About Design Essentials PNW
A collaborative design perspective shaped by real projects
Design Essentials PNW is led by Wendy Burdett, a Tacoma-based design consultant with deep experience working alongside architects, builders, and real estate professionals on residential projects across the Pacific Northwest.
Wendy’s background spans interior design, model home merchandising, and visual strategy — work that lives at the intersection of architecture and lived experience. Over the course of her career, she has supported project teams in clarifying plans, refining finish direction, and shaping spaces that function well, present clearly, and feel resolved.
Her role is not to replace design teams or drive aesthetic agendas, but to offer an experienced, steady perspective that helps projects move forward with confidence.
How Wendy works
Wendy approaches projects as a collaborator — someone who understands the realities of budgets, timelines, client decision fatigue, and the ripple effects of early choices.
Her work is rooted in:
spatial clarity and livability
proportion, flow, and restraint
finish decisions that support architecture rather than compete with it
helping teams and clients reach alignment earlier in the process
This perspective is especially valuable on projects where clarity up front reduces friction later.
A background in residential design and merchandising
Wendy has spent years immersed in residential environments — from private homes to model homes and pre-sale spaces — where design decisions must balance aspiration with practicality.
That experience informs how she evaluates plans and materials today: not just for how they look, but for how they are lived in, navigated, photographed, and ultimately understood by future occupants.
She brings this lens to every collaboration, helping teams anticipate questions before they become problems.
Clear roles, clean collaboration
Design Essentials PNW is intentionally structured to support project teams without adding complexity.
Wendy provides design consultation and visual guidance only
She does not perform installation or construction
She does not hire or manage installers or subcontractors
Furniture rental and installation, when needed, are contracted directly by the client
This clarity keeps roles defined and collaboration efficient.
Beyond project work
In addition to professional consulting, Wendy is the creative force behind Collected by Design Essentials PNW — a curated retail extension featuring art, objects, and small goods selected with the same care she brings to spatial work.
This practice reflects her broader design philosophy: that thoughtful environments are built from layers — structure, material, light, and the objects we choose to live with.
Let’s connect
If you’re an architect, builder, or remodeler interested in early-stage design support, Wendy welcomes conversation.
No sales pitch — just a chance to explore whether collaboration makes sense for an upcoming project.