Service area · Indian River County
Interior design across Indian River County, Florida
Led by Vanessa Garcia, 20+ years of design experience · Based in Stuart · Serving the Treasure Coast & the Palm Beaches
3D concept rendering by Vanessa GarciaGava Studio Design · Indian River County
Based in Stuart, serving all of Indian River County.
- At your property or by video. No showroom to drive to: we measure, meet, and present in Indian River County or online, by appointment.
- Design and 3D renderings in one studio. You approve each room as a photorealistic image before anything is ordered.
- Licensed contractors, coordinated. Our project direction service works with your licensed builder, from drawings to installation.
- The first consultation is free. We talk through the space, your goals, and your budget, and agree the scope and fee with you before any design work begins.
Interior design in Indian River County
Indian River County was formed from the northern part of St. Lucie County in 1925, with Vero Beach as its seat. Its coast is Orchid Island, the name the county gave its part of the barrier island in 1985 to set it apart from denser development on Hutchinson Island to the south, and behind it lies the Indian River Lagoon. Five municipalities share the county: the cities of Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere and the towns of Indian River Shores and Orchid. Most residents, though, live outside them, in unincorporated places such as Vero Beach South, Florida Ridge and Gifford.
Gava Studio Design is an interior design studio based in Stuart that works across the county: historic houses and island homes in Vero Beach, club residences in Indian River Shores and Orchid, Highlands remodels in Sebastian, and older houses in Fellsmere. We plan each design around the government office that reviews the permit and, where there is one, the association that reviews the exterior, and we coordinate licensed contractors from concept through installation.
Interior designer in Vero Beach
Vero Beach interior designer for island homes in Riomar and historic houses in Osceola Park, with oceanfront lighting planned for turtle season.
- Riomar
- Central Beach and Ocean Drive
- Original Town and historic downtown
- Osceola Park
Interior designer in Sebastian
Sebastian interior designer for Sebastian Highlands remodels and riverfront homes near Indian River Drive. Kitchens, finishes, lighting and 3D renderings.
- Old Town Sebastian and Indian River Drive
- Sebastian Highlands
- Sebastian River Landing
- Collier Creek Estates
Smaller communities we also serve (12)
- Indian River ShoresA town on Orchid Island directly north of Vero Beach, incorporated in 1953 and made up mostly of gated, low-density communities, including John's Island, along State Road A1A.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - South BeachAn unincorporated census-designated place on Orchid Island between the Vero Beach city limits and the St. Lucie County line, running from the Atlantic to the Indian River Lagoon.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - Vero Beach SouthAn unincorporated census-designated place on the mainland southwest of Vero Beach, and one of the county's largest communities, with about 28,000 residents at the 2020 census.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - Florida RidgeAn unincorporated census-designated place on the mainland south of Vero Beach, home to about 21,000 people at the 2020 census and permitted by Indian River County.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - GiffordA historically African American community bordering Vero Beach to the north, organized in the mid-1880s and known as the hometown of several Highwaymen landscape painters.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - Winter BeachAn unincorporated community on U.S. 1 between Gifford and Wabasso, known as Quay from 1902 until a promotional renaming in 1922.
Covered on our Vero Beach page - FellsmereA city west of Sebastian, incorporated in 1911, which in 1915 became the first municipality in Florida to let women vote; it runs its own building permitting.
Covered on our Sebastian page - RoselandAn unincorporated riverside community north of Sebastian, bounded on the north by the St. Sebastian River, which forms the line with Brevard County.
Covered on our Sebastian page - WabassoAn unincorporated community at U.S. 1 and County Road 510, with a post office dating to 1898 and Wabasso Beach directly across the lagoon.
Covered on our Sebastian page - Wabasso BeachAn unincorporated census-designated place on Orchid Island across the lagoon from Wabasso, where nearly three in four residents were 65 or older at the 2020 census.
Covered on our Sebastian page - OrchidA barrier-island town incorporated in 1965, most of which is the gated Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club; the town issues its own building permits.
Covered on our Sebastian page - Vero Lake EstatesAn unincorporated subdivision off County Road 510 with about 2,700 homes, first counted as a census-designated place in 2020 with roughly 6,800 residents.
Covered on our Sebastian page
Who reviews what: permitting across the county's jurisdictions
Building review in Indian River County splits along municipal lines. The county Building Division serves the unincorporated county and the City of Vero Beach, but inside Vero Beach the city's Planning and Development Department must first approve any site plan, historic certificate of appropriateness or code compliance review. Sebastian, Fellsmere, Indian River Shores and Orchid issue their own building permits, and Orchid contracts a certified building official for review and inspections.
Private review adds another layer. Club communities such as John's Island run their own architectural and landscape review, and Vero Beach's charter requires a referendum before the city can raise its height or density limits. We prepare design documents with both the public and the private reviewers in mind, and licensed contractors pull the permits.
- Unincorporated county and the City of Vero Beach: Indian River County Building Division
- City of Sebastian: Sebastian Building Department
- City of Fellsmere: Community Development Department
- Towns of Indian River Shores and Orchid: each town's own building department
Island clubs, historic mainland neighborhoods and inland growth
Housing in the county runs in bands from the ocean west. Orchid Island holds Vero Beach's Riomar and Central Beach, the gated communities of Indian River Shores, the Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club, and the gated community of Windsor. The mainland holds Vero Beach's 1913 original town and the Osceola Park National Register district, the older communities of Gifford and Winter Beach, and Sebastian's Old Town districts on the fishing-village riverfront. Farther west, Sebastian Highlands, Vero Lake Estates and Fellsmere, a city incorporated in 1911, give way to citrus groves and farmland.
The design briefs follow the bands: exposure and turtle-season lighting on the island, careful updates in the historic neighborhoods, and practical whole-house plans in the subdivisions inland.
Coast, lagoon and storm considerations
Sea turtles nest on the county's beaches from March 1 through October 31, and the county, Vero Beach, Indian River Shores and Orchid each have a beachfront lighting ordinance. The county's guidance is to keep lights low, use long-wavelength amber or red lamps, shield fixtures so they are not visible from the beach, and close curtains after dark, all of which belongs in an oceanfront lighting plan. New FEMA flood insurance rate maps for the county took effect on January 26, 2023, and heavy rain in November 2023 flooded parts of Fellsmere and Vero Lake Estates.
Inside the house, that means finishes chosen for salt air near the ocean, water-tolerant floors and lower cabinetry where flooding is a risk, and window treatments that manage both glare and night light. Impact openings, elevation and structural changes stay with licensed contractors, architects and engineers, and we make sure the interior design fits their work.
Local rules and facts last checked September 2026. Confirm with your building department before you plan.
Does the county or the city issue permits for a Vero Beach renovation?
Both are involved. The City of Vero Beach Planning and Development Department handles site plan, historic and code compliance review first, and the building permit then comes from the Building Division the city shares with Indian River County. In Sebastian, Fellsmere, Indian River Shores and Orchid, the municipality's own building office issues the permit instead.
Do sea turtle lighting rules affect interior design on oceanfront property in Indian River County?
They affect any light that reaches the beach during nesting season, March 1 through October 31. We plan exterior fixtures, balcony and pool lighting, and the window treatments for ocean-facing rooms around the local ordinance and the county's low, long-wavelength and shielded guidance, and the electrician confirms the final fixtures before installation.
Can you manage a project for a seasonal owner in Indian River Shores or Orchid?
Yes. The population of Indian River Shores nearly doubles between October and Easter, and many owners are away the rest of the year. Our project direction service coordinates licensed contractors, association review and deliveries, and sends photo and video reports at each milestone, with design decisions made through 3D renderings and video calls.
Begin a conversation
Start a project in Indian River County.
Tell us about the space and where you are in the process. We call to talk it through, and the first consultation is free.