When Carol Isaak Barden added "developer" to her resume, it was the logical next step in a career that had her crisscrossing the globe.  Her depth of design knowledge and perspective is unique.  As a contributing editor at Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Southern Accents, she has reviewed the world's finest hotels and resorts and has written extensively about architecture, design, and interiors.  Her byline has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Elle, Elle Decor, Town & Country, Metropolitan Home, and the Los Angeles Times, and she is also a contributing editor at PaperCity.

For much of her life, Carol has loved construction and has renovated homes, offices, and even a NYC restaurant.  She often takes her inspiration from 36 years of international travel, many countries, and many cultures.  "My assignments have taken me around the world many times, but I especially love the exotic refinement, the classicism, modernity, and quietness of Asian design.  I also love the complete integration of the house and the garden, something I learned growing up in Washington State."

Since 2002, Carol has been hard at work revolutionizing homes in Houston and brings her strong personal convictions to the design process.  She has collaborated with visionary architects to design her distinctly different dwellings:  Francois deMenil from New York City and international Seattle firms - Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Suyama and Peterson Deguchi.    Houston architects Allen Bianchi, Scott Strasser, and Erick Ragni have designed homes, and she enlisted Italian-born, London-based Luciano Giubbilei to landscape the one-acre garden of private clients. The Seattle firm Sundberg, Kennedy, Li-Au Architects designed the home.

Her company is a determinedly small and hands-on operation, and it is her intention to create interiors that are daring and timeless. She searches for consultants, fabricators, artisans, craftsmen and other collaborators who contribute to the work's success by sharing their vision.  Bringing together creative minds multiplies the expressive possibilities of a project, and her team tests new ideas and is an incubator for emerging talent.

Her intention is to always enhance the richness of the landscape and provide contemplation of nature.  Wherever possible, she saves old-growth trees and integrates nature into her work.     

The high quality of her construction is a defining element of her projects. She believes that every detail, both large and small, is important and cares about specific materials, good proportion, joints, and finishes. There are no short cuts or compromises. Precision is never achieved at the expense of warmth.  She prefers materials that age beautifully and believes that process enhances the interiors. 

With her small and hands-on operation only ONE home IS built each year, a couture pace that ensures quality.