Home · Where we work · East Bay
Interior design · Oakland & the East Bay
East Bay interior design, that could only be yours
The Scale Collective is an interior design studio working across Oakland, Berkeley, Piedmont and the East Bay, led by Sara Alexander, who holds a Master of Architecture. We work with each client's story to craft a vision for how they want to live, from Craftsman homes to new buildings by Lake Merritt.
Some of our most personal work lives in the East Bay: a preschool in Temescal, a residential building on Lake Merritt and another in Berkeley. We know its Craftsman bones, its plaster walls and its light.
Begin your project
Jones Berkeley
Designing for East Bay homes
From the Oakland hills to the Berkeley flats, East Bay homes have character worth keeping. Three things we design for.
- I
Respecting the bones
Craftsman millwork, plaster walls and old-growth wood deserve care. We keep what makes an older home special and design around it.
- II
Room for real life
Families, collections, home offices and long dinners. We plan layouts and storage so the house works as hard as you do, without losing its calm.
- III
Art and craft
The East Bay has a deep maker culture. We bring in artisans, custom millwork and art, so every room has pieces made for it.
Our work in the East Bay
Berkeley · interior architecture, interior design & art
Jones Berkeley
A new residential building in Berkeley, where we designed the interior architecture, the interiors and the art. Berkeley's Craftsman heritage meets coastal cliffs, mid-century modernism and Japanese and Scandinavian calm: clean lines, warm wood, and a lobby mural and painting commissioned from artist Ellen Rutt.
Architect: Pyatok · Landscape: Miller Company · Photography: David Wakely
Oakland · Lake Merritt · interior architecture & design
Lakehouse Residences
Amenity spaces for a residential tower by Lake Merritt: the lobby, lounges, co-working, game room and sky lounge. Terrazzo floors nod to mid-century Oakland, deep jewel tones warm the rooms, and a nest-shaped reception desk recalls the lake's history as a bird sanctuary. Shown in renderings.
Architect: Pyatok · Developer: Strada Investment Group
Oakland · Temescal
Wild Child Preschool
A preschool in a Spanish-style building in Temescal, where children learn through play. We painted the beams and trim in the school's brand colors, worked with the architect and fabricator on custom children's millwork, and planned movable furniture the teachers rearrange through the year.
Client: Ligaya Tichy · Architect: Rae & Heath · Fabrication: Jupitr Studios
“Rather than sticking to one visual style, our work is a response to the site, the client's narrative and the story being built about the house. Each project has its own visual language.”
Narrative design, not luxury by the yard
Most high-end interiors start from a look. Ours start from your story. We listen to how you live, what you collect and what matters to you, then craft it into a narrative and a vision for your home that you could not have drawn yourself. Then we shape the rooms and gather the pieces that bring it to life.
The result stands apart because it could only be yours. See how a project unfolds.
Translucence House
San Francisco. A house built around light, filtered through screens and glass.
Beverly Hills Penthouse
Los Angeles. Hand-drawn murals, sculptural pieces and warm plaster.
Miami Beach Estate
Miami Beach. A sculptural stair and calm, low rooms in cream and walnut.
Three homes, three stories, nothing in common but the care.
Where we work in the East Bay
Across the bridge from our Tiburon studio, we design homes throughout the East Bay, including:
- Oakland
- Piedmont
- Berkeley
- Rockridge
- Montclair
- Temescal
- Lake Merritt
- Albany
- Kensington
- Lafayette
- Orinda
- Moraga
Also: Marin County · San Francisco · Sonoma and Napa · selected projects in Los Angeles and Miami
“Over the past five years, we've worked with the Scale Collective on three major projects, and couldn't be happier with the results.”
Questions from East Bay clients
Does The Scale Collective work in Oakland and the East Bay?
Yes. From its studio in Tiburon, The Scale Collective designs homes and spaces across the East Bay, including Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, Rockridge, Montclair, Lafayette and Orinda. East Bay work includes Jones Berkeley, Lakehouse Residences on Lake Merritt and Wild Child Preschool in Temescal.
Can you help update an older East Bay home?
Yes. Sara Alexander holds a Master of Architecture, so The Scale Collective plans layout, light, millwork and materials around a home's original character, whether Craftsman, Spanish revival or mid-century, working alongside your architect and contractor.
Do you design multifamily and commercial spaces?
Yes. Alongside private homes, The Scale Collective has designed residential buildings in Berkeley and Oakland and a preschool in Temescal, bringing the same story-led approach to lobbies, lounges and shared spaces.
How much does an interior designer cost in the East Bay?
Like most high-end interior design studios, The Scale Collective works on an hourly fee, with a procurement fee on furniture, art and materials purchased through the studio. Every home is different, so we don't publish ranges. The first 30-minute Zoom call or local site visit is complimentary; a longer walk-through and design assessment is billed as an initial design assessment fee.
Will my home look like your other projects?
No. The Scale Collective practices narrative design: each project starts from the client's own story, shaped into a narrative and a vision for how they want to live. The through-line is warm, organic modern rooms, natural materials and collected art, but every home is one of a kind.
Further reading
Journal · coming soon
Updating a Craftsman home without losing its soul
Keeping original woodwork and character while making the house work for today.
Journal · coming soon
Commissioning art for your home
How we work with artists like Ellen Rutt on pieces made for one room.
Journal · coming soon
Shared spaces that feel like home
What designing lobbies and lounges taught us about how people gather.
Journal · coming soon
Designing a space for children
Color, play and furniture that moves, from our work at Wild Child.
Our services: full-service interior design · interior architecture · art consulting · our process