Team
Sarita Simpson
Founder + Principal Designer
From a very young age, Sarita knew that she had an obsession with interior design and beautiful, stylish spaces. In 2014 Sarita launched her design firm – Sarita Simpson Design – and has since completed dozens of projects for both residential and commercial clients in the DC area. For more than seven years before that, Sarita was the lead designer (working with Jason Claire) at Vastu, a high-end furnishings boutique in Washington DC, where she designed residential and commercial spaces, including apartment model units and lobbies as well as custom furniture, rugs, and window treatments for her clients.
Jason Claire
Founder + Chief Strategy Officer
Born in New York City, Jason was interested in art and design from the start. He became a commissioned abstract painter in high school and then triple majored in art, art history, and pre-medicine at Duke University. Between 2003 and 2014, Jason opened and grew Vastu in Washington DC which became a leading modern furniture retailer, art gallery, and interior design firm. He then moved to Switzerland with his husband and traveled to 60 countries during the following 5 years. With a renewed passion and evolved design aesthetic, Jason returned to the US and partnered with Sarita to form Interior Matter.
Pascale de Saint Antoine
Director of Operations
Pascale comes to Interior Matter from New York City where she worked in the art world and at a luxury design e-commerce company. Before that, she was exploring art galleries and museums in London, where she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in communications and art history. At IM, she works behind the scenes to make sure all the of design projects run smoothly, which includes client and vendor communications, deliveries, product ordering and billing. The role allows her to combine two of her passions – interior design and organizational logistics. She just loves to organize, find creative solutions to problems, and keep things tidy, efficient and on schedule. She also speaks French, and enjoys cooking, traveling and discovering the many neighborhoods of her native Washington, D.C.
Addam Mayhew
Project Manager
Addam joined Interior Matter in November 2022. From a young age, they knew they wanted to work in design, with interior design as the happy mix of their deep love of art and architecture. Graduating from The Art Institute of Washington with a degree in Fine Arts has prepared them for a career in interior design. They enjoy transforming a client’s needs and wants into reality. When Adam is not working, you can find them shopping (housewares and fashion), visiting museums, hiking, biking, and gardening. They and their husband recently bought a house in the Kingman Park area of northeast DC. Their Lemon Beagle, Teagan, sits on the arm of the sofa near a window and pretends to be mayor of their street.
Lindsey Arthur
Project Manager
Lindsey has been working in the design field for over 20 years, with completed projects in San Diego, Austin, Brooklyn, and New York City. She moved to the DC Metro area and joined Interior Matter in 2022. Lindsey is driven by a passion to care for people through the spaces they inhabit — honoring what has been entrusted to her while holding to the guiding principle that any work done, in order to be considered an improvement, must result in a space that is less burdensome, more efficient, higher functioning, deeply personal, and of course… beautiful. Although she admires those with diverse interests and balanced lives, her interests are singular – the spaces that humans inhabit and the storied lives we draw on to curate those spaces.
Hannah Shaffer
Junior Designer
Having worked with Sarita since 2017, Hannah joined Interior Matter at its founding and assists on all projects from concept to construction. She is a graduate of the Corcoran School of the Arts at the George Washington University, with a BFA in Interior Architecture. Hannah has a passion for people; she loves that her work allows her to collaborate directly with clients to create spaces that are a reflection of themselves. A right-brained creative with a left-brained passion for computer science, she uses her dynamic skillset to bring our designs to life through plans, elevations, and 3D renderings. In her free time Hannah enjoys building computers, visiting art museums, and reading ridiculously long sci-fi novels.
Gabriella Marroquín Calderón
Design/Administrative Assistant
Hailing from New York, Gabriella is a senior at The George Washington University studying Anthropology & International Affairs with a concentration in International Development. Her background in non-profit operations and accounting combined with her creativity and problem solving skills bring an additional layer in keeping things running smoothly and on track. In her role she combines her passion for helping others and innovation, with logistics and finding the beauty in the everyday. When she’s not working, Gabriella loves cooking, dancing, and exploring the DC area.
Abbie McGrann
Design Intern
Abbie from Minneapolis is currently a senior at George Washington University, studying Interior Architecture and Spanish. From a very young age, she has been interested in the arts and is hoping to pursue a career in architecture and design post-graduation. Abbie has been working with Interior Matter since July 2021, and absolutely loves the design experience and exposure to the field. Abbie studied sustainable design last spring in Copenhagen, returning to our team in the summer of 2022. When she’s not working or studying, Abbie loves to draw, paint, and be outdoors!
Kara Livingston
Design Intern
Kara is also a senior studying Interior Architecture at the George Washington University. Being from Atlanta, Georgia, Kara grew up around art and design and became fascinated with it from a very young age. She is very interested in residential design, and hopes to pursue it further once she graduates in Spring 2023. She also loves ballet, music, and spending time with her friends and family.