Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Kang.
Tina , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my career in residential design, and as I gained experience, I became more confident in my abilities and in the kind of designer I wanted to become. Eventually, I realized I wanted to build relationships with my own clients, develop my own design voice, and create something that was truly mine. That realization became the beginning of Huselv.
Today, I continue to work professionally in the design industry while running Huselv and working toward becoming a licensed architect. My professional experience is primarily residential, from renovations and additions to new construction, with additional experience contributing to commercial projects across Virginia and Maryland.
I’m also a licensed Realtor, which has shaped the way I look at homes. I think not only about how a space looks, but how people actually live in it, how the floor plan functions day to day, and how design decisions can contribute to a home’s long-term value.
I strongly believe that square footage alone doesn’t determine the quality of a home. How rooms connect, how you move through a space, where natural light enters, and how the layout supports everyday life can completely change the way a home feels.
That philosophy has become the foundation of Huselv. I try to understand not only what my clients want their home to look like, but how they want to live in it. My goal is to create homes that are functional, visually beautiful, and personal to the people who live in them.
Huselv began because I wanted to challenge myself and build something of my own. As it grows, I want to continue developing creatively and professionally while staying focused on why I started: to create homes that don’t just look better, but allow people to live better.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a completely smooth road, but I think some of the most challenging parts of my journey have also shaped me the most.
I came to the United States from Korea, and building a professional career—and eventually my own business—in a country that wasn’t originally home to me came with challenges I didn’t always anticipate. English is not my first language, and there were times when I felt a gap between what I knew I was capable of and how quickly others were able to recognize it. I learned that credibility isn’t always given immediately—you have to build it.
That was especially true when I began building my own client base. Residential design is deeply personal. Clients are trusting you with their homes and with decisions that can have a meaningful impact on how they live. Learning how to market myself, communicate my value, and earn that trust in a different language and culture wasn’t always easy.
But I never wanted those challenges to define what I could accomplish. If anything, they made me more determined to let the quality of my work speak for itself. I learned to prepare more, listen more carefully, communicate more intentionally, and trust my own abilities. Over time, I became less focused on whether I fit someone else’s idea of what a designer should look or sound like and more focused on the kind of designer I wanted to become.
At the same time, I’ve continued working professionally in residential design while building Huselv and working toward becoming a licensed architect. Balancing those goals has required a lot of discipline, but it has also given me valuable real-world experience and perspective.
I’m still building my story, and I actually like that. To me, success isn’t about reaching a point where there are no more challenges. It’s about continuing to grow, becoming better at what I do, and creating work that speaks for itself.
We’ve been impressed with HUSELV LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Huselv is a residential design studio focused on renovations, additions, interior design, and thoughtfully planned living spaces. A large part of my work involves helping homeowners transform existing homes—whether that means reworking an inefficient layout, expanding a home to accommodate a changing lifestyle, or reimagining how the interior spaces function and feel.
Renovations and additions are especially meaningful to me because they require an understanding of what is already there—what is worth preserving, what is no longer working, and how new ideas can feel naturally connected to the original home. When a project requires structural or other specialized expertise, I collaborate with licensed professionals as appropriate.
What sets Huselv apart is the way I approach the problem before the design. Clients often come to me knowing what they think they need—more space, a larger kitchen, another bedroom, or a different layout—but I want to understand why they need it. How do they live now? What frustrates them about their home? What do they wish worked differently? Sometimes the best solution isn’t the most obvious one, and I believe good design is about recognizing possibilities a client may not have considered.
My experience in residential design and interior planning allows me to think about both the overall organization of a home and the details that give it character. The layout, proportions, materials, light, and interior experience should all feel connected rather than like a collection of separate decisions.
What I’m most proud of about Huselv is that it remains personal. I want every client to feel that I’m genuinely invested in understanding their home and the way they want to live. Every home presents different challenges, and every client brings a different lifestyle, personality, and vision.
Ultimately, I want Huselv to be known for thoughtful residential transformations that are practical, carefully considered, and visually beautiful. Whether it’s a renovation, an addition, or a new space, my goal isn’t simply to create more space. It’s to create better space—and help clients see possibilities in their homes that they may not have seen before.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a very visual person, so I’m constantly collecting inspiration from different places. Pinterest and Instagram are probably the resources I use most often—not necessarily to follow trends, but to study how other designers approach space, materials, details, and problem-solving. I also enjoy looking through design publications and project features because seeing how other people think about design keeps me curious and pushes me to keep developing my own perspective.
Outside of design, I’ve learned that some of my best ideas actually come when I step away from work. Traveling, visiting new places, walking through different neighborhoods, restaurants, hotels, and even seeing how people live in different homes can be just as inspiring to me as anything I find online. I think being a good designer requires you to keep observing, even when you’re not technically working.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.huselv.com/
