YUYelena Utyuzh

Beautifully presented spaces, thoughtfully designed for everyday living.

Home staging & styling and custom storage & organization for homeowners across Southern California.

Staged great room with ocean view

Home staging & organization consultation

I help homeowners elevate the look, feel, and functionality of their spaces through personalized home staging and organization solutions.

Staged living and dining room, Newport Beach

Home staging & styling

Whether you're preparing to sell your home or looking to create a more organized living environment, my approach combines thoughtful styling with practical design. I evaluate each space to identify opportunities to improve furniture placement, enhance visual appeal, reduce clutter, and create a cohesive, intentional look.

Custom mudroom with bench and tall storage

Custom storage & organization

From styling living areas and bedrooms to improving the functionality of closets, mudrooms, garages, and home offices, I focus on making each space feel both beautiful and purposeful.

How a project runs

Two short processes, so you know what to expect and when.

Staging

  1. Consultation & assessment. Walk the home together, talk through goals and timing, and agree on which rooms to focus on.
  2. Edit, declutter, rearrange. Start with what's already there: remove what distracts, reposition what works.
  3. Source accessories & rent selectively. Bring in only the pieces the rooms still need, chosen for the home's style and price point.
  4. Final styling & install. Place, style and photo-check every room, usually in a single day.

Custom storage

  1. Consultation & assessment. Measure the space and inventory what needs to live in it: hanging lengths, shoes, folded items, tools, pantry goods.
  2. Design & planning. Lay out the system on site, balancing the wish list against the walls and the budget.
  3. Product selection. Confirm finishes, hardware and accessories, and provide a firm quote.
  4. Installation & completion. Coordinate the install crew and check the finished space against the drawing.

Selected work

One room from each recent project. The full set, with every room, is in the password-protected portfolio.

Home staging

Santiago, Newport Beach
Oceanfront, Newport Beach
Crawford Canyon Road, Santa Ana
Guajome Lake Road, Oceanside
Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove
The Strand N, Oceanside
Miramar, Laguna Beach
Sawbuck, Irvine
SunFlower Paseo, Ontario
Palermo Court, Murrieta

Closet design

Walk-in closet with glass-front center tower
Mudroom with bench, hooks and tall storage
Dressing room with island and lit shelving
Dining buffet with wine storage and display
Wraparound home office with upper cabinets
Walk-in with dresser, mirror and double hang
Walk-in with mirrored and patterned panels
Corner desk with floating shelves
Entry lockers with slat wall and bench
Pantry with wine fridge and glass uppers

Photos are placeholders until each image has been cleared with its photographer.

Open the full portfolio

What clients say

From home sellers, listing agents and storage clients. More in the portfolio.

Leanna did such a beautiful job staging our home and getting it ready to sell, and it sold! She created a clean, inviting aesthetic that I loved so much, I decided to have her style the new home we're moving into, too. She's quick, efficient, and incredibly talented, but beyond that, she is just the loveliest, sweetest person to work with. She made the whole process feel easy, and I couldn't recommend her more.

Home seller

You guys worked your magic. Under contract in 4 days, over asking. We were previously on the market for a month without one offer. They moved out, we moved you guys in and boom.

Olivia, listing agent

The staging looks amazing. I never know what to expect, but it always comes together. Thank you so much for bringing some life into the house.

Listing agent

Leanna, our consultant, first designed our master bedroom walk-in closet, and we loved everything she did. We had her come back several months later to do the rest of the bedrooms in our home. We recently contacted her to do phase 1 of the garage and we can't wait for it to be installed. She listens very well and asks the necessary questions to make sure her design fits our needs. She has an amazing work ethic and her manual drafting skills are quite impressive.

Closets by Design client

Leanna is fantastic. So patient with my indecisive nature. She knew her craft really well. She spent a ton of time with me figuring out my wish list and my priority list and was not in the slightest bit pushy about anything. She is excellent at what she does.

Closets by Design client

I had such a wonderful experience with Leanna. She designed three of my closets, and the entire process was seamless start to finish. She was knowledgeable, helpful, and just so lovely to work with. I highly recommend working with her.

Closets by Design client
Yelena Utyuzh

About my approach

I've always been drawn to the way thoughtful design can transform a space, not only in how it looks, but in how it feels and functions. To me, great design is about finding the right balance between beauty, purpose, and the unique character of each home.

My work spans home staging and custom storage solutions, allowing me to combine my creative eye with a practical approach to design. I enjoy finding ways to make spaces feel cohesive, inviting, and intentional, whether through styling a room or creating functional organization solutions tailored to a home's needs.

My approach begins with understanding the space itself. I draw inspiration from each home's architecture, existing finishes, and overall style to create a look that feels natural and thoughtfully considered. Rather than applying the same aesthetic to every project, I adapt my approach to highlight what makes each space unique.

I'm especially drawn to warm, modern interiors, natural textures, and timeless details. Ultimately, I believe the best design brings together form and function to create spaces that are both beautiful and meaningful to the people who experience them.

Yelena Utyuzh