about us
designing with intention
After years of working together at leading architecture firms, we founded uppercase to offer a focused vision: a practice where Interior Design is at the forefront.
For us, this means bringing the right blend of creativity and technical expertise to bring ideas to life. Our iterative, hands-on process is centered on understanding the distinct goals and qualities of each project, ensuring that these insights lead to impactful outcomes.
We are dedicated to designing thoughtful spaces, fostering meaningful partnerships, and delivering bespoke solutions for our clients.
melissa fedorchenko
co-founder
NCIDQ, LEED AP
Melissa has led design projects across the west coast for almost 20 years. Her diverse experience yields thoughtful and bespoke designs for her clients, spanning from luxury mountain lodges to urban mixed-use projects.
For Melissa, interior design is the perfect combination of art and math, two subjects she was drawn to throughout the years. She loves the opportunities and challenges found in every project; coming up with different ways to inhabit and shape the spaces within. From initial ideation to finding that perfect piece of art, her approach is one that is cohesive and considered. Getting to work in a field that combines the artistry of place-making and craft coupled with the prescriptive constraints of building codes is truly a dream come true.
Her work has earned recognition from IIDA InAwards and been published in Hospitality Design magazine. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Interior Architecture from the University of Oregon.
heather hayes
co-founder
NCIDQ, LEED AP
In her nearly two decades as an interior designer, Heather has worked on a diverse range of project types and scales. Her work includes award-winning projects in hospitality, multi-family housing, repositioning, and workplace.
If you were to ask twelve-year-old Heather, she will tell you she designs places filled with sparkle and high-drama, while adult Heather is actually a bit of a brain-science nerd. The merging of these two explains why Heather is driven to create places that are both impactful and meaningful. She is always asking questions and looking for contextual clues to gain a felt understanding of the people who will ultimately populate the places she designs. Her goal is to understand what they need to make it feel poignant, yet effortless in the end.
Before making the change to interior design, Heather spent the first part of her career in politics and public affairs. She finds that she draws from that experience nearly every day. Those skills especially help her navigate diverse stakeholder groups and to quickly find common goals and build consensus. Heather uses those goals to inform the design process and revisits them when tough decisions might need to be made – especially during value engineering and construction.
Heather is a longtime member of the Interior Design Advisory Board for Bellevue College, and is active in the effort to pass registration and certification legislation for commercial interior designers in Washington State. She earned a BS in Politics from Willamette University and an AA in Interior Design from Bellevue College.
Lauren scott
NCIDQ
Lauren brings a decade of global design experience across multifamily, residential, mixed use, and commercial workplace projects, giving her a deep understanding of how human behavior shapes, and is shaped by, the built environment.
Her interest in form and structure started as a child, when building with blocks taught her how to integrate structural stability into creative forms. Now she brings that same instinct to spaces that work as well as they feel: carefully planned, given shape in three dimensions, and finished with FF&E pieces chosen just for the project. Clients and project teams alike know her as curious, collaborative, and a strong creative problem solver.
Lauren's intrigue in the field led her to Lawrence Technological University, where she earned a dual degree in Architecture and Interior Architecture. She is currently a registered interior designer in North Carolina and a member of ULI.
mariya vierela
Mariya brings more than 15 years of experience creating uniquely tailored spaces across the multifamily, hospitality, office, and mixed-use sectors, from large-scale developments to intimate interiors.
What drives Mariya most is the opportunity to transform ideas into places that inspire connection and enrich everyday experiences. She's known for balancing creativity with practical solutions to create spaces that are not only visually compelling, but authentic, enduring, and meaningful for the people who use them.
Her expertise spans every stage of the process, from early concept and planning through construction documentation and delivery. Graduating from Washington State University, Mariya has worked at leading global and national architecture firms as well as focused interior design studios.