Onida Garner

When I was 12, my uncle told me that interior designers could move walls. I looked at the wall behind him and said: 'You mean I can push that out a couple of feet?' That was it. I knew this was what I wanted to do.

I have been working in residential design ever since. I graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Interior Design in 1999. My work spanned hospitality, multi-family, and single-family residential design, building a strong foundation in space planning, custom millwork, lighting design, and the integration of colour, materials, fixtures, furniture, and project management. But it was always the private home that called me back. I founded Onida Garner Design in 2013 and made that my sole focus.

You can have a home that supports the life you have built.

Most of my clients do not know that when they first reach out. They only know something is not working. The storage is inefficient. The flow creates friction. The space feels off, but they cannot define why. They have adapted around it for so long it has become normal. And they have no clear starting point.

What they do not yet see is that the home they want is entirely achievable.

Every project begins with function. What is not working and why? What does the space need to do that it currently does not? How should the space feel? What is the colour palette?

When your home works the way it should, your life feels easier.

The work is colour-forward, layered, and expressive design.

I design around you and how you live. Function comes first. Everything else is shaped from there.

I work with what you already have whenever possible. The goal is to use what is there and add what is not, so the result could only belong to you.

My fully managed approach brings clarity at every stage without pulling you into unnecessary decisions. You approve what matters. I take care of everything else.

I live in North Vancouver with my husband and twin sons. I understand the demands of a full household. That perspective shapes how I design.