When you reach out to TDS Design Build about a remodel, chances are you’ll meet Ann Orlowski first. She’s the person who welcomes you in, answers your questions, and helps you take the first steps of your home renovation or building project.
Your Tour Guide Through the Design Build Process
“I’m welcoming, and I like to meet new people,” Ann says of guiding homeowners through their first conversations with TDS. “Welcome to TDS—this is our process, and I’m here to help you navigate it.”
I’m interested in how we live in spaces, how we approach spaces, and how those spaces make us feel.
Ann Orlowski
Marketing & Sales Coordinator
A Painter’s Eye for Space
Ann is an accomplished visual artist whose paintings explore space and how we feel within it. Over more than twenty years, her work has evolved from representational architecture toward geometric abstraction—“instead of simply recognizing an object, I want the viewer to feel the object,” as she puts it. She counts Agnes Martin, James Turrell, Sol LeWitt, and Ruth Asawa among her favorite artists, all of whom engage with line, light, and architecture. You can see Ann’s work at annorlowski.com.
For Ann, joining a design-build firm is a natural extension of a career spent thinking about how spaces work. “I’m interested in how we live in spaces, how we approach spaces, and how those spaces make us feel,” she says. “At TDS, I look at blueprints and 3D renderings of build projects every day, which is absolutely something I’m excited about.”
The Extroverted Introvert
Ann’s ease with people might suggest a lifelong extrovert, but she calls herself an “extroverted introvert.” A shy kid, she learned to speak about her work in public because life as a professional artist demanded it—mount a show, and suddenly all those thoughts from the studio have to come out. ”I choose to become an artist because I like the quiet focus of the studio, not because I wanted to be in front of a crowd,” she laughs. “That was a skill I really had to develop.”
That balance—energized by people, recharged by quiet time working with her hands—is a good match for a role that moves between client conversations, marketing, and team culture.
Rooted in Madison’s East Side
Ann grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, studied art at the University of Northern Iowa, and moved to Madison in 2002 to pursue graduate school. “My graduate studies grounded me in Madison and set me up in my artistic practice. I certainly landed in the right place.” More than two decades later, she and her husband—a musician and fellow art school alum—live on Madison’s east side in a mid-century home with their daughter.
A dedicated gardener, Ann tends a large shade garden filled with spring ephemerals such as wild ginger, jack-in-the-pulpit, and anemones. She’s always planted a redbud tree in her gardens. “Planting a tree is my way of giving something back to the landscape,” she says. Summers mean time up north on the water—paddleboarding, canoeing, and hiking in Wisconsin’s Northwoods and Door County.
Fun Facts About Ann
Tool of the Trade
Ann worked at hardware stores to put herself through college, so she’s right at home around tools. Her favorite has no motor at all: a straight edge—preferably a T-square—which does double duty for building and is a must-have in her studio.
Museum Road-Tripper
When the family travels, they seek out art museums across the country. Recent favorites include Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the Walker Art Center’s sculpture garden in Minneapolis—and they never miss Gleam at Olbrich Botanical Gardens right here in Madison.
Collector at Heart
Ann has an extensive collection of artwork on display in her home, including ceramics, prints, and paintings, many of which were created by artists she knows. Her collection embodies her belief that living with art enriches our lives.
Mid-Century Devotee
Ann’s own home is a mid-century modern on the east side. “I love a clean line, which leads right into my love of mid-century design.”
Why Ann Embodies the TDS Vision
At TDS, remodeling is about people first, from the clients who open their homes to the team that does the work. Ann brings both halves together: an artist’s understanding of how space shapes the way we live, and a welcoming presence that makes the first step of a construction project feel a little less daunting. From the very first hello, she’s proof of the TDS promise that you’ll always be working with real people who care about your home as much as you do.
