Rachelle received her formal design education from the Interior Design and Interior Architecture Department at UC Berkeley Extension, following her undergraduate work at the University of Virginia. In 2007, she founded Synthesis Interiors & Color. A decade later, The Green Materialist was born to extend the reach of her career-long focus on healthy and eco-friendly materials. From 2018-2020, Rachelle developed and taught a sustainability-based curriculum for the Interior Finishes and Materials course at her design alma mater. She is regularly tapped as a consultant, educator and connector on sustainability topics in the built environment and beyond. She also serves on the board of the West Berkeley Design Loop and loves cultivating community, both professionally and personally.   

Rachelle’s career as a designer began in childhood, where her bedroom was splashed with rainbows, and the ceiling painted a brilliant blue full of cottony clouds. She got an unusual thrill from rearranging furniture and concurred with her mom’s frustration that the kitchen would make more sense with a few extra feet of counter space. On trips to the hardware store with her dad, she would  happily engage in the paint aisle, while he puttered around the power tools. 

Her parents, an electrical engineer and earth science teacher,  instilled in her a deep respect for the natural world. Conserving resources, repurposing objects and consuming thoughtfully were a way of life. She felt right at home beginning her career in environmental non-profit, including a highly impactful stint with the Center for Environmental Health. There, she deepened her understanding of toxins in building materials and committed her life's work to designing spaces that are just as beautiful as they are healthy for people and the planet.