ABOUT THE TEAK
Every tree carries a fingerprint in its rings, a record of every season it has lived through. So does every person. And so, we believe, should every home.
The story in our name
The Teak is named for a warm, enduring wood, but the name holds a little secret. T-E-A-K are the initials of the two people at its heart: my husband and me. Look closely at our logo and you'll find another one: my own fingerprint, its swirling lines echoing the rings of a cut tree trunk. A person's fingerprint, a tree's fingerprint: two marks no one else will ever have.
That's how we design. Every home we create carries the fingerprint of the people who live in it: their travels, their collections, their rituals and quirks, the life they've lived and the one they're still building. And, quietly, we hope it carries a little of ours too.
People first, always
Before we talk about colour or furniture, we talk about you. How do your mornings begin? Where do you work, where do you curl up, and where does everyone end up at the end of a party? Whether it's a family home, a vacation rental or an office kitchen, the way people actually live and move through a space shapes every decision we make.
From there, we plan, so every room, corner and inch works harder. Then we layer in the beauty: your collections, our finds, art, sculpture and textiles, until the space feels like it could only ever belong to you.
Every budget, beautifully spent
Whether you're dreaming of a full-scale renovation or a considered refresh, we make every dollar work as hard as the design does. We know where to invest for lasting impact, where a clever idea outshines an expensive one, and when an heirloom, a vintage find or a well-loved piece deserves a second life. Great design has never been about how much you spend, but how wisely. And because we care about the world we share, sustainability is woven into every choice we make.
The hands behind the work
The Teak is led by me, Agota, and grows with every project. When a home calls for it, I bring together a trusted team of designers, renderers and project managers, plus a roster of seasoned makers: woodworkers, metalworkers, upholsterers, window-treatment specialists and more. They don't just build what we draw. They bring their own expertise and creativity, and they often make the design better. I'm endlessly grateful to work beside them.
Why The Teak
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Architect-trained We think about structure, light and layout before anything else.
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Hospitality-seasoned From The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi to California resorts, we know how to make spaces welcome people.
-
Maker-minded Having helped design collections for Restoration Hardware and Arhaus, we know how good furniture is made.
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Global sourcing From Italian markets to workshops across Europe and the US, we find pieces no one else on your street will have.
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We host Our own rentals in Italy, California and Tennessee mean every idea is tested by real guests.
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Collected, not decorated Your story leads; we help it shine.
In our clients' words
"They create artful, intimate spaces, each a unique reflection of its inhabitants… I highly recommend them for projects large or small."
— Client, guest suite and guest room
"She heard every word I said about what I wanted and what I liked… beautifully mixing in pieces I already owned."
— Client, full home refresh
"Their approach to design and client partnership is world-class. The project was done on time, on budget and with exceptional attention to detail."
— Client, industrial loft and Sea Ranch vacation rental
Let's begin
Somewhere in your home, there's a story waiting to be told. Based in Sausalito and working across the Bay Area, California, the US and Europe, we'd love to help you find it.
Every tree carries a fingerprint in its rings, a record of every season it has lived through. So does every person. And so, we believe, should every home.
The story in our name
The Teak is named for a warm, enduring wood, but the name holds a little secret. T-E-A-K are the initials of the two people at its heart: my husband and me. Look closely at our logo and you'll find another one: my own fingerprint, its swirling lines echoing the rings of a cut tree trunk. A person's fingerprint, a tree's fingerprint: two marks no one else will ever have.
That's how we design. Every home we create carries the fingerprint of the people who live in it: their travels, their collections, their rituals and quirks, the life they've lived and the one they're still building. And, quietly, we hope it carries a little of ours too.
People first, always
Before we talk about colour or furniture, we talk about you. How do your mornings begin? Where do you work, where do you curl up, and where does everyone end up at the end of a party? Whether it's a family home, a vacation rental or an office kitchen, the way people actually live and move through a space shapes every decision we make.
From there, we plan, so every room, corner and inch works harder. Then we layer in the beauty: your collections, our finds, art, sculpture and textiles, until the space feels like it could only ever belong to you.
Every budget, beautifully spent
Whether you're dreaming of a full-scale renovation or a considered refresh, we make every dollar work as hard as the design does. We know where to invest for lasting impact, where a clever idea outshines an expensive one, and when an heirloom, a vintage find or a well-loved piece deserves a second life. Great design has never been about how much you spend, but how wisely. And because we care about the world we share, sustainability is woven into every choice we make.
The hands behind the work
The Teak is led by me, Agota, and grows with every project. When a home calls for it, I bring together a trusted team of designers, renderers and project managers, plus a roster of seasoned makers: woodworkers, metalworkers, upholsterers, window-treatment specialists and more. They don't just build what we draw. They bring their own expertise and creativity, and they often make the design better. I'm endlessly grateful to work beside them.
Why The Teak
-
Architect-trained We think about structure, light and layout before anything else.
-
Hospitality-seasoned From The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi to California resorts, we know how to make spaces welcome people.
-
Maker-minded Having helped design collections for Restoration Hardware and Arhaus, we know how good furniture is made.
-
Global sourcing From Italian markets to workshops across Europe and the US, we find pieces no one else on your street will have.
-
We host Our own rentals in Italy, California and Tennessee mean every idea is tested by real guests.
-
Collected, not decorated Your story leads; we help it shine.
In our clients' words
"They create artful, intimate spaces, each a unique reflection of its inhabitants… I highly recommend them for projects large or small."
— Client, guest suite and guest room
"She heard every word I said about what I wanted and what I liked… beautifully mixing in pieces I already owned."
— Client, full home refresh
"Their approach to design and client partnership is world-class. The project was done on time, on budget and with exceptional attention to detail."
— Client, industrial loft and Sea Ranch vacation rental
Let's begin
Somewhere in your home, there's a story waiting to be told. Based in Sausalito and working across the Bay Area, California, the US and Europe, we'd love to help you find it.
ABOUT AGOTA
I studied architecture, then walked away from the drafting table because I missed people. Best decision I ever made. I'm Agota: a proud Lithuanian with a Sausalito address, an Italian husband who whisks me off to his homeland for a few months every year, and a suitcase that always comes home heavier than it left. Those months are my sourcing season, so your home might just end up with a piece no one else on your street has. Through The Teak, I design homes across the Bay Area, all of California, the US and Europe that feel collected, personal and lived in, never staged.
Where it all began
I grew up in Lithuania and studied architecture there. It taught me the bones of everything I do today: proportion, structure, how light moves through a room, and how a well-made thing can outlive all of us.
The plot twist
Then I moved to Santa Barbara and went to work for an architect. Within a year, I had a confession to make: I'm a people person. Drafting for years before anyone let me be creative? Not for me. I wanted to sit at kitchen tables, listen to people's stories and make their lives more beautiful right now. A friend suggested interior design, close enough to architecture to use everything I'd learned, and personal enough to make my heart happy. So I went back to school in Santa Barbara, and I've never looked back.
Learning from the best
My early years were a crash course in going big. On the hospitality team of a Santa Barbara design firm, I designed model rooms and common areas for The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, high-stakes lounges, restaurants and model rooms for Chumash Casino Resort, and hospitality projects across California and around the world. Next, I ran the full design department for a private family, looking after every design need of their homes across the United States, from Santa Barbara and Catalina Island to the other side of the country.
San Francisco brought the next chapter. As studio director for designer Will Wick, I oversaw homes across the Bay Area and the country, in Jackson Hole, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans, where I guided an extraordinary home all the way from the very first sketch to the final pillow. Then came the treasure hunting: travelling through Europe and across the US for vintage and bespoke pieces, and working out how to ship them across oceans without losing my mind.
And then there was product design. For Restoration Hardware, Arhaus and a handful of boutique retailers, I helped design furniture, case goods and lighting, and helped shape them into full collections. I sourced and developed samples, refined curves, finishes and fabrics, and helped pitch the collections to the buyers who brought them into showrooms across the country. It means I see every piece I choose for your home through a maker's eyes: how it's built, how it will wear and whether it's worth your investment.
The Teak is born
In 2020, the world turned upside down, and suddenly every home had to be an office, a school and a sanctuary all at once. Friends started calling, then friends of friends. Somewhere between the third and the thirtieth call, I realised it was time. The Teak was born.
Learning from the best
My early years were a crash course in going big. On the hospitality team of a Santa Barbara design firm, I designed model rooms and common areas for The Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, high-stakes lounges, restaurants and model rooms for Chumash Casino Resort, and hospitality projects across California and around the world. Next, I ran the full design department for a private family, looking after every design need of their homes across the United States, from Santa Barbara and Catalina Island to the other side of the country.
San Francisco brought the next chapter. As studio director for designer Will Wick, I oversaw homes across the Bay Area and the country, in Jackson Hole, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans, where I guided an extraordinary home all the way from the very first sketch to the final pillow. Then came the treasure hunting: travelling through Europe and across the US for vintage and bespoke pieces, and working out how to ship them across oceans without losing my mind.
And then there was product design. For Restoration Hardware, Arhaus and a handful of boutique retailers, I helped design furniture, case goods and lighting, and helped shape them into full collections. I sourced and developed samples, refined curves, finishes and fabrics, and helped pitch the collections to the buyers who brought them into showrooms across the country. It means I see every piece I choose for your home through a maker's eyes: how it's built, how it will wear and whether it's worth your investment.
Who I am today
Home is Sausalito, but my eye has travelled far. My Lithuanian roots keep me grounded. I have a soft spot for mid-century modern, a deep respect for the calm and craft of Japanese design, and a lifelong love of European and Scandinavian architecture, where every line earns its place. The California light softens everything. And my love of African heritage, and of the hands that make its art, adds soul and story. I collect wherever I go, and I bring it all home.
The Teak is born
In 2020, the world turned upside down, and suddenly every home had to be an office, a school and a sanctuary all at once. Friends started calling, then friends of friends. Somewhere between the third and the thirtieth call, I realised it was time. The Teak was born.
Who I am today
Home is Sausalito, but my eye has travelled far. My Lithuanian roots keep me grounded. I have a soft spot for mid-century modern, a deep respect for the calm and craft of Japanese design, and a lifelong love of European and Scandinavian architecture, where every line earns its place. The California light softens everything. And my love of African heritage, and of the hands that make its art, adds soul and story. I collect wherever I go, and I bring it all home.
The designer who hosts
Here's something most designers can't say: I host, too. Our own homes in Ravenna, Italy, Ventura and Clear Lake, California, and Memphis, Tennessee welcome guests all year round, and I design rentals for other owners too, from the pines of Sea Ranch on the Sonoma coast onwards.
So I know what makes guests catch their breath when the door opens, what survives a full season of check-ins, and what looks stunning in a listing photo and still feels like home in person. Some of our own rentals were transformed in just a few weeks and on a tight budget, proof that an unforgettable stay doesn't need a fortune, just a clear story and a lot of creativity.
Whether you're preparing a property for its very first guests or want a tired listing to finally get the reviews it deserves, I can help with full rental design, a virtual refresh, styling for photos, sourcing and day-to-day management support.
What I believe
Every beautiful home starts with a plan that works. Before I choose a single fabric, I get to know your space: how the light moves, how you move, and how every room can work harder for the people who live there. I'm a little obsessed with space planning, and I'll find the hidden storage, the better layout and the extra few feet you didn't know you had.
Then comes the fun part. The best homes aren't decorated; they're collected. They hold the pieces you've gathered on your travels, the art you can't live without and the stories of a life well lived, and they keep evolving with you. My job is to listen, find the thread that ties it all together, and add the art, sculpture and textiles that make your collection sing.
Big home or small, full renovation or a single room, near or far: if you want a home that works beautifully and feels unmistakably yours, I'd love to hear your story. Whether you're in Marin, San Francisco, anywhere in the Bay Area or halfway across the world, let's talk.
