Keaton Interiors Names Mallory Gomez Sole Owner as Founder Andra Maldovan Retires After 35 Years

The Dallas multifamily design firm marks the handoff with a new brand, a new office, and the same promise to the developers who built it alongside them.

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Keaton Interiors, the Dallas interior design firm behind more than three decades of multifamily communities across Texas and the country, is now fully owned by Mallory Gomez. Founder Andra Maldovan, who started the firm more than 35 years ago, has completed the sale of the company to Gomez and is retiring. Keaton is marking the moment with a new brand identity and a new office, both unveiled today.

Gomez, 34, joined Keaton eight years ago as a designer with a residential background and almost no multifamily experience. She rose to Senior Design Associate, became Maldovan’s partner, and spent the last two years learning the business side of the firm from the woman who built it. Along the way she has helped shape more than 60 projects for developers, architects, and construction teams nationwide.
The story of how she got there starts with a rejection.

“I walked through the door about six months before I actually joined.” Gomez said.
The timing wasn’t right, so I took another job and quickly realized it wasn’t where I was supposed to be. With a little help from a friend’s mom, I found my way back, and Andra gave me another shot. There is something very full circle about owning the company that once didn’t hire me.”

Her first project at Keaton was the renovation of a client’s primary bedroom. That client is still with the firm today.
There was no ceremonial handoff. Maldovan, known inside the firm for saying exactly what she thinks, raised the subject the way she raises most things.
“Andra mentioned it was time for someone to take over the firm and it was pretty much that simple. Gomez said. She knew I wanted to own a firm one day. The pieces just fit.”

Most founders sell to a larger firm or a private buyer. Maldovan, chose the designer she had trained.
“I think, more than anything, Andra trusted me,” Gomez said. “For her it wasn’t about selling the company for the biggest number. It was about protecting the relationships, the reputation, the clients, and the people who had become part of Keaton along the way. She wanted to know that whoever came next would respect what she built without being afraid to take it somewhere new.”

A new look for a 35-year-old firm.

The rebrand came from a realization about how developers find designers now.
“The way people discover design, gather inspiration, and decide who they want to work with has completely changed,” she said. “Our work has always evolved. The way we presented ourselves needed to evolve with it.”

The new identity is built around a belief that no two Keaton projects should ever look the same. For one client, the firm might be coastal, earthy, and restrained. For another, it might be quirky and colorful. At Bishop Momo in Austin, the brief was essentially “make it quirky,” and Keaton answered with hot pink cabinetry, monkey chandeliers, and a school-bus-yellow mailroom. One of Gomez’s earliest projects sat on the site of a former private school, and the interiors wove in historic maps and vintage artwork to tell the story of what had been there before.
“The work can be sophisticated without the brand feeling overly serious,” Gomez said. “I wanted Keaton’s new look to reflect both: a firm with more than 35 years of experience and a personality that feels very much alive today.”

The firm has also moved into a new office. “There was something symbolic about packing up more than 35 years of history and bringing it with us,” Gomez said. “We didn’t leave behind what made Keaton, Keaton. We gave it a new home and a little room to become what’s next.”

What stays the same –

One thing is not changing. “The trust. Without question,” Gomez said. “Our clients trust that when they hand something to Keaton, we’re going to figure it out. If there’s a design issue, we’ll find a solution. If something needs to be coordinated with the architect or the contractor, we’ll pick up the phone. Design trends will change. Keaton will evolve. But I never want a client to question whether they can count on us.”
Keaton Interior’s reputation was built on being hands-on in a way that surprises people outside the industry. Their designers are on the job site in hard hats during construction and unpacking boxes alongside the installation crew at the finish line.

Where Keaton goes next –

Gomez sees a market that is tough right now but resilient. When ground-up development slows, owners look harder at the properties they already have, and renovation and repositioning work picks up. She also sees a shift in what renters want: the all-purpose clubroom is giving way to specialized amenities such as wellness spaces with saunas, Pilates studios, maker rooms, and even Mahjong rooms.

Her ambition for the next five years is a Keaton that works coast to coast, with multifamily at its core and a growing practice in boutique properties and historic reuse.

“Bringing the interior designer in early isn’t just about a better-looking project,” she said. “It can mean fewer coordination issues, fewer last-minute changes, and a better use of the developer’s budget. We love making things pretty, but we’d much rather help make things work from the beginning.”
The first person Gomez talk to about the deal was her mother, who bought her own company at the same age Gomez was when she signed.
About Keaton Interiors

Keaton Interiors is a Dallas-based interior design firm founded more than 35 years ago by Andra Maldovan. The firm designs multifamily, student housing, hospitality, commercial, and large-scale residential projects for developers and architects across the country, from ground-up communities to renovations and historic restorations. Keaton is known for interiors built around the client, the site, and the people who will live there, and for a team that stays involved from the first sketch through installation. https://keatoninteriors.com

Romina Groot
Groot PR
+1 619-992-9664
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