Meet Marnie

When Marnie Sorensen was a little girl, her dad used to take her with him to job sites. He was a builder, architect and developer, and those field trips gave Marnie a firm beginning in the field of building and design.

For the last 19 years, Marnie has designed striking model interiors for Lee Wetherington Homes. She has 35 years of experience in design, but it’s really more than that if you count the years she spent decorating the two-story metal dollhouse she had as a girl.

“I also spent a lot of time in the playhouse in our backyard that my dad built,” Marnie says. “It had a little kitchen and a triangular window on the second floor that opened.”

When she was a teenager, Marnie and her family traveled to Europe. There she came face to face with lots of grand buildings and architecture.

“I would look at castles and say, ‘You could add a bathroom here,’” says Marnie.

She always wanted to be an architect, but her guidance counselor suggested she try a different career, as mathematics was not her strong suit. Even though she tested with high scores in math for college admissions, she ended up studying fine arts at the University of Central Florida. She eventually ended up in interior design classes.

An opportunity to design a show house got her started in the design business. After being a designer with several companies throughout the years, Marnie started her own design business 15 years ago, Marnie Sorensen & Associates, now known as Details.

An average day for Marnie starts around 7:30 a.m. with calls and e-mails about client projects. Then she’s off to appointments with vendors, furniture and fabric reps and clients. Always looking for those “special” pieces for her projects.

“Every time I meet with a client, I’m meeting with someone who has a specific thought of how they want to live,” Marnie says. “I love working with my clients, and I work hard to make sure their homes are a reflection of them.”

Later in the day she works on billing, and by 6 p.m., she’s usually home spending time with her family. But often she answers e-mails and looks online for design inspiration well after that.

In addition to designing models for Lee Wetherington Homes, Marnie works on residences throughout Florida and the United States. Marnie’s work has been published in numerous design magazines and her work was featured in the first Florida Design’s table book. She has worked on four Idea Houses for Southern Living, a testament to her timeless designs.

“I strive to make my homes inviting, relaxed and comfortable,” says Marnie, “but I always make sure they have a little bit of elegance to them.”