Changes in science, technology, and culture are continuously reshaping urban environments and personal residential spaces. The comprehension of interior design (specifically) over the last 20 years has changed from a particular concept of beauty with reference to a specific group of designers towards sensitivity to health, sustainability, and the individual psychological effect of the environment on the life of space. Consequently, as stated by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the United States transitioned from fewer than 500 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified structures in the year 2000 to over 100,000 as of the year 2024.
This was a wide-ranging development that was an early sign of shifting cultures of consciousness of design impact on physical health and psychological homeostasis. It is also a moment when designers are able to explore a web of experiences and viewpoints in order to develop strategies that might come into form through consciousness of shifting expectations.
Lesley Ray is one example of such a designer whose practice engages in this wider shift. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 13, 1989, and trained as both a musician and an interior designer, she has combined classical arts education with a practical understanding of sustainable architecture. Her professional background follows a steady path from early musical training to the management of large commercial developments, into leadership roles within organizations that promote environmental requirements for buildings.
Ray grew up in Shaker Heights. She completed her schooling at Shaker Heights High School in 2007. She continued her studies at The Ohio State University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Space Design in 2012. She was a student at the Academie Minerva of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands during her undergraduate studies in 2011, a university particularly famous for fine arts and design courses. That foreign experience of learning introduced her to the European approach to interior design culture, plus sustainable design practices that were also emerging as key themes in the global conversation about interior space.
Music was Ray’s first discipline. At six years old, she began studying violin, and soon after, was working with Liza Grossman, the founder of the Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra, and percussionist Bill Ransom. She was with the Orchestra from 2004 to 2007, an organization where young musicians are given a chance to perform on the same stage as established musicians. She performed with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Jon Anderson of Yes, Mike Garson of David Bowie’s band, and the rock band Styx. During this short time, her creative sensibility began to define its contours. It gave her a small morsel of experience working with other musical performers that would later go on to guide her work in design spaces.
After graduating from The Ohio State University, Ray built a career in professional design as a member of Columbus, Ohio-based M+A Architects. The company is known for many large-scale commercial developments. Part of her job included working on the development of the Easton Town Center, a shopping and entertainment complex spanning more than 1.7 million square feet and attracting an estimated 25 million consumers annually, according to city planning statistics. The initial exposure to large-scale planning gave her a grasp of construction timing and coordination of multidisciplinary crews.
While in Columbus, Ray worked with the USGBC, which has established the world’s widely accepted standard for sustainable building. She was instrumental in organizing Central Ohio’s first LEED Emerging Professionals Group, which provided emerging designers and architects with an arena to share research with colleagues and learn the LEED certification process. USGBC reported that its efforts now impact more than 40 percent of new commercial structures in the United States, and Ray has been able to be a significant focus for this shift towards energy-efficient, health-promoting design.
Her professional experience includes being NCIDQ certified, a standard known throughout North America for demonstrating skill in interior design practice and building code. In 2016, she relocated to San Francisco, CA. She worked on multimillion-dollar corporate office renovations for many global technology companies in Silicon Valley. She was nominated by the Silicon Valley chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) for a Rising Rockstar award, whose mission is to promote women in commercial real estate and related industries. Her nomination reflected her success in design work in tech-focused markets.
By 2021, Ray established an independent residential luxury interior design practice, Lesley Ray Design. The decision to establish an outlet in the Bay Area situated her at the core of a region noted for both hyper-tech transformation and passionate environmentalism. Ray’s professional work has appeared in national magazines, including Sunset Magazine and Architectural Digest Pro, both of which have used her residential interior design philosophy. These publications are part of a public record of professional practice and provide independent confirmation of her professional practice in the field.
From her roots as a musician in Ohio to her design practice in California, Lesley Ray’s career reflects the evolution of interior design toward sustainability, technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her background—spanning music, neuroscience, and design—demonstrates how fluency across artistic and technical disciplines can enable the creation of healthier, more adaptive environments. This interdisciplinary blend positions Ray as a creative founder poised for innovation, shaping the future of how we live, design, and connect with our surroundings.
