BEHIND MāREA
We take design very seriously.
We don't take ourselves quite as seriously.
MāREA was built around the idea that great design can be thoughtful without being intimidating, personal without becoming predictable and beautiful without being precious.
Behind the name.
WHY MāREA
MāREA means tide.
The name began as a quiet reference to founder Caspianne van Maris’s family story, van Maris, “of the sea,” and a family history rooted in design, landscape and making things meant to last.
But the name became bigger than its origin.
A tide is always moving. It shifts with its surroundings. It can be calm, dramatic, subtle or completely transformative, but it is never static.
That felt right for a company built around different instincts, different strengths and different ways of seeing a project.
There is no single MāREA style. The work changes with the people, the setting and the moment.
MāREA is the common ground: thoughtful design that responds rather than repeats.
Different currents.
Same direction.
Behind the Brand
EVERY ROOM NEEDS A SHOE.
You know the woman. Everything she’s wearing is considered, beautiful and effortlessly put together. And then there’s the shoe. Chartreuse. Orange. Completely unexpected. You’d never have chosen it. Somehow, it’s the thing that makes the entire outfit.
WHAT IT MEANS IN DESIGN
We think interiors should work the same way. Every space deserves one decision that gives it tension, personality or surprise. Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes you notice it on the second look.
It shouldn’t feel added for attention. It should feel like the project would miss it if it disappeared.
95% CONSIDERED / 5% INTERRUPTION
Who We Are
DIFFERENT INSTINCTS. ONE SHARED STANDARD.
Four people with very different tastes, strengths and ways of seeing a project.
Which is exactly the point.
THE FOUR EDITS
CASPIANNE
VAN MARIS
Founder + Creative Director
Mostly here to play with pretty things and ask, “What if we did this instead?” Cas leads the creative direction — materials, color, furniture, finishes and the slightly unexpected choices that give a project its personality.
THE EDIT
DARK • MOODY • VINTAGE • COLLECTED • A LITTLE OFF
DREAM PROJECT: A RESIDENTIAL PROJECT OF ANY SIZE OR A TRULY SPECIAL COMMERCIAL SPACE
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO: Planning trips, planning outfits, planning dream houses, planning businesses — basically planning. When she isn’t doing that, it’s boating, Pilates, video games, true-crime podcasts and the ongoing search for the best chicken fingers.
"Beautiful things have never been about the price tag.”
THE FOUR EDITS
CARLY GIOVANNINA BARBELLA
Co-Founder + Client Experience & Styling Director
The one behind our merchandising, logistics and sourcing. Carly has an instinct for finding the right piece, pulling together the finishing layers and keeping track of the thousand little details between “we love this” and “it’s actually here.”
THE EDIT
MODERN • HISTORIC SOUTHERN • COLLECTED • CONTEXTUAL • WARM
DREAM PROJECT: A FASHION FORWARD COMMERCIAL SPACE, BRAND TRIP, FASHION SHOW OR EVENT WITH A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO: Happiest near the water, baking something, teaching Pilates or taking a long drive in a stick-shift car.
“Keep the character. Make it current.”
THE FOUR EDITS
TAYLOR
VAN RIPER
Co-Founder + Brand & Visual Director
Our resident Gen Z. Brand, socials, sales and making connections are Taylor’s superpowers with enough organization behind the scenes to turn good ideas into systems that actually keep moving
THE EDIT
CLEAN • ORGANIC • EARTHY • RELAXED
DREAM PROJECT: A WILDLY FUN BRAND RETREAT OR A TRIP SOMEWHERE WORTH GETTING ON A PLANE FOR.
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO: Usually listening to music, planning an adventure, spending time with her people or making a new friend somewhere.
“The best spaces make people feel free to be themselves.”
THE FOUR EDITS
MARIECARMEN AZA SANTILLAN
Design + Operations Director
Our space-planning genius. MarieCarmen makes sure a space works for the way someone actually lives — not just the way it photographs. On larger projects, she’s the connection between client and builder — spotting awkward details, inconsistencies and execution issues before they become bigger problems.
THE EDIT
CLASSIC • MODERN • CONTEXTUAL • FUNCTIONAL • WARM
DREAM PROJECT: A MEDIUM OR LARGE SCALE RESIDENTIAL PROJECT WHERE PLANNING, ARCHITECTURE AND REAL-LIFE FUNCTION ALL MATTER.
OUTSIDE THE STUDIO: Being a mom, traveling whenever possible, and baking cookies. Originally from Peru, she moved to Canada for love so apparently she’s a romantic too
