I’m Alex Maranto, a native Houstonian, former Brooklynite, and proud Detroiter since 2019.

I founded Maranto Design Co in 2021 at the height of the real estate boom in Detroit. I had been working at a local home staging company where I was furnishing and styling homes being listed for sale and I saw an opportunity to help people choose renovation materials that would enhance the charm and character of these beautiful, historic Detroit homes, rather than destroy it. Word of mouth grew and a year later I expanded my business to work with homeowners who were looking for more of a full-service solution. (Don’t worry, I still offer services to investors and homeowners seeking less extensive help!)

In my 10 years in New York City, I went through a vigorous design program and earned my BFA in Advertising + Design from School of Visual Arts. After graduating, I picked up the subtle art of styling and learned the importance of composing a photograph while working as an assistant photo stylist on shoots for major brands and publications, then I gained access to some of New York’s most gorgeous (and not so gorgeous) buildings and townhomes while working for a real estate brokerage and renting apartments to locals and transplants.

Life took me back to Houston where my career in interior design began, even though I didn’t know it at the time. My dad had purchased a 1950s ranch that was in need of a full gut renovation and I was tasked with of all of the design and project management. The success of that project inspired my husband to want to fix up an investment property in Detroit that he had purchased in 2011 that needed some love, so we packed up our things and drove north for a “4 month stint” to DIY this house. Now, 4 years later, we are still happily living in that house together with our Golden Retriever, Romeo.