For two decades, Amy Williams, founder and principal of Virginia Beach-based residential design practice Cicada House, has searched for that story in every design.

Her passion for the arts began early; however, it was her college years in Charleston, SC, studying art with an emphasis on oil painting, that shaped her perspective.

Through the practice of line, color, scale, and harmony, she developed a deep understanding of how design affects people. She fell in love with historic architecture, learned the value of preservation, but could equally appreciate the beauty of buildings in ruin.  The overgrown garden, the worn threshold, the room that tells you exactly who lived there.  Those details become moments that resonate with her.  

Amy specializes in residential design, remodeling, and new construction. Her taste clearly shows in her work, yet no two homes are the same. She designs with how people actually live in mind, and her projects are shaped just as much by her clients' personalities as by her own. She believes the best interiors are layered and evolve over time, just like the people who inhabit them.

What guides her work aesthetic: patience, longevity, authenticity, history, charm, warmth, grace, and the occasional well-timed sense of humor.