A native of Cleveland, TN, Gretchen studied Interior Design at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. While there, Gretchen developed a lifelong passion for color, the psychology of color, and the meaningful impact it can have in the spaces she helps her clients create. Color creates mood and feel. From her studies, and subsequently during her career, Gretchen has learned that most Interior Designers ignore color’s true impact at their own peril and often at the detriment of her clients.

After graduating, Gretchen held key positions in design firms in New York and Tennessee. During that time she honed her skills and became the designer she is today. Being a New York designer was wonderful. It allowed Gretchen to expand her design vocabulary and perspective, but it never changed what she considered to be “home”. Ultimately, “home” brought her back to Tennessee, not just to a geographic spot on the map, but to the idea of what “home” was meant to be. Home is not as much a location as it is a feel. Gretchen knew she understood the feel of the South better than anyone else. So, she packed up the great experience and brought it home to Tennessee, ultimately starting Gretchen Ruvo Designs in 2008.

Since starting her own firm, Gretchen has further developed her skills to meet her clients needs. Everyone wants a wonderful design, but if it’s not fitting, it’s not right. To that end, Gretchen and her team have embraced a Listen First approach to all their projects. Unless they listen, they believe it is impossible to design spaces that their clients feel is home. Again, home is not just a house or a room. It’s a feeling that their clients want their spaces to provide. It’s that approach that has allowed Gretchen Ruvo Designs to be successful in a wide array of projects, both in value and type. From one window treatment to a multi-million dollar new home, to a $6.5M assisted living projects and everything in between, Gretchen and her team successfully create “homes” for their clients.

Moving forward, Gretchen Ruvo Designs wants to be seen as timeless. That means a commitment to staying in touch with the trends of today, but always keeping an eye toward the proven concepts that just never seem to go out of style. Gretchen believes that good design is a synthesis of that past and present, with a discerning eye toward what the future may hold.

Based on her tremendous experience and guiding principles in design and business, Gretchen, her firm, and, most importantly, her clients have created wonderful spaces over the years and hope to continue for the years to come.

Born in NE Georgia and raised in Camden, SC, Leigh was exposed to the elegance of the South from an early age. While not classically trained, she has remained a student of classical and modern Southern Design throughout her adult years, culminating in her current position at Gretchen Ruvo Designs.

To her enthusiasm for interior design, Leigh also brings a heart for client interaction and the needed organization to each and every one of her projects. She believes that no design, no matter how beautiful, can not be realized without properly listening to the client, creating a look and feel that meet with their criteria and putting together a workable plan to make it happen.