Our
Values
Our Team Puts in the Heart and Care Your Dream Home Deserves
We are a women-founded and operated company that has worked closely with clients to create their dream homes for over 35 years. Our team’s camaraderie and care for one another echoes into all our meetings, conversations, and time spent on your project. Through innovative layouts and timeless designs, our team will transform your home into a personalized oasis that is good for you and the environment.
Why Choose MiLar?
Woman owned
We’re a woman-founded and operated company comprised of a small but mighty team of 4.
Sustainably focused
We source sustainable resources that are good for you and good for the environment.
Highly Experienced
Our design-build company has honestly and reliably served clients for over 35 years.
Affiliations
We’ll always go the extra mile to bring your vision to life.
Our team provides skilled professionals for all your remodeling needs, from city drawings to interior design to the construction process. We strive for an efficient and transparent process that helps alleviate the common stresses that go into a remodel.
In a small company, we find that our “secret sauce” originates within the four walls of our office. Our ability to make our clients happy begins with the relationships our team has with one another and our love for working together, which is why we approach everything we do as a team. This method breeds a happy working environment and creates a feeling of camaraderie and care that echoes into all our meetings, conversations, and time spent on with clients.
The MiLar Team
Mariana Reis
Owner + General Contractor
Carolina Calvert
office + Project manager
Behind The Name
“Mi Lar” loosely translates from “meu lar” or “my home” in Portuguese, a language that owner Mariana learned from her time in Brazil. “Lar '' specifically means a cozy, warm home and brings a sentimental or nostalgic feeling.
When choosing the name, Mariana wanted to represent her experiences, her design style and her life projection that landed her a career in designing homes. Much like a “Lar” in Brazil, MiLar Design & Build should feel like your second home and our team will take the same care as if your project is our second home.
Our Origins
MiLar Design & Build was originally founded as JHC Design+Build by Jan Harrington over 35 years ago. Jan successfully started her business from the ground up at a time when businesses owned by women (in construction no less) were few and far between.
Current owner Mariana’s connection to Jan begins back in 2006 when she moved to Brazil to explore other avenues and experience another way of living outside of the US. Because of this experience, Mariana met Sparrow Harrington, Jan's daughter. Through that connection, Mariana was later able to meet Jan and have the opportunity to work alongside her and learn the ins and outs of a construction company.
Mariana’s vision for JHC was to transform it into a full and complete design-build firm, offering all services associated with a remodel or new build. Shortly after taking majority ownership of the company in 2020, Mariana hired Carolina Calvert as the office and project manager. Carolina, her right-hand gal, two feet and often her head!
In addition, Mariana carefully, and specifically selects highly sought-after interior designers for each project to best to represent the client’s style and aesthetic in order to curate the product and material selection. Last, but definitely not least, Mariana partnered with Rocio Vidal, an experienced and incredibly talented long-time designer who honed her craft in Los Angeles, specializing in residential design. She feels confident she has put together the team with all the right ingredients to successfully offer an all-inclusive experience for their clients.