AUSTIN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO
At BANDD/DESIGN, we believe that design should feel effortless, interesting, and purposeful.
High-quality, approachable design is the driving force behind everything BANDD touches.
SARA MALEK BARNEY, ASID
Founder + Principal Designer
Sara is the mastermind behind the BANDD. Since its establishment in 2017, BANDD/DESIGN has successfully executed over 130 residential projects, many of which have been recognized, won prestigious awards, and been published around the world.
Prior to launching BANDD/DESIGN, Sara spent the first phase of her professional career in Los Angeles, working in the fast-paced entertainment and sports industries, as an executive at companies such as SXSW, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Her past experience helps her deliver timeless, unique designs to her projects. She believes the design process should be highly collaborative and feel authentic to each individual.
Sara, an Austin-native and University of Texas alum, has degrees in Corporate Communication and Interior Design. Some of Sara’s accolades include being named to the inaugural class of Fortune Magazine‘s Most Powerful Women {Next Gen}, one of Austin Monthly‘s Women to Watch for multiple years, a recognized design influencer by High Point Market Authority, one of Austin’s best interior designers by Austin Home Magazine, and being nominated for an International Design & Architecture Award in 2019. Her work has been shared globally and she has been featured amongst dozens of media outlets. She is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the Female Founder Collective.
- Favorite part of being backstage at BANDD: Working alongside so many talented badasses. I’m so lucky!
- Favorite part of the design process: Install day! Nothing like seeing the fruits of your labor IRL.
- Design principle you swear by: No. Schluter. Ever.
- Best meal you’ve ever eaten: A 9-course experimential Japanese tasting at Itacho in Los Angeles in 2003.
- Favorite Movie quote: “A gun rack…a gun rack? I don’t even own *a* gun. Let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do…with a gun rack?” – Wayne’s World.
- Karaoke go-to song: Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield.
- If you weren’t working in design, you’d be: Backup dancer for Megan Thee Stallion and/or boyband historian.
MEET THE BANDD

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Meghan Kardow
Lead Designer + Project Manager

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Caitlin Kuncl
Lead Designer + Project Manager

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Zoie Young
Design Assistant

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Audra Schatte
Design Assistant

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Natalie Lira
Design Assistant

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Billie Dunn
Marketing + Business Development Manager

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Dana Barney
Director of Operations

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Jillian Letemendia
Procurement + Office Manager
If you’re interested in joining the BANDD, please refer to our CAREERS PAGE for our latest openings.
Join the BANDD on Instagram, Pinterest, Houzz, and Facebook.