Ellen holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and completed the Harvard University intensive summer program in architecture. She studied at the Boston Architectural College where she won the President's award for Best Portfolio. She has been the owner of Ellen McKenna Design for 18 years. Her projects have been throughout New England, Utah, Georgia, Arizona, California and Ohio
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5 New Kitchens With Special Features Worth Considering
See how pros boost appeal with statement-making tile, stylish storage towers and other remarkable elements
Easy to work with, in fact I think she can read minds! From Designing whole rooms to tile choices, paint and furniture she is always spot on!. Excellent on every level! Very professional, detailed, and responsive! Highly recommend Ellen McKenna . I trust her with any project I have now and in the future! A++,
Houzz User
Ellen is an extremely talented designer and a joy to work with. She's smart, funny, and efficient, and has great taste! We restored a home in coastal New England from 1917, including an addition, and we touched every surface in the house. It was a huge project, and we were in California for most of it. Ellen managed to coordinate with me and with our local builders, all from her location in Utah. We picked every finish for every room, including the kitchen, five bathrooms, and about 85 light fixtures, together on Zoom and with a couple of in person meetings at the house. I would have felt very intimidated walking into stone yards and tile showrooms without her, given the scope of our project...
Mary
My husband and I were interested in building a small casita on an adjoining lot. We reside in rural Utah and spoke to a few local "building designers". Although they may have been technically competent I wasn't satisfied with the level of detail or design they proposed. I found Ellen McKenna on Houzz and thought it was fortuitous. She had the expertise we were looking for. Her proposal was geared to creating a structure that mimicked our existing adobe house. She incorporated design components and drew the plans herself. She and I shopped together for interior fixtures, tile and countertops. I always felt guided but respected and never felt as though her taste overrode my own inclin...
Nanette Wood
Ellen was a joy to work with. She’s smart, funny and wonderfully talented. She brought ideas to the table we would have never found on our own and the resulting complete remodel is more than we could have hoped for. She’s adept at moving you gently past ideas that may not work as well as you thought while still helping you create a look and style you can fully embrace as yours. We looked forward to seeing her mood pages for each stage of the project, littered with a variety of ideas for each step from lighting and plumbing fixtures to tile and furniture, there were no bad options -- just those we ended up liking the best. Our only regret is that we don’t have another house for her to wo...
Houzz User
She's got the eye! She walked into our barely framed building, the Commons for our arts and humanities residency, and saw everything, the Great Room, kitchen, bathrooms, guest room, my office. Then she hunted down the best deals possible and saved me thousands on everything from rugs to armoires to stoves and refrigerators. The place looks fantastic. We look forward to working with her in our residency units. I couldn't be more pleased. Thank you Ellen. Gratefully, Logan Hebner, Executive Director, Zion Canyon Mesa
Logan Hebner
Easy to work with, in fact I think she can read minds! From Designing whole rooms to tile choices, paint and furniture she is always spot on!. Excellent on every level! Very professional, detailed, and responsive! Highly recommend Ellen McKenna . I trust her with any project I have now and in the future! A++,
Houzz User
Ellen is an extremely talented designer and a joy to work with. She's smart, funny, and efficient, and has great taste! We restored a home in coastal New England from 1917, including an addition, and we touched every surface in the house. It was a huge project, and we were in California for most of it. Ellen managed to coordinate with me and with our local builders, all from her location in Utah. We picked every finish for every room, including the kitchen, five bathrooms, and about 85 light fixtures, together on Zoom and with a couple of in person meetings at the house. I would have felt very intimidated walking into stone yards and tile showrooms without her, given the scope of our project...
Mary
My husband and I were interested in building a small casita on an adjoining lot. We reside in rural Utah and spoke to a few local "building designers". Although they may have been technically competent I wasn't satisfied with the level of detail or design they proposed. I found Ellen McKenna on Houzz and thought it was fortuitous. She had the expertise we were looking for. Her proposal was geared to creating a structure that mimicked our existing adobe house. She incorporated design components and drew the plans herself. She and I shopped together for interior fixtures, tile and countertops. I always felt guided but respected and never felt as though her taste overrode my own inclin...
Nanette Wood
Ellen was a joy to work with. She’s smart, funny and wonderfully talented. She brought ideas to the table we would have never found on our own and the resulting complete remodel is more than we could have hoped for. She’s adept at moving you gently past ideas that may not work as well as you thought while still helping you create a look and style you can fully embrace as yours. We looked forward to seeing her mood pages for each stage of the project, littered with a variety of ideas for each step from lighting and plumbing fixtures to tile and furniture, there were no bad options -- just those we ended up liking the best. Our only regret is that we don’t have another house for her to wo...
Houzz User
She's got the eye! She walked into our barely framed building, the Commons for our arts and humanities residency, and saw everything, the Great Room, kitchen, bathrooms, guest room, my office. Then she hunted down the best deals possible and saved me thousands on everything from rugs to armoires to stoves and refrigerators. The place looks fantastic. We look forward to working with her in our residency units. I couldn't be more pleased. Thank you Ellen. Gratefully, Logan Hebner, Executive Director, Zion Canyon Mesa
Logan Hebner
Easy to work with, in fact I think she can read minds! From Designing whole rooms to tile choices, paint and furniture she is always spot on!. Excellent on every level! Very professional, detailed, and responsive! Highly recommend Ellen McKenna . I trust her with any project I have now and in the future! A++,
Houzz User
