About

I'm Sara Dailey, and I believe good design starts with curiosity.

I approach design with curiosity, critical thinking, and a strong sense of craft. I like digging into the why, connecting the dots, and working closely with others to find thoughtful solutions to complex problems. AI has become a powerful part of my process, a thought partner that helps me move faster, broaden my thinking, and explore possibilities earlier. But technology is only one part of the equation. The best work comes from understanding people, context, and the details that make an experience feel intuitive and purposeful.

See my work

What shapes my approach

There's no single formula for good design. Every problem calls for a different combination of strategy, creativity, collaboration, and craft. These are the qualities I bring to my work and the things that continue to shape how I grow as a designer.

Curious & experimental

I'm always exploring, learning, questioning, and looking for a better way.

Equal parts strategic & visual

I love solving the big picture problem just as much as refining the smallest detail.

Creative at heart

My background in fine art & painting continues to influence how I see, think, and make.

Inspired by my surroundings

Music, nature, travel, architecture, interiors, and spaces continually inspire me and influence my perspective.

Empathetic & invested

I care deeply about people, the work I do, and the teams I'm part of, and I bring that commitment to everything I take on.

Get to know me

I grew up in San Diego, California, surrounded by sunshine, the ocean, and a culture that made being outdoors feel like a way of life. I studied art and painting in college and spent a year in Florence, Italy, immersed in its art, architecture, and history. That experience shaped the way I see the world and continues to influence how I approach design today, with an appreciation for composition, craft, storytelling, and the details that make an experience memorable.

In 2020, my family and I traded the beach for the high desert of Bend, Oregon. Since then, life has slowed down in some of the best ways, more time outside, paddle boarding in the summer, snowshoeing in the winter, and appreciating the change in the seasons.

Design doesn't stop at the screen for me. I've always been drawn to transforming spaces and creating experiences with a strong sense of place. I brought a design and experience lens to renovating a 1958 Oasis camper into a tropical-inspired retreat in San Diego and reimagining a 1930s lakeside cabin as a place for guests to slow down and reconnect with lakefront living. I also managed both as short-term rentals, thinking beyond the spaces themselves to the full guest experience, from the details that create a feeling to the practical decisions that make it work as a business. Different mediums, same instinct: understand the experience you want to create, then sweat the details that make it feel real.

When I'm not designing, you'll usually find me in the garden, painting, working on a home project, exploring the outdoors, or getting lost in music. I've always been drawn to things that reward curiosity and attention, whether that's growing or building something from scratch, figuring out how something works, or discovering a song I can't stop listening to.