Custom Home Design – Southeast Michigan
Most custom homes are built to a plan. A Valia home is built to a person. Dana works alongside your architect and builder from the inside out — or steps in as both designer and builder herself. One firm. One vision. Every structural decision, every finish, and every detail aligned from the first drawing to the final walkthrough. The result is not just a custom home. It is unmistakably yours.
Envision. Design. Transform.
NCIDQ
Certified
Interior Designer
CIDA
Accredited
Program Graduate
6×
Hour Detroit
Face of Design
12×
Best of Houzz
Award Winner
21+
Years of Design
Experience
Why it matters
Building a new home involves hundreds of decisions — finishes, fixtures, materials, architectural details, spatial flow. Without a designer involved from the beginning, those decisions get made in isolation, under pressure, and out of sequence. The result is a home that was built on time and on budget but never came together as a cohesive whole.
The problem is not the builder. It is not the architect. It is the missing link between design intent and construction reality.
Dana Vagnetti bridges that gap. Engaged during the architect phase, she works through every selection and specification in the order the construction schedule demands — ensuring what gets built is not only structurally sound but visually cohesive, personally meaningful, and unmistakably yours. And when Dana serves as both designer and builder, that gap disappears entirely.
The Valia approach
There are no design restrictions on a new home. No existing walls to work around. No finishes to match. No compromises inherited from a previous owner. It is a clean slate — and that is where Dana works best.
Every Valia new home engagement begins during the architect phase. Not after the plans are drawn. Not when selections are due. Before the decisions that shape the home are locked in — because architectural decisions and interior design decisions are not separate. They influence each other at every turn.
Interior Design for New Builds
Space planning, material palettes, finish selections, fixture specifications, lighting design, and custom details — all developed in sequence with the construction schedule so nothing is rushed, nothing is missed, and nothing conflicts.
Architectural Collaboration
Dana works directly with your architect on decisions that impact design and function — ceiling heights, window placement, door openings, traffic flow, and the spatial details that determine how a home feels to live in.
Material & Finish Selection
Every surface, every fixture, every hardware selection — curated for cohesion across the entire home. Not room by room. As one complete design.
Fixture & Lighting Specification
Complete fixture and lighting specifications documented and scheduled in alignment with your builder’s timeline — so the right decisions are made at the right time.
Landscape & Exterior Design
The design does not stop at the front door. Dana extends the design vision to exterior finishes, landscape direction, and curb presence — ensuring the home reads as one cohesive statement from every angle.
Design-Build Option
Dana holds a Michigan Residential Builder license. If you want one firm to design and build your custom home, Valia Design Build can serve as both your interior designer and your builder — one contract, one point of accountability, zero handoffs.
Your desire, our vision — from concept to transformation.
Selected projects
Every project shown is a real Valia Design Build engagement — designed by Dana Vagnetti, executed to specification.
How it works
A new home build is not a linear process — it is a series of interdependent decisions that must happen in the right order, at the right time. Miss a selection deadline and it cascades. Dana understands construction schedules. Every engagement is structured around yours.
01
Discovery Call
A free phone conversation. Dana asks about your project, your vision, your architect, your builder, and your timeline. No commitment required.
02
Design Consultation
An in-depth session where Dana assesses your vision, your architectural plans, and the design direction needed to make your home unmistakably yours.
03
Timeline
Dana builds a complete selections and specifications schedule aligned with your construction timeline — so every decision is made before it is needed, not after.
04
Design Development
Working through every selection, specification, and custom detail — materials, finishes, fixtures, lighting, architectural details — in sequence and in cohesion across the entire home.
05
Phase Involvement
Dana remains present throughout each phase of construction — attending site visits, solving design challenges as they arise, and ensuring what is being built matches what was designed.
06
Final Walkthrough
Every detail reviewed together at completion. Nothing is closed out until the home reflects the vision established at the beginning.
Envision. Design. Transform.
What clients say
6×
Hour Detroit
Face of Interior Design
12×
Best of Houzz
Award Winner
39
Houzz Reviews
5.0 Stars
26+
Google Reviews
5.0 Stars
21+
Years of Design
Experience
Where we work
Valia Design Build serves homeowners throughout Southeast Michigan — with a primary focus on Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne County communities. Projects are accepted based on scope and fit — not geography alone.
Before you reach out
“My builder already has a design center — do I still need a designer?”
A builder’s design center is built for efficiency — not for you specifically. It exists to keep construction moving with pre-approved selections that work within the builder’s system. What it cannot do is look at your home as a whole, consider how you actually live, or ensure that every decision connects to every other decision. Dana works independently of your builder’s process — bringing a cohesive design vision that the builder’s selections list was never designed to provide.
“Is hiring a designer for a new build actually worth the cost?”
The most expensive mistakes in a new home build happen before ground is broken — when structural decisions, window placements, and layout choices are still on paper and fully changeable. A designer engaged at that stage prevents costly mid-construction corrections. Dana’s involvement is not a luxury addition to your build. It is the difference between a home that was constructed and a home that was designed.
“Can I bring a designer in later once construction is underway?”
You can — but every week that passes locks in decisions that become harder and more expensive to change. By the time most homeowners consider hiring a designer, key structural and finish decisions have already been made reactively under pressure. Dana engages during the architect phase — when the full design vision can still shape the home, not just respond to what has already been built.
No obligation · No pressure · Just a conversation
Schedule a Free Call →Or call directly: (248) 205-6690
Frequently asked questions
Look for NCIDQ certification and experience working alongside architects and builders — not just decorating finished spaces. Dana Vagnetti is NCIDQ and CIDA certified with 21 years of design experience and a Michigan Residential Builder license. She has completed more than 12 custom home engagements across Southeast Michigan. Start with a free phone call to confirm fit before any commitment is made.
During the architect phase — before structural decisions are locked in. The most expensive new-build mistakes happen in the pre-construction decisions — window placements, ceiling heights, door openings, and spatial flow. Bringing Dana in after framing has started means working around decisions that should have been shaped by design from the beginning.
Hundreds — and they are interconnected. Without a guiding vision, decision fatigue sets in. Choices get made reactively, based on what’s available rather than what’s right. And because those choices are interconnected, a compromise in one place often creates problems in another. Dana builds a complete selections and specifications schedule aligned with your construction timeline so every decision is made before it is needed — not under pressure.
Yes — and she does it regularly. Dana collaborates directly with your architect and builder, contributing to decisions that impact both design and construction. If you prefer one firm to handle both design and construction, Dana also holds a Michigan Residential Builder license and can serve as both your designer and your builder.
A builder’s design center is built for efficiency — pre-approved selections that keep construction moving. It is not designed to make your home feel cohesive, personal, or unmistakably yours. Dana works independently of that process, looking at your home as a whole and ensuring every selection across every space connects to one unified design vision.
Selections and specifications typically span two to three months. Construction runs approximately one year depending on scope and complexity. Dana remains present throughout each phase — attending site visits, solving design challenges as they arise, and ensuring what is being built matches what was designed.
Changes happen on every custom home build. Dana’s presence throughout the construction phase means design challenges are identified and addressed as they arise — not after the fact. Every change is evaluated for its impact on the overall design vision before anything is modified.
Design services start at $5,000. Full design-build engagements for new custom homes begin at $200,000. Every project is scoped individually based on the size of the home, the scope of services, and the level of design involvement required. The first step is a free phone call — not a financial commitment.
Your desire, our vision — from concept to transformation.
The first step is a free phone call. Dana will listen to your project, ask the right questions, and tell you honestly whether Valia Design Build is the right fit for your new home. No obligation. No pressure..
Or call directly: (248) 205-6690
