Renovation Reimagined

After 25 years designing homes at the highest level as an architect and interior designer, I created Spaces Refined to bridge the gap between full-service design and going it alone. Not everyone needs a full-time team, but everyone deserves trusted, expert guidance.

Spaces Refined distills decades of architectural and interiors expertise into a clear, visionary system: helping you design and lead your own project with focus, intention, and confidence.

Because home is a feeling.

A woman sitting on a curved textured sofa in a modern, airy room with large windows and letting natural light in.

Meet Catherine Finkernagel.
Architect, Designer, Founder.

The Power of Home

I do this work because I believe home shapes everything: how we live, how we feel, and how we show up in the world. After more than 25 years designing bespoke homes as an architect and interior designer, I’ve seen how overwhelming the renovation journey can feel – and how transformational it becomes with the right guidance.

As Co-Founder and Director at Finkernagel Ross, I’ve led projects that balance form, function, and feeling. With Spaces Refined, I wanted to make that same depth of expertise more accessible, offering a calm, strategic, and supportive path for design-savvy homeowners ready to take the lead.

A cozy corner of a modern living space featuring a wooden chair with a padded seat, a vase with green plant stems on a small table, and a glass sliding door leading to a balcony with a large potted plant, natural light filling the room.

The Philosophy

Where Vision Meets Structure

Spaces Refined is built on the belief that great design isn’t just about finishes or floor plans – it’s about the thinking that shapes them. It’s for homeowners who want to lead their project with intention, make confident decisions, and bring beauty and order to the process.

Our goal is to replace confusion with clarity, chaos with calm, and uncertainty with structure, so that the renovation of your home feels as meaningful as the space you’re creating.

The Spaces Refined
Manifesto

I.

Clarity before creativity.

II.

Vision leads, design follows.

III.

Calm is a strategy.

IV.

Beauty is built from order.

V.

Every choice tells a story.

VI.

Process with pleasure.

Interior design materials including a fabric-covered basket with a white cloth inside, a large piece of textured stone, a small sample of woven fabric, a grey fabric sample, and a color palette with various neutral shades.

Get in Touch

Lead with Intention

Whether you’re planning your first renovation or refining your forever home, Spaces Refined gives you the clarity and structure to design with purpose and the confidence to make it beautifully yours.

Explore How We Work +