ABOUT PAMELA HOPE DESIGNS
Pamela O’Brien
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
Pamela O’Brien is an award-winning, luxury interior designer, writer and speaker. O’Brien has been celebrated in the press (House Beautiful, Houston Chronicle, Houston Modern Luxury and Wall Street Journal, to name a few) for mastering the art and the science of designing custom spaces that put the client first. She is also a regular contributor to Living Cozy.
Prior to founding Pamela Hope Designs, O’Brien served as a spokesperson in media and public affairs. She had the opportunity to collaborate with major media networks and contributed to programs including Dateline NBC and 48 Hours. This experience provided O’Brien with opportunities to travel the world and connect with international leaders. This further fueled her lifelong passion for art, culture and interior design. Soon, she was spending weekends taking on design clients and furthering her education. Within days of resigning from her media career, O’Brien attended a professional development program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
O’Brien has been recognized as a respected interior designer and philanthropist within the Houston market. She is known for building powerful partnerships with her clients, many who become friends and collaborators. Some of her prominent commercial projects include the offices of Bellows Corporation, Tradition Bank (now Prosperity Bank) Plaza location, Allergy and Asthma Associates and Cricket Communications.
On a personal level, O’Brien and her husband Jon Halvorsen are avid travelers. While crossing the globe, they make frequent pit-stops in Alaska (Halvorsen’s home state.) She is curious by nature and is fluent in French and Italian. On weekends, you will find her exploring new restaurants, attending art events and catching a yoga and spin class at the Houstonian Club. O’Brien still honors her roots in media relations. She enjoys educating audiences through writing and speaking and has been involved with the National Speakers Association and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
INVOLVEMENT
As leading members of the Houston interior design community, we believe in giving back to our city. Pamela and her husband Jon chaired the Eighth Annual Savor the Hope Gala for Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. Pamela currently serves on Devereux’ Texas Advisory Board. Pamela was on the executive board of Crisis Intervention of Houston and chaired their community relations committee for several years. She served with one of her clients on the Houston Symphony Ball committee. Pamela was a member of the University of Houston Honors College Advisory Board and decorating
With her love of architecture and historic preservation, Pamela has enjoyed being involved with the Houston Heights Association as a committee member, speaker, and docent. She also served as the decorating consultant for the Woodland Heights Home Tour. Our team has done several historic renovations for adaptive reuse for commercial space and is always delighted to work with clients living or working in historical buildings.
Danna Smith
MANAGING DESIGNER
As a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in interior design, Danna Smith has more than 30 years of experience in the design industry. She has been a buyer and merchandiser for four luxury showrooms in Houston and two in Dallas. She also worked as the lead salesperson at the Kravet/Lee Jofa/Brunschwig & Fils Showroom in the Decorative Center of Houston. To nurture her passion for developing future design stars, Smith teaches an evening course Fundamentals of Interior Design at Houston Community College. Since joining Pamela Hope Designs in 2015, she has worked on some of her most beautiful and innovative projects.
Smith has twin daughters, Taylor and Mia, who inherited her creative gene. Taylor is a writer and musician, while Mia is a talented artist. When not hard at work, Smith enjoys relaxing at home with her girls, cooking a great meal and long walks with her two dogs Sunny and Jack.
