Laura Umansky

Laura Umansky
woman standing in black dress, in an interior
Umansky in 2019
Education
OccupationInterior designer
Websitelaurau.com

Laura Umansky is an American interior designer. She is the founder of Laura U Design Collective, a residential interior design studio based in Houston, Texas and Aspen, Colorado.[1][2] In 2020 she received the ARTS Award in the interior designer category, presented by ART and the Dallas Market Center.[3]

Early life and education

Laura Umansky was born in Seguin, Texas.[1] She attended the University of Texas at Austin. Later, Umansky earned her master's degree in architecture at the University of Houston.[1][4]

Career

Umansky founded the Laura U Design Studio in Houston in 2006.[2][5] By 2007 she had also opened a furnishings boutique, the Laura U Collection.[1][4] Previously, she was an interior designer for other Houston firms.[1] In 2014 the firm added Studio U, a lower-cost design service in Montrose. It closed in 2016.[6] In 2017 the firm acquired a furniture manufacturer.[5]

The firm's projects drew coverage in design publications through the 2010s and early 2020s, among them a 1930s neo-Georgian estate, a European-styled high-rise apartment, a Gulf Coast beach house, kitchen remodels covered by HGTV, and a house in West University Place.[7][8][9][10][11][12] In January 2020 Umansky received the ARTS Award for interior designer, presented by ART and the Dallas Market Center at its 31st annual awards.[3] At the 2021 PaperCity Design Awards Houston, a firm project shared the winning entry for residential interior design under 3,500 square feet, with Umansky and the firm's Shannon Smith credited as lead designers.[13]

Umansky first worked in the Aspen area in 2014, when a Houston client hired the firm for a vacation home near Snowmass, and she and her husband bought a house there that summer.[14][2] In 2020 the family made Colorado their primary home, settling in Snowmass Village, and the firm opened a studio in Aspen while keeping its Houston operation.[15][16][14] That year the firm also added residential building design to its services,[2] and by 2021 it had been renamed Laura U Design Collective.[13][2]

With Melissa Grove, the firm's chief operating officer, Umansky co-founded DesignDash, which describes itself as a community for designers.[17] The two have led educational programming at High Point Market in partnership with the furniture maker Vanguard at each market since October 2024.[18][19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "#WCW: Laura Umansky". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brister, Kaylee (2021-07-06). "Westward Expansion: Laura Umansky's Design Firm". Cowboys and Indians Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  3. 1 2 "ARTS Awards winners to be announced tonight | Home Accents Today". Home Accents Today. 2020-01-10. Archived from the original on 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  4. 1 2 "Shop talk: Eclectic items, elegant buys". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  5. 1 2 Cowen, Diane (March 8, 2017). "Designer Laura Umansky acquires furniture manufacturer". Houston Chronicle.
  6. ↑ Rufca, By Sarah (2014-03-19). "Can't afford an interior designer? These Houston firms offer budget-friendly services". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  7. ↑ Bonner, Elizabeth (2016-07-07). "Coastal Current Beach House Style - Southern Lady Magazine". Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  8. ↑ "Morocco Inspires Kitchen Remodel". HGTV. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  9. ↑ Decor, Elle (2019-06-04). "Laura Umansky artfully blends nature with comfort in this tranquil home". Elle Decor. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  10. ↑ "A Stately 1930s Neo-Georgian Estate in Houston". LUXE Interiors + Design. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  11. ↑ "A Modern European Inspired High-Rise Home in Houston, Texas | Rue". ruemag.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  12. ↑ Cowen, By Diane (2022-07-08). "This Houston area home was too French for this family. So they gave it a California face-lift". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  13. 1 2 Moore, Holly (2021-05-31). "The Winning Entries for the PaperCity Design Awards Houston 2021 Are. . ". PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  14. 1 2 Cowen, By Diane (2022-11-29). "Houston designer Laura Umansky and family put down roots in Snowmass, Colorado". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  15. ↑ James (2022-04-11). ""Mountain Modern Architecture" - Laura Umansky's Colorado Home". The Purist. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  16. ↑ Petersen, Scout (2022-06-24). "An Interior Designer Remodels Her Own Home in Snowmass". Colorado Homes & Lifestyles. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  17. ↑ "Home - Design Dash". Design Dash. Archived from the original on 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  18. ↑ Jarrett, Vicky (2024-09-16). "Vanguard sets designer education events for High Point - Furniture Today". Furniture Today. Archived from the original on 2025-04-16. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  19. ↑ "3 seminars, 1 social: Vanguard to host market events". Designers Today. March 5, 2026. Retrieved August 8, 2026.

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