Blue Lotus Project, Alameda, CA, USA

The Blue Lotus Project offers complete design and remodeling services from brief consultations to full-service design/build additions and whole-house remodels.

We specialize in kitchens and bathrooms, and are experts in preserving historical architecture, as well as working in contemporary styles.

Recent design/build projects include:

Eichler house kitchen and entry in Oakland
Guest room in Stinson Beach
Rebuilt vintage travel trailer into home office Read Article
Completely remodel of 1910 cottage in Berkeley
Kitchen, laundry room, home office in Berkeley
Small Kitchen in Berkeley
Craftsman style house in Berkeley
Live/work warehouse in Oakland
Powder room in Berkeley
Contemporary bathroom in Oakland

Marcy Voyevod and Tim Englert bring almost 50 years of combined design and construction experience to the Blue Lotus Project. After years of working along mostly separate paths, they have now come together to offer their clients a highly compatible team to manage the design and build aspects of their small to mid-sized remodeling projects. In addition to their grounding in design and construction, both Marcy and Tim are artists in their own right; this added talent brings a heightened artistic sensibility to their design and build work. The Blue Lotus Project team also includes Marcy and Tim's trusted colleagues on an as-needed basis - all highly skilled craftspeople they have come to know and trust through direct, hands-on experience.

Marcy Voyevod

Marcy Voyevod started her own design business in 1991, and has helped hundreds of clients realize their dreams for the interior of their homes. Her clients enjoy her relaxed, down-to-earth style, her sense of fun, and her highly-tuned ability to understand their needs and desires. Her extensive project management skills ensure that projects move forward, and her ability to mediate when misunderstandings occur keeps everyone sane. Marcy's extensive design portfolio demonstrates the range and scope of her work.

Marcy's kitchen and bath designs have appeared in before-and-after design books, Sunset magazine, the Contra Costa Times design magazine, and she writes regularly for a San Francisco Chronicle column called "Design Dilemmas". Fundraising tours featured Marcy's kitchens and she also designed a guest bathroom for The San Francisco Designer Showcase House.

Prior to opening her own business, she worked with Carleen Anderson Kitchen Design, Mueller Nicholls, and San Francisco commercial design firms. She served on the design review committee for the West Alameda Business Association as plans began for the now-completed Webster Street streetscape project. Marcy holds a BFA degree in Interior Design from the Maryland institute, College of Art.

She is also an accomplished artist, and has exhibited her work in a variety of local exhibits, including art shows following the Oakland fire of 1991 and the SomArts Day of the Dead shows. She and Tim have also collaborated on art installations and faux painting projects.

Tim Englert

Tim Englert has worked in residential construction for over 25 years. Prior to opening the Blue Lotus Project design/build firm with Marcy, he worked as construction manager, mold maker, and finish carpenter for Cheng Design in Berkeley and as lead carpenter at Mueller Nicholls in Oakland, where he worked on high-end residential projects. His clients appreciate his creative ideas, comfortable style, excellent craftsmanship, and the care with which he treats their homes. While employed in these companies, Tim worked on numerous projects where Marcy served as designer. These positive experiences led them to tackle the restoration of their own home, a Craftsman bungalow in Alameda and a 1951 Silver Streak Trailer that will soon serve as the office for Blue Lotus Project.

Tim's interest in construction is not limited to homes. From 1985 to 2000, Tim owned and restored a 1940's movie theater in Bly, Oregon.

Tim is also an artist, and he sometimes collaborates with Marcy on art projects and installations. He has a MA in Art from Humboldt State University, and has taught ceramics at the college level. Both his art and building work has been featured in publications such as Fine Home Building and the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday home section. During January 2007, his photographs from six years at Burning Man were displayed at the Lucky JuJu Pinball Gallery in Alameda.