Maisy Porter
Assistant Designer & Project Manager
Porter has been passionate about design since childhood. As a young girl growing up in Libertyville, when her friends wanted to play Barbies—brushing their hair and changing their outfits—she was busy making custom curtains and duvet covers for her Barbie Dream Home. Fast forward 15 years, and those formative flashes were informing her higher education. In 2014, Porter graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. “In school, I focused mostly on commercial and larger hospitality design,” says Porter, “But somehow I always knew that residential was where I would land. I like the personal aspect of it—forming personal connections with the clients and having an impact on their day-to-day lives.”
To that end, Porter interned at Fredman Design Group followed by four years at JP Interiors, where she worked firsthand on residential projects in Chicago and its suburbs, as well as in Philadelphia, Nantucket and Palm Springs. Then, in 2018, ready for professional growth, Porter jumped on a job opportunity at Marshall Erb Design. “I had been following Marshall’s work closely for years, and was always floored by his attention to detail,” says Porter. “Here, I’ve been able to flex my muscles, managing projects and working one-on-one with clients—and translating their personalities into personalized design.” And now, with more than seven years of high-end residential interiors experience under her belt, Porter supports Erb with vendor relations, design drawing, sourcing, project tracking and final installs. Porter lives in Downers Grove with her fiancé, Jonathan, but loves coming downtown every day for work. “It’s pretty incredible to be at the epicenter of design in the birthplace of modernism,” adds Porter, “and to witness how our city’s history is influencing the future of its design.”
