Get to Know the Designer: Emily Thull
Emily Thull is a remodeling designer serving homeowners throughout the Twin Cities. She specializes in kitchens, bathrooms, main-floor renovations, and whole-home remodeling, helping homeowners create spaces that function beautifully for the way they live.
She grew up drawing floor plans on graph paper and pitching furniture rearrangements to her parents. It was only a matter of time.
There's a very specific kind of kid who tears through the Sunday paper just to get to the home section. Who studies floor plans the way other kids study baseball cards. Who draws up scale layouts of their own bedroom on graph paper — and then presents the proposal to their parents with full supporting arguments.
That was Emily Thull.
And while her original plan in college was to become a television broadcaster, fate intervened and what came next, majoring in interior design, felt less like a pivot and more like coming home. "Growing up, I used to scour through the Star Tribune, get to the home section, and would just be joyful if they had a floor plan in there that I could just sit and study," she says. "I used to draw up on graph paper my own bedroom, how I wanted to rearrange it. And then I'd propose it to my parents — hey, can the bed shift here and can we change out this?"
Working as a designer for the past 20 years, 6 of those with McDonald Remodeling, Emily works alongside Twin Cities homeowners on kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces, and whole-home remodels. We sat down with her to talk process, natural stone, what she notices the moment she walks into a room, and why her biggest source of design inspiration is genuinely embarrassing.
It’s a Puzzle (FUN FACT: She Hates Jigsaw Puzzles)
Ask Emily what excites her about every project she takes on, and she’ll tell you it’s the puzzle.
Then she’ll tell you she hates jigsaw puzzles.
“Something that always excites me about the remodeling process is just that it’s a different puzzle every time I’m working with a homeowner,” she says. “What’s funny is I actually despise jigsaw puzzles in real life. That’s not something that is fun for me or something I’m doing on a rainy day.”
Design, though? That’s a different story entirely.
“How I approach design is it’s really a puzzle. It’s working with that homeowner, that client, of figuring out all the different puzzle pieces that are needed to fit together to create that perfect plan. Who’s using the space? What are the goals? What are things that are working well? What are things we’re needing to add? All of those are individual puzzle pieces, and it’s my job to come to the table with that professional expertise of shifting and maneuvering those puzzle pieces where they all fit together and work together as that completed puzzle for that homeowner.”
This Lakeville, MN home remodel, designed by Emily, was all about giving golden oak a fresh new chapter—updating the home while preserving the character that made it special.
It Starts on Day One
The process, Emily says, starts from the moment she walks in the front door.
“The design process really starts with me at that initial visit with the homeowner or that potential client. Seeing their home, taking cues from how it’s currently functioning for them, how they maneuver through that space, hearing from them their goals of what they’re looking to accomplish, things that seem to work well, picking up on things that maybe they’re not vocalizing and asking them questions.”
It keeps going from there. But the listening, really listening, starts on day one and runs through every step that follows.
The Smartest Thing She Tells Every Client
Every homeowner at some point in a remodel starts second-guessing themselves. What about resale? What about the future buyer? Am I outpricing the neighborhood?
Emily hears it all the time. And she has a straightforward answer.
“I think the smartest investment that a homeowner can make when they’re working through that remodeling process is just staying true to the reason that they called us and invited us out to their home to begin with. I think it’s very common for people to get hung up on, what about the future home buyer? What about resale? What about the neighborhood?”
She pauses.
“Usually that first call into our office is because something’s not functioning well for them. We’re not out here to design a kitchen for this future person that we don’t know what they’re going to want. It’s just making sure that they’re sticking to what their goals are — because in the end, that’s going to lead to the most successful project for them. And it’s going to bring the most value to how they live and move within those spaces after the project is complete.”
The Material She Can’t Stop Talking AbouT
When we asked Emily what design trend genuinely excites her right now, her answer came fast, but with a caveat.
“I’m always hesitant to talk about design trends, because when I’m working with homeowners, I want to remind them that it’s not to keep up with the Joneses or follow along with what we’re seeing in magazines.”
But if she’s being honest?
“The thing I’m most excited to see more of is natural stone, people embracing it and using more of it. It’s incredible to have something that came out of the earth and it looks like a piece of art that we then get to incorporate into somebody’s home. That’s exciting.”
How She Helps You Find Your Style (Even When You Have No Idea What You Want)
Not every client arrives with a Pinterest board and a clear vision. Some arrive knowing only that something isn’t working.
Emily loves those clients.
“I usually tell those homeowners: you may not know what you’re looking for, but certainly once you see options presented to you, almost always clients will have that reaction of, ‘hey, I really dig that’ — or, ‘you know what, that really doesn’t float my boat.’”
The point is the process. You don’t have to know the answer going in. You just have to be willing to work through it together.
Helping homeowners discover what's possible, and what they truly want from their home, is one of Emily's favorite parts of the design process. This Apple Valley, MN mudroom remodel was part of a larger whole-home renovation, with design details carried throughout to create a cohesive, updated feel that's as functional as it is beautiful.
The Space That Stopped Her in Her Tracks
We asked Emily about a space she’d walked into recently and just thought: wow.
She didn’t have to think long.
“I recently took trip down to Savannah, Georgia. There’s just so much history in that town with the architecture, with the commercial spaces, and how they really changed and evolved to fit just modern living. You’re walking into this 100-year-old warehouse that’s been converted into a really cool restaurant. It’s just fun to experience that juxtaposition of the different decades.”
Old bones. New life. That’s a renovation story. Just at city scale.
What Still Gets Her, Every TimE
The projects Emily remembers most aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most dramatic transformations. They’re the ones where she gets the call after.
“What stands out to me is when I hear from homeowners, maybe after a big family event or after a holiday, reaching out to me and telling me how great their space performed for that event, just due to the remodeling that was done. That’s certainly memorable.”
And there’s something else.
“It’s also great when I get to be invited back by homeowners for the second phase, third phase, multiple projects. ‘Hey, we’ve moved to a new home — we get to start all over again.’ That they valued their experience enough to invite be back? That’s incredible.”
A Few Fast Ones
We asked. She answered.
Natural light or the perfect lighting fixture? “Natural light by far. There are certain characteristics that you get from the sun that can’t be emulated with a light fixture or a lamp. Anything.”
Matte or glossy? “Matte finish. As a mom with a family, the matte is certainly more forgiving.”
Cabinets to the ceiling or open shelving? “Cabinets to the ceiling. There’s a lot less pressure to keep them tidy and a lot less dusting required. Plus, there are other ways to showcase things throughout your home than open shelving.”
If your design style were a decade, which one would it be? “Late 60s, early 70s — a little mid-century, mid-mod, but some grooviness of the 70s mixed in there.”
Biggest guilty pleasure when it comes to design inspiration? “It’s actually the Edina Realty app. I can’t stay away. I love to imagine how I would remodel each home!”
Before You Go
We asked Emily for the one piece of advice she’d give a homeowner who’s just starting to think about a remodel and hasn’t made the call yet.
“Just reach out. I feel like that can be the most overwhelming part. Emailing a company, having a phone conversation, inviting one of those professionals out to their home? That’s a big step in and of itself but it can often unlock questions and ideas you hadn’t even considered.”
And once you reach out?
“Find someone you trust to be the ringleader of your journey. They will take a process that may seem overwhelming and streamline it, guiding you every step of the way.”
That’s exactly what Emily does — one puzzle at a time.
Emily works with homeowners across the Twin Cities on kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces, and whole-home remodels. Ready to start the conversation? Connect with us at mcdonaldremodeling.com