An Inspired Chat with Anne Pruvost

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Anne Pruvost. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Anne, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
There truly isn’t a “typical” day for me and there never has been. Each day is unique, shaped by my mood, energy, emotions, and whatever life throws my way. I’ve learned to work with that, not against it.

First and foremost, I’m a mother. My youngest son attends LACHSA, and I dedicate a significant portion of my time to supporting his education and the school community. My oldest is a passionate musician but also work with me on daily basis he is learning a lot and wants to persue a career as an interior designer . From there, my days unfold organically. I don’t live in a 9 to 5 world. Some days find me on a construction site, managing crews and solving practical problems. Other days are spent designing, drawing, or conceptualizing spaces. When I’m not working on client projects, I’m creating my own art in my home studio or developing my second brand.

What keeps things interesting and grounds me is a blend of organization and flexibility. You can’t cultivate anything meaningful without structure, but you also need space for intuition. That equilibrium is where my best work flourishes.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
When we first spoke in 2021, I was still known primarily as a producer, working in commercials and documentaries. I had moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with four suitcases and two toddlers, driven by the same dream I’ve always had: to create, to build, and to live with integrity.
Over time, I found myself producing in a new way through design and construction. Today, I run Design by Anne, an interior design practice, and I’m in the process of receiving my general contractor’s license. I’m extremely proud of that. There are very few women general contractors, and even fewer French women licensed in the United States. Being able to both design and build to imagine something and then make it real feels deeply aligned with who I am.
Much of my recent and future work is in Altadena, helping families rebuild their homes and their lives. That work is especially meaningful to me.
Alongside my design practice, I founded LaMissApple, a line of all natural soaps and shampoos. As a cancer survivor, I became deeply aware of how many everyday products contain chemicals we absorb without thinking. LaMissApple was born out of a desire to live and help others live a healthier, more conscious life. At my core, I’m not just a designer. I’m an entrepreneur who has always relied on her own resourcefulness, curiosity, and grit.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
For a long time, I believed that if I could just become financially stable, I would finally be worthy of love, of belonging, of respect. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that success and fulfillment are not the same thing.
The drive to succeed financially served an important purpose. It taught me how to survive as an entrepreneur, how to build a life in a foreign country, and how to raise children on my own. But I’ve reached a point where I can release that fear based drive and choose fulfillment instead. When I do that, the financial side follows naturally.
Design by Anne represents this shift for me. As both a designer and a general contractor, I can conceptualize something meaningful and also bring it into reality with my own hands. That union of vision and execution is the integrity I want in my life, both personally and professionally.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would say: You are enough. Be who you are. Don’t be ashamed of that person. Never give up, and trust your gut.
In French, we don’t really have a word for “grit.” We barely even have the concept. But grit is what defines how I’ve moved forward and built a life in the United States. It’s what carried me when I had nothing else to rely on.
Everything is possible and the sky is the limit .
I went back to architectural design by leaning on my education in France at the École Boulle. Design was always part of me, even when my career took other forms.
During the pandemic, when the production industry came to a sudden halt, I saw an opening. A friend asked me to design his sound studio, and that project quietly became the beginning of everything that followed. One project led to another, and suddenly I was back in a world that felt deeply familiar—working with space, materials, light, and people.
Sometimes life doesn’t push you forward; it pulls you back to what was always yours.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Edith Piaf.
She survived on the streets with nothing but her voice. She was called “Piaf” because she was like a little bird. Through talent, passion, and grit, she not only survived she gave people love, hope, and compassion. She had her demons, but she was one of the first French female singers to perform in English in New York. She went from nothing to something, and that will always inspire me.
As a student in Paris, the only music I listened to was Edith Piaf. I believe in passion, love, art, and design not power or money. I like to believe that, like Edith, if you follow your calling with integrity and heart, the rest will come.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m still reaching for what I was born to do. I’m not fully there yet and maybe I never will be.
Design, for me, is deeply psychological. I build houses, but I’m also building trust, understanding, and confidence both in myself and in my clients. My goal is not to impose my vision, but to help people feel ownership over it. That requires listening, observing, and truly understanding who someone is.
I’m also constantly negotiating my French roots with my life in the United States. In France, we carry our history very heavily. There’s pride in that, but it can also be limiting. In the U.S., invention and reinvention are possible. When I bring the depth of my French background into an American or global context, something magical can happen.
I keep coming back to the idea of wholeness. Integrity. Becoming fully myself while continuing to evolve. In the process of reaching for that, I do my best workfor my clients and for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.designbyanne.com /www.lamissapple.com
• Instagram: dsignbyanne / lamissapple