our team
Ana Claudia - Owner and Interior Designer
Brazilian born, Miami-raised, long time Brooklynite and current resident of NY’s Hudson Valley, Ana Claudia is just as eclectic and diverse as her background. Her creation of thoughtful, contemporary interiors is an amalgamation of design styles incorporating eclectic vibrancy through modern, contemporary, and transitional elements. Clients’ needs are frequently met with custom pieces and out of the box solutions. The objective is to create a space that feels natural to the client yet is stylistically energized and fresh. Because “It’s about how you feel the moment you walk in the door.”
An Architecture graduate of Florida International University, Ana Claudia worked in architecture for nearly a decade before realizing her true passion, interior design. Her interiors have been featured in such publications as Cultered, Goop, Rue Magazine, Domino Magazine, House Beautiful and HGTV. Ana Claudia is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Interior Collab. She co-owns Rhinebeck’s design gallery The Beck with her husband Aaron Smyle.
Amy Cutaia – Chief Operation Officer
Amy has two decades of experience in entrepreneurial business management. She has built and nurtured businesses in both the retail and wholesale sectors, including a successful health food store and a British footwear brand new to the US. More than one Hudson Valley farm store has been “freshened up” and revived at her hands. Amy’s broad knowledge of business operations, logistics, budget controls and systems help with everyday administration and long-term success. She immensely enjoys assisting customers and supporting the efforts of the designers through their creative process.
Amy has two young daughters and is currently working on the design and development of her new home, alongside her husband, in southern Columbia County.
Architectural Digest
2026 Featured Designer
The Beck
The Beck, located in historic downtown Rhinebeck, NY, is a by-appointment Design Gallery created in order to showcase Hudson Valley makers and artists. The Beck also houses the professional offices of Ana Claudia Design Studio and Smyle & Associates, LLC.
Testimonials
Chris
We had the pleasure of working with Ana Claudia on a project in the Hudson Valley, and the partnership of our two firms was a joy throughout. She brought excellent ideas to the project and seemed to perfectly understand the client's taste with all interior selections. Our process together was fun and extremely collaborative. We look forward to future projects together
We have just completed our second whole house renovation with Ana Claudia, with the end result once again exceeding our expectations. While each property was distinct, a single level ranch and a 1865 brick 2 story home (selected as the Kingston Design Showhouse for 2025), the design mandate was essentially the same, to prioritize natural light and to squeeze more bedrooms/ bathrooms into the existing footprint without making the space feel small. In both homes, Ana Claudia's understanding of structure and her practical yet creative approach to maximizing space/functionality gave us exactly what we hoped for but feared was impossible...an intelligently configured house, full of personality that we truly love and can't wait to come home to! Aside from being an experienced, confidant designer, what we valued equally was that we immediately felt comfortable and at ease with her, which allowed us to be unapologetically honest about our lifestyle and home habits. She is a kind, warm person who listens carefully but she also seemed to understand intuitively the rhythm of our home life (dogs, weather, entertaining etc) and the limitations/possibilities of our space. This was not only a relief, but saved us a huge amount of time and money in the design process. For both projects, she provided 2 design layouts for the house with the final layout taking elements from each. A process that we worried might be long, arduous and frustrating ended up being straightforward and fun and we went into the construction phase energized and enthusiastic. We are so grateful to have found Ana Claudia and are looking for another project on which we can work together.....
I've had the distinct pleasure of partnering as a GC with Ana Claudia Schultz and her brilliant team at Ana Claudia Design Studio on over a dozen high-profile projects across New York—from sleek Chelsea lofts and historic Brooklyn brownstones to luxurious CPW and 5th Ave apartments, as well as Westchester abodes. Our collaboration spans renovations and adaptive reuses, and time and again, Ana Claudia's expertise elevates every endeavor into something truly extraordinary. If you're seeking an interior designer who doesn't just decorate but curates soul-stirring spaces, look no further—this studio is a game-changer. What sets Ana Claudia Design Studio apart is Ana's uncanny ability to listen deeply and translate abstract client dreams into functional, forward-thinking masterpieces. Her choices, from lush furnishings softening dramatic walnut cabinetry to custom rugs echoing Hudson Valley motifs, weren't just beautiful; they were intuitive, enhancing flow and daily life .
In short, working with Ana Claudia Schultz feels less like hiring an interior designer and more like gaining a creative confidante who amplifies your vision. We couldn't recommend her more highly—five stars aren't enough; this is the partnership that turns good spaces into legacies. Whether you're tackling a penthouse refresh or a full-scale overhaul, reach out to Ana Claudia Design Studio. Your home (and your sanity) will thank you.
We hired Ana Claudia Design to design our new outdoor space as well as our living room/dining room area for our weekend home in Pawling, NY. She was wonderful - very creative, responsive - and also a very good listener who quickly understands her clients' preferences. I highly recommend! ...and a good reminder that I need to take some pictures.
We recommend Ana Claudia Schultz at Ana Claudia Design Studio with all our hearts. She helped us with a design project for our Manhattan apartment and did a wonderful job. She did everything from the creative phase with ideas, sketches and planning to the practical phase with instructions to the contractor (who also did an amazing job) and organising deliveries etc. We are really happy with Ana’s help throughout the whole project; she was always very perceptive to what we wanted and our style, but still managed to give us great ideas that we would never have come up with ourselves. And as a person, she’s so likeable and easy to work with.
I cannot recommend Ana Claudia highly enough. She designed the apartment of my dreams and I am absolutely thrilled. Not only was she able to immediately grasp my style/taste, but she also kept my budget in mind and sourced pieces that fit within it. It gives me great joy to walk in my front door every day, and I owe that entirely to her.
We hired Ana Claudia to design our commercial bakery. She was very resourceful and picked out unique and tasteful finishes that suited the owner's personal taste and the brand's personality. We experienced delays during the permit process and construction which stopped and started Ana Claudia's work, but she was very patient and understanding. We couldn't be happier with the results and with our experience working with her. Thank you, Ana Claudia!
We used Ana Claudia to do the full interior design as well as some architectural layout advice of our four story brownstone. We had moved from a relatively small apartment so weren't starting with much, and over the course of several months Ana Claudia worked very closely and patiently with us to understand our aesthetic, how we envisioned using our new home, and to then give us many options that she worked with us to narrow and focus. We enjoyed having her around - she's a delightful person, and as a designer was a great mix of someone who provided a range of options, but also spoke her mind when she had a strong preference. It was a great give and take dynamic. She didn't push her opinions on us, but rather pushed us to think outside of our traditional boundaries, while always making sure we were happy and comfortable with decisions. She also did a great job at balancing recommendations of splurging a bit on statement pieces, with savings on less prominent pieces. Furthermore, our timeline changed constantly due to some contractor renovation work we were having done, and Ana Claudia was very flexible and accommodating. Besides great interior design, she gave some crucial advice on the architectural plans that were put together. We incorporated those and it vastly improved the flow of the master bedroom floor. We highly recommend Ana Claudia (and in fact have to my sister-in-law who used her for office space design, and was delighted with the result).
I have been working with Ana Claudia for 3 years and I love everything she has done. Incredibly talented, responsive, and takes great pride in her work. She is an incredible guide in any design project and is super easy to work with. I would recommend her hands down!!
Ana Claudia redesigned our office space in Flatiron NYC and did such an amazing job creatively and efficiently transforming the space. She had a great bedside manner, listened and responded accordingly, was professional, timely and stayed within budget. All around wonderful to work with! I would definitely use her on my next project.