About the Studio
Calafia Home Design is a boutique residential interior design studio based in the Bay Area, specializing in full service design. Founded by Elizabeth Sims, an artist and designer with a deep connection to the landscapes and architectural heritage of the West Coast, the studio crafts homes that honor place, material, and the stories of the people who inhabit them.
Elizabeth Sims
Elizabeth Sims is a fifth-generation Californian, founder of Calafia Home Design, and MFA-educated artist whose work is shaped by a deep engagement with the landscape, architectural history, and cultural traditions of the American West. Alongside her design practice, she maintains an active studio and exhibition practice, creating drawings and paintings that emerge from encounters with the natural world.
Since receiving her MFA in 2005, Elizabeth has worked continuously as a professional artist, published essays in literary journals, and taught studio art and art history. This interdisciplinary background informs her approach to interiors, balancing historical sensitivity, material richness, and a strong sense of atmosphere. Her work is guided by a deep regard for vernacular architecture, craftsmanship, and the enduring relationship between landscape and home.
Founder & Principal Designer
Behind the Name
Kal·uh·FEE·yuh
Our studio is named after Calafia, a mythic island imagined by early Spanish explorers as lying off the western edge of North America, before the geography of the continent was fully understood. In a 16th-century Spanish adventure novel, the island is ruled by the warrior queen Calafia. The story weaves together encounters between European Christian, Indigenous, and Black Moorish cultures, echoing the layered cultural roots that shape contemporary California. The myth later contributed to the naming of the state itself.
The fabled realm of Calafia evokes our vision and purpose: it reflects our love of history and contains an inclusive, romantic mythology about the place that inspires us. Our studio name is pronounced Kal-uh-FEE-yuh, mirroring the “-fornia” of California.