About Us
Four over One Design, LLC is a woman-owned preservation design and consulting business, founded in 2009. 4/1 focuses on the older houses around the Triangle area, and relishes taking a building that has been altered over time and putting it back to rights while bringing it up to modern standards at the same time.
 
Sara Lachenman

Sara Lachenman

Owner, Four Over One Design

Originally from Chapel Hill, I completed an undergraduate degree in Studio Art from Smith College.  While I knew nothing about the field of preservation then, I loved the old buildings on campus and the sense of place they conveyed.  A few years out of college, I attended graduate school at UNC-Greensboro and received a MS in Interior Architecture with a concentration in Historic Preservation – setting myself at the intersection of preservation and design.

I founded 4/1 after completing three years as the Director of Design and Preservation with Trinity Design/Build, where I worked directly with the contractors to complete 17 renovations, additions, and remodels.  Now, I particularly appreciate being able to customize my services to what a client really needs for a given project.  After all, no two houses (and no two families!) are the same.

My two sons, one skinny dog, a ridiculous cat and I live in a midcentury ranch just north of town.  We love our old neighborhoods, local food and drink, and Durham in all ways.

 
Emily-Kate Hannapel

Emily-Kate Hannapel

Designer, Four Over One Design

I joined 4/1 in 2018 after graduating from UNC-Greensboro with an MFA in Interior Architecture and a focus in Historic Preservation.

Before going back to school for design, I worked in a variety of fields: I’ve helped manage the Durham Farmers’ Market, spent a summer repairing historic gravestones, built custom furniture, and worked as a carpenter’s assistant. This background helps me look at projects from many different perspectives. I love the challenge of working with homeowners to make their old houses work for them. 

I live in a passive solar house in the woods outside of Durham with a big garden and my pup.

Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley St, Durham, NC, 27705
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702