Rising Stars: Meet Desireé Harper of North Metro Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desireé Harper.

Hi Desireé, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Respect for craftsmanship has always been part of my nature. For a time, my family lived among the Amish. Their way of life revealed how purpose, patience, and precision could elevate the simplest materials into something enduring. That sense of honesty and restraint shaped the way I see beauty — grounded, deliberate, and made to last.

When I was a young girl, my father set out to build a log cabin using authentic pioneer tools and methods — cutting, shaping, and joining materials by hand, just as early settlers once did. I discovered a love for masonry during that time, collecting stones from the creek and fitting them one by one until they found their balance. That quiet rhythm between hand and material became the foundation of how I understand design.

Those early experiences gave me a lifelong respect for artisans — people who make things with integrity. That same curiosity led me to illustration and the decorative arts. During visits to Universal Studios in Florida, I was captivated by how entire worlds could be created through hand-painted illusion — façades designed to appear centuries old, plaster made to look like carved stone. I dreamed of becoming an illustrator there, but the studio was transitioning from traditional hand-drawn animation to digital production. Watching that shift, I realized how easily craftsmanship can disappear when technology replaces touch — and I felt an even deeper pull toward the tactile and the timeless.

My studies in fine art and architecture followed that same thread. I fell in love with drafting by hand — the precision of graphite on vellum, the sound of a T-square sliding across the board. When the program moved to CAD, I begged my professor to let me stay at the drafting tables. There was something meditative about that process — a balance of discipline and artistry that still guides how I approach my work today.

I spent nearly a decade pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts — drawing, painting, and studying art history. My studies carried me from the restraint of early American craftsmanship to the movement and ornament of the Baroque style. Each era revealed its own expression of proportion, rhythm, and grace — all bound by the same principle: respect for the hand that creates. During those years, I deepened my love for material, texture, and form — for how design can both evoke and express emotion. That passion eventually led me into the world of architectural finishes, where I discovered how surface, light, and patina can transform space into feeling.

After college, when I began traveling to Italy, everything I had learned — about art, architecture, and the language of materials — came together and made perfect sense. What I do now, in many ways, is bring the soul of those old Italian finishes to new builds and legacy properties here in the United States. The craftsmanship, the layers of patina — it all feels like home. Part of me was always Italian. I just didn’t know it yet.

Through Harper House, we bring those worlds together. Every finish is built to hold light, depth, and permanence. My goal isn’t perfection; it’s authenticity. Design should feel alive — with surfaces that carry the same patience and intention as the people who build them.

My work is deeply influenced by world travel, especially throughout Europe, where time itself becomes a design element. There’s an undeniable romance in the way walls breathe with history, how patina tells a story without words. Here in the States, where so much is new, my passion lies in adding depth, soul, and character to those spaces.

What we create is, in many ways, like styling a new legacy property — lending it the warmth and patina of generations past. Through plaster, decorative and architectural finishes, and the alchemy of natural materials, we give new spaces the feeling of having already lived a life.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth — but growth never comes from comfort.

There have been countless long hours, uncertain seasons, and moments that tested my resolve — from the physical demands of the work to the patience it takes to see a vision through. I’ve learned that beauty often comes from endurance — from staying steady when things don’t go to plan and trusting that each layer, each challenge, has its purpose.

This field isn’t easy. It requires balance — between art and construction, emotion and precision. I began as an artist, but I’ve had to become more of a problem-solver — a dreamer with a realist’s discipline. I’m only as strong as the team beside me. My applicators and artisans are the backbone of what we do. Their discipline, dedication, and craftsmanship inspire me every day.

The obstacles have been their own form of mentorship. They’ve taught me what the materials themselves always do — that patience creates strength, and pressure creates depth. The rough patches have a way of revealing who you are, and what you’re made to build.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our work lives at the intersection of art, architecture, and emotion. We specialize in fine architectural finishes — Italian plasters and decorative applications that bring soul and materiality to modern spaces.

What I love most about this craft is its duality — it’s both ancient and alive. These materials have been used for centuries throughout Europe, and when applied by hand, they transform walls into something that breathes. Every finish we create holds movement, depth, and light — qualities that can’t be replicated by machine.

Each project is tailored to its architecture and the people who inhabit it. We collaborate with designers, architects, and builders who value not just beauty, but meaning — those who understand that the right finish doesn’t simply complete a space, it defines it.

I’m most proud of the team that stands beside me — artisans who treat their craft as art. Together, we bring timeless European techniques to new legacy properties and commercial spaces across the U.S. and abroad, blending old-world patina with contemporary design.

At its core, Harper House exists to create spaces that feel lived in, loved, and lasting. What we do is more than finish work — it’s an expression of history, humanity, and home.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Atlanta is its balance — it’s a city alive with creativity and culture. They call it the city in the forest for a reason — it’s lush, green, and full of light. I especially love Inman Park, Atlanta’s first planned neighborhood after the Civil War. I still stroll through it often, restaurant-hopping beneath the old trees and admiring how a multigenerational community continues to thrive there. What I like least? The sprawl. I just hope we keep building with respect for the beauty and stories that came before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.harperhouse.llc
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harper_house_llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarperHouseLLC
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireeharper

Image Credits
all my images

except the one of me on the outdoor swing with the dogs – was taken by Nathan Dorn Images
His IG handle: nate_dorn_images