Pictured from left: Karyn Martini Haldane, Carlos Moreno, Matthew Norris, and Linda Spagnola-Bragg
“If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.”
Ray Kroc
Norris Design Studio LLC was incorporated April 2004 by its founder, Matthew Norris, to provide the restaurant and retail industries with impeccable design and documentation services. Since inception, NDS has completed over 300 projects in dozens of airports and transportation centers where the highest degree of experience and professionalism is required. NDS offers its clients innovative design solutions and reliable documentation for projects of all sizes and complexities. We are proud to produce beautiful one-of-a-kind stores for our clients using the latest software and technical tools. But beyond the beauty lies the true definition of design; it’s not how the space looks, it’s how it WORKS.
NDS currently employs five designers and support staff members. We are a diverse team- hailing from three different nations. We are a well rounded team- holding degrees in three different design fields. Together, we bring all of our experience, knowledge, and culture to bear on each project to produce spaces with a distinct world view. We are proud of our accomplishments but humble about the reasons for our success. We owe our existence to our customer-the client- therefore, we never lose sight of YOUR project goals, schedule, and bottom line.
Every day we work together with engineers, rendering artists, graphic designers, franchises, developers, and other consultants to offer our clients complete A to Z service. We are of the mindset that the best projects are a result of partnership and cooperation between the design team and the client. We have succeeded when the client takes ownership of the work product and uses the word “us” and “we” to describe the process. NDS has an enviable track record maintaining working relationships with valued clients over many years and multiple projects. We use the word friend interchangeably with client. Please allow us to serve you!
“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.” –
Leonardo da Vinci
Matthew discovered his passion a bit later than most when he enrolled in art school to study graphic design. After a few semesters he realized that the graphic art field was a bit too narrow for his hands-on approach to art. “One day I happened to be hanging around the school and found myself watching an Interior Design project jury in the auditorium. I immediately realized this is what I was meant to do professionally.”
After graduating from The American College with a Bachelors in fine art in Interior Design he went to work for 2 architecture firms specializing in hospitality design. After 7 great years of practice as an associate and project manager he opened Norris Design Studio out of his basement. Ten more years and 300 projects later NDS continues to grow and prosper. Specializing in restaurant and retail store design mostly in transportation centers has kept NDS busy and in demand steadily through the years.
Matthew lives in Roswell Georgia with his wife of 20 years and his son who has decided to study Graphic Design and Journalism, and may just come to work for his dad someday. Matthew enjoys home improvement and traveling, never missing a chance to check out a cool restaurant or store wherever he lands to generate ideas.
Linda has been assisting Norris Design Studio as a Bookkeeper / Office Manager since May 2006. She has seen the company grow over the years!
Linda graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a BBA in Management and an emphasis in Human Resources. She has over 20 years combined administrative and bookkeeping experience. She strives to do work in an efficient and professional manner. She definitely loves getting to know people and would prefer communicating with you on the phone rather than sending an email.
She and her husband of 24 years live in Roswell and are enjoying life together again since their two boys are both away at college. She also has a dog that is considered a member of the family! In her spare time, she plays on several tennis teams, watches the Atlanta Braves, and travels when her schedule allows it. She is also an active member of her church and has been a youth leader for the past four years which she says helps keep her young.
Beware…Linda is also an avid hugger so if you are in her midst…be prepared for a hug!
Her grandfather designed and built homes and her father studied architecture and a big extended family was never afraid of getting their hands dirty, so maybe it just comes naturally that she gravitated to interior design. As a little girl she played with Barbies and ran barefoot outside, but also spent her weekends designing floor plans on her dad’s portable drafting table. For her 6th grade autobiography she even predicted her future as an architect. It seems architecture and design was just in her blood.
Born and raised a proud Texan, Karyn studied interior design and graduated with a BFA in Interior Design from University of North Texas. She interned at a large architectural and design firm and was offered a full time position prior to graduation. Her career started with Tenant Design in Dallas, but on a whim she decided to move to Atlanta and join her three cousins who all converged for a fun after- college experience, away from Texas. She continued with Tenant Design, but after four years was offered a chance to design retail stores and has not looked back . She has continued to grow with design, detailing and project management with NDS and has completed over 100 projects.
Karyn spends her time outside of the office with her husband, young daughter and very needy ‘rescue’ dog. She enjoys DIY projects (as much as you can with a toddler), working out, traveling and getting back to Texas as much as possible.
Laurie Gray Hahn, NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate Growing up in North Carolina and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Laurie has always had a love for design. She attended West Virginia University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and a minor in Sustainable Design. While attending WVU, Laurie was fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad in England. She spent her weekends traveling across Europe gaining a whole new appreciation for interior and architectural design. Laurie is NCIDQ certified as well as a LEED Green Associate. She has experience with various corporate interior, tenant, healthcare, and office amenity designs. Laurie calls Atlanta home with her husband and their german shepherd. When she is not designing, you will find her training for her first triathlon or out on Lake Lanier.
