Valerie Schmieder is the founder of Via Design and has spent more than four decades building a career rooted in a creative, collaborative, and highly personalized approach to design. In 1990, she founded Valerie Schmieder Design Consultants, initially practicing interior and furniture design as a sole proprietor. The practice became Via Design in 1996 and expanded in 2000 when Brian Barkwell joined as a partner, adding architecture to the firm’s services. Under Val’s leadership, Via has grown into an architecture, interior design, and furnishings provider serving residential and commercial clients throughout Michigan and beyond.

Val approaches the built environment with an artistic and sculptural perspective. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from Kendall College of Art and Design and also studied fine arts at Calvin College. Her interests span interior architecture, furniture, and product design, and her work has earned numerous design awards and been featured in books and publications throughout her career.

Growing up in a creative, entrepreneurial family, Val gained firsthand experience in the furniture and interior design industries alongside her parents. Family has remained an important part of her professional life. Her mother, Lorna, later worked at Via for 15 years, and today her son, Adam, is part of the firm. Val also partners with her brother, Scott, in CLEO Cabinetry, continuing a family tradition of creativity and entrepreneurship across generations.

Val has always placed the client at the center of the design process. She approaches each project without a predetermined aesthetic, instead listening closely and shaping the work around the client’s individual needs, preferences, and vision. That client-first approach has remained a defining principle of her practice and continues to shape Via today.

Grand Rapids has been a constant throughout Val’s career. She has worked downtown since the beginning of her professional life and has watched the city evolve alongside her practice. Her connection to the community includes service to organizations such as the Grand Rapids Economic Club and Kendall College of Art and Design, along with involvement in projects that have contributed to the growth of the region.

Today, Val remains at the center of Via’s creative practice, working closely with clients while guiding the design direction and vision of the firm. Outside of work, family remains central to her life, including her husband, Joe, their children, Adam and Maria, and granddaughter, Sienna. She enjoys traveling with family and friends, boating, cooking, researching archaeology, and working on puzzles.