Who We Are

 

We’re Martin and Linnea, the founders and principal designers at Designström. Between us we have more than 30 years of experience designing interior spaces that not only look great but function beautifully too. As our name suggests, we have a definite Scandinavian flare (thanks to Linnea’s Swedish heritage), but are proud to design spaces in a wide variety of styles, always with your tastes and lifestyle in mind.

 

Meet the Team

  • Linnea Lions

    PROJECT MANAGER, FOUNDER

  • Martin de Sousa

    DESIGN DIRECTOR, FOUNDER

  • Holly Cowieson

    INTERMEDIATE DESIGNER

  • Maria Cabada

    JUNIOR DESIGNER

 

Linnea Lions

 Born and raised near Stockholm, Linnea moved from Sweden to Toronto in 2003 after completing her interior design studies in Australia. She began her design career in the architecture field where she spent five years creating working drawings and scale models for commercial buildings. 


From there, Linnea moved into the design world and took a position managing a large design centre in downtown Toronto where she specialized in kitchen design, interior design, and space planning for residential homes. It was there that Linnea discovered her passion – and talent – for designing interior spaces and learned how to manage every aspect of a project from start-to-finish. 


The rest, as they say, is history. More than a decade later, Linnea has designed hundreds of spaces in all kinds of homes. Her goal with every project is to create a space that her clients love and can enjoy for years to come.

 
 

Martin de Sousa

Since childhood Martin has loved solving spatial problems. Whether it was creating with Lego, building sandcastles or rearranging his bedroom, he was constantly analyzing spaces, big and small. When he was introduced to drafting and CAD, Martin knew he had found his calling. For him, it offered a perfect blend of space planning, creativity and computer technology and, sure enough, led to an ever-evolving career in the design field. 

Martin went to OCADU (Ontario College of Art and Design) for Interior Design, where he gained a greater understanding of the design process and was able to explore – and hone – his artistic and technical design abilities. Following that, he attended the SieMatic Academy in Germany where he trained in kitchen planning and design. 

Martin has received numerous design awards from the NKBA Design Competition, in both Canada and USA, and the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest. People are often surprised to learn Martin has a visual impairment – but it does not hold him back as a designer in the least. In fact, he credits his limited vision for his strong attention to detail and space planning instincts.

 
 

Holly Cowieson

Holly comes from a family of tradespeople who raised her to question how the world was built around her. This led her to a passion for creative space-planning and custom furniture design. Before entering the industry 9 years ago, Holly decorated homes all across the GTA,  graduated with honours in the Interior Decoration program at Humber College, and completed a BIM course at Ryerson University. Now as an integral member of our team, she has earned awards for her creativity from the National Kitchen & Bath Association and possesses strong industry knowledge that shows through when communicating with our trades and clients alike. 

Outside of the office, she prioritizes time spent in nature, whether that’s practicing archery, foraging wild flowers and mushrooms, or hiking with her dog, Navy.


 
 

Maria Cabada

Originally from Mexico, Maria studied architecture and began working in commercial design on various large scale projects. Before moving to Canada, she experienced living in Europe for over a year, which has inspired her multicultural approach to design and brings a unique perspective to her work. Her years of experience as an architect has helped her to develop a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for the fusion of form and functionality. She believes in creating spaces that reflect the occupant’s personality and lifestyle - beautiful and functional places to call home. 

Maria is passionate about exploring tourist attractions and spending time with locals wherever she travels. Although, her favourite place to be is at home with her family and her adorable pets, Octavio & Isabella.


 

 What’s in a name?

Lots, in our case! Ström is a Swedish word to describe something that flows, or moves ‘en masse’ – like water, electricity, or ideas.
It is both a nod to Linnea’s heritage and a reflection of our creative process.

Testimonials

Hear what our clients have to say.

“I worked with Designström to renovate my kitchen, bathrooms, basement and family room and I have to say I was blown away. They are prompt and professional in every way. They are so responsive which isn’t something that is typical in this industry. Linnea and Martin have an amazing design sense and seem to be ahead of the trends vs following them. Most importantly for me though, is that they understood my style and delivered a solid design that exceeded my expectations. They ask good questions and are thoughtful, open to feedback and turn around changes quickly. They are amazing and I’m so glad I found them.”
— Tanya C