Over the years Dana Pickup's vision has transformed her own homes. From converting a one bedroom 900 square foot pre-war apartment in Brooklyn, NY to accommodate a growing family, to adding charm and warmth to a newly built 5,000 square foot home in the country, to gutting, adding on to, and re-configuring a 1950s Cape Cod in the Philadelphia suburbs. Renovating varied personal spaces has given Dana a depth and breadth of experience reinventing homes of all different scales. Neighbors, family, friends and passers-by saw what Dana was doing and reached out to her for input on their apartments and houses. It was realized that Dana's friendly suggestions and network of resources were helpful to both homeowners and to the builders doing the work. And thus, A Pickup Project came to life. 

Our Crew

DANA PICKUP
Founder, Principal 

Dana has been a re-imaginer of space since she can remember. She’s been around both design and construction since her childhood. Dana’s the daughter of serial renovators and the niece of a self taught home designer - maybe it’s in the genes. Dana established A Pickup Project (APP) in 2014 after a career in marketing and sales in the educational publishing industry. All the while she was doing everything from tweaking to gutting her apartment and homes. Friends and family repeatedly asked her for home reno advice and builders she hired for personal projects said, “you know what you’re doing.” It became crystal clear that it was time for Dana to pivot her career focus to her passion for reinventing home spaces. A Pickup Project was born and quickly grew to fill the niche of residential construction project management. 

Dana is the mother of three growing children who entertain her to no end. Her husband is a creative, developing video content every outlet imaginable. Dana’s house is her canvas - always evolving to suit the needs of her family members’ ages and stages. As a perpetual re-imaginer of space, she’s never without a list of projects to tackle - typically involving a wall coming down or going up, re arranging rooms and changing up salvaged furniture, and/or testing out ideas to use with clients on their future projects. When not working on the APP client renovations, Dana can be found dreaming about and planning adventures in travel, art, music, food, and sports - all of which she loves to share with her family and friends.

AMY LOVING
Lead Project Manger

Amy Loving is a natural at whatever she does, the quickest study, and a jack of many trades. Her lifelong personal and work experience led her to A Pickup Project where she continues to sharpen her client and business skills. Amy's varied professional experience includes: a first job at a local family business; many years in the optical industry as an optician, sales rep, and buyer; her own artful, high-end optical shop and her partnership with her husband running their thriving personal training studio. Dana thinks of Amy as “my better work half” and “boss” and leans on Amy’s skills at every turn. 

A Pickup Project combines all of Amy’s personal and professional worlds. In every house Amy has owned in the Philadelphia suburbs and Cape May, walls have come down, rooms have been repurposed and redesigned, and interior/exterior upgrades have been creatively and economically tackled. But, it's what she’s always done with gardening, landscaping and hardscaping that are most impressive. When Amy isn’t supporting clients and APP’s trusted builders and trades with her skills, she can be found digging deep in the dirt at her backyard farm, making seasonal plant containers, cooking restaurant quality meals at home, and laughing with her music-making son and husband.

ELLIE HAYS
Lead Architect, RA, AIA

Ellie moved often while she was growing up, and her parents always managed to find a unique home in each new location. She can’t remember the addresses, but she can remember which one had a living room with a cathedral ceiling and big windows, which one had an “H” shaped plan, and which one had a sunken den. She believes it was this influence that sparked her desire at an early age to become an architect and to design houses.  Ellie pursued this passion through most of her career, working for an architecture firm designing upscale custom homes, and, for the past 20+ years, designing small additions and renovations.  She loves working on imaginative designs that help homeowners create spaces that meet their unique needs.  In her free time, she’s traveling with friends and family, gardening, and skiing. 

KATIE ROBERTS
Architectural Designer

Katie studied Studio Art and has her MA in Interior Design. After working for a Philadelphia based architecture firm in corporate design for a decade, Katie got involved in residential architecture, where she quickly learned where her true passion lies. Katie has advanced her architectural career in ways she once dreamed about, working under Ellie Hays’ masterful direction and mentorship. She's thrilled to bring clients' dreams to life while showing them additional possibilities to explore. When she’s not working, Katie enjoys time with family and friends, music, DIY projects, and of course, Philadelphia sports. 

KELLIE DOEMLING
Architectural Designer

Kellie Doemling is an accomplished architectural designer with over 30 years of experience, primarily in the commercial interiors industry. Her design journey began close to home by creating kitchens for many members of her large family. That early experience shaped her deep appreciation for family-centered design and honed her skills in efficiency and attention to detail. Growing up in a big family taught Kellie how to juggle multiple priorities and wear many hats—traits that now define her professional approach. She brings that same energy and precision to every project, whether it's a residential renovation or a large-scale commercial build-out.

In addition to consulting with APP on residential projects, Kellie runs her own firm, KAD Consulting, where she partners with commercial real estate companies to provide architectural services tailored to their clients’ needs. Despite her upbringing in a bustling household, Kellie “went small” in her own life—raising four children of her own while building a thriving career.

MONIKA NAUGHTON
Organizer

Monika Naughton is a home styling and organizing specialist. She has an expert eye for clean uncluttered design, beautiful items, and budget-conscious choices. She can enter a space and develop a clear vision for how it can be used. She studied photography at RIT School of Photography, worked for Vanity Fair, Mademoiselle, and Philadelphia Magazine’s home and wedding publications. She manages to keep her home styled, organized and functional even with a husband and three kids.

CRISTI SAUSER
Lead Designer & Marketing

Cristi Sauser is a designer, educator and potter. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, two teenagers and their labradoodle. She recently went through a major renovation, adding a level to their townhome. Not an easy feat during a pandemic in a big city. But it was all worth it.  Designing for A Pickup Project is the highlight of her day. She loves taking a clients vision for a space and bringing it to life with a 3D rendering of a floor plan and with mood boards. Cristi also enjoys tinkering with apickupproject.com.