I formed Erin Miller Designs after many years of  “DIY” (Do It Yourself) projects at my home.  I was tired of feeling unfulfilled in the corporate world and I loved the combination of creativity (design), intellect (planning and drafting) with the physical labor involved in home improvement.  A scare with breast cancer was my wakeup call to stop doing unfulfilling work and begin making changes so I could enjoy every single day.

I did many things to prepare for the opening of Erin Miller Designs. First, I have personally built decks, walls, remodeled kitchens and baths, painted, wallpapered and sewn and created many home accessories.  I took a job at The Home Depot where I worked in the design center and I completed classes and testing for every single department in the store.  Finally, I went back to school to get another degree – in interior design.

Initially, Erin Miller Designs was an interior design firm helping people change and update their décor and plan remodels and additions.  I became extremely fond of Kitchen and Bath design.  Many interior projects involved construction and I had to draw plans for permits and for the builders to use as construction drawings.  Builders soon started asking me to draw plans for large remodels, additions and eventually, custom homes for their clients.

Erin Miller Designs has evolved into a full-service construction planning company which still does interior design and decorating but also includes architectural design and complete plan drafting.  I employ several types of help for construction drawings and administration as well as sourcing products and maintaining my resource library, but every person who hires Erin Miller Designs works directly with me on their designs. 

We use a professional architectural CAD (computer aided design) program for our design work and plan drafting.  It is a wonderful design tool as it allows me to try many different options, colors, materials, architectural details, furniture layouts, etc. as I work on the design.  Clients love it because when I present ideas to them, they are seeing full-color, textured, 3-D images of what their home could be as we tour through it on my computer.

STORIES 

I grew up in Berkeley, California through age 11, then moved to a small farm in Petaluma, California through age 18.  The differences in these two parts of my early years have created a deep appreciation for country and rural living as well as big city lifestyles.

I am a two-time breast cancer survivor and consequently, I appreciate every single day.  I love gardening and many outdoor activities like hiking, biking and swimming.  My greatest passion is “nesting.”  I constantly work on our home, painting, re-arranging, sewing window treatments and just making our home feel better and better.

EDUCATION:

University of California, Davis. Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communications

Degree/Certification in interior design, Sheffield School of Interior Design

PROFESSIONAL LIFE:

1984 – 1998:  Marketing and management for businesses in the computer industry, real estate and a world-wide engineering firm.

2000 – present:  Owner and designer, Erin Miller Designs

2006:  My husband and I purchased a real estate company – CENTURY 21 Gold Dust in Grass Valley, California and a commercial building which I remodeled extensively.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE WORK:

American Cancer Society volunteer

ACS “Relay For Life” chairperson for 2 years, on steering committee many years

Rotary member:  “service above self”

BIRTHDATE, PLACE

July 7, 1961 Berkeley, California

FAMILY:

Married John David (J.D.) Miller on August 5, 1989

No children, one brother, two step brothers, three brothers-in-law and John and I have always had cats.