily Basham-Hoelscher

Founder + PrincipAL Designer

You could say I've known I was supposed to be an interior designer from a very early age - that I was born to design and live and breathe it. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to work with amazing and creative clients across the country, designing colorful, vibrant, functional residences, inspiring offices and mouthwatering restaurants.

My approach to design is always centered around the client first -- whether it be a young family, a retired couple looking for a fresh start to a new chapter in their lives, or a single bachelor or bachelorette who wants a cool space to entertain. I have a unique connection with my clients that translates to a highly personal (and fun!) experience designing. You should walk in through your front door and smile, not just because your space is beautiful and functional, but most importantly because it exudes YOU.

For over six years I helped lead the creation and operations of a high-end, modern furniture showroom in downtown Austin, Texas that is the destination for style and design in the most vibrant city in Texas - Urbanspace Interiors. The experience of learning about and working with some of the most amazing furniture designs, light fixtures, textiles, materials and the world's top designers has given me an incredible toolbox of inspiration to carry into my designs. I love to mix modern and vintage, incredible quality with custom, one of a kind pieces. I love to add something unexpected that speaks of the client's interests, passions. My goal and my love is to design spaces that tell your life stories.

I am now thrilled to offer gutsy designs, killer style and a focus on you with my own firm, High Contrast Design House

“Emily is a fantastic designer who is highly creative and resourceful while staying very tuned in and supportive of our ideas and taste. She helped us with the entire house and we couldn’t be happier with the way everything came together, the quality and comfort of the pieces and the way that this truly feels like our home. On top of all that she’s a blast to work with and I wouldn’t hesitate to call her again.”

— Owner, Bouldin Creek Residence

“Emily Basham-Hoelscher combined her artistic vision with our personality and the result is our fantastic, sophisticated home. She met us once, and then presented us with a perfect plan. Very few changes were made. Working with Emily was easy. We trusted her to get the work completed while we traveled and we were not disappointed. The design and quality is impressive. I highly recommend Emily and her team.”

— Owner, Spring Condo Residence

“My husband and I hired Emily to help us decorate our house. In many ways, it was a very challenging job. There were works of art, light fixtures and old furniture she had to integrate and each of these pieces had a heavy visual weight. Emily was simply amazing. She was able to come up with a design that not only integrated all these things well but that was exactly the mood we wanted to live in. I believe that conveying moods, experiences and feelings is something that really differentiates Emily. Her is work is exquisite and she is a delight to work with. I highly recommend her.”

— Owner, Westlake Residence

“Personally, it’s been a pleasure to work with Emily because she is always there to offer fresh ideas and many options. Once something is narrowed down, it’s reviewed and then ordered without hassles. Emily is also great when it comes to patterns and colors. She can take the most nondescript room, and with a few colors and patterns, it into just the right statement to contribute to the overall look or theme.

Finally, she is also versatile in her design capabilities. We’ve gone from a modern place at the W Residences in Austin, to a Cape Cod style home in Boulder and she’s exceeded expectations in terms of coming up with fresh ideas to create just the right environment for completely different styles.”

— Owner, W Austin Residence

“I love to design, but always love to have someone to bounce ideas off of. Emily did this for us, and was happy to do it. Just what I’d been looking for - forever, and didn’t think it existed. This is the first company that I’ve experienced that had true interior designers selling furniture. Not only was that ideal, but Emily is just an outstanding person to work with. She is funny, happy, VERY EXCITED about design and truly a joy to work with.....not a stuffy designer that copies every other design. Every job is a joy to Emily and she treats each as a unique opportunity for her to really design. She is very passionate about her work.”

— Owner, Rollingwood Residence