Meet Our Team

Cynthia, Tatiana, Ayse & Alisha

Cynthia Montoya

Lead Designer / Accidental CEO / Master of overthinking

Oldest of 3 children, raised in a quaint neighborhood in Southern California, Cynthia was like a second mother in many ways. She loved to cook, clean and entertain. She played piano for 9 years, sang and could be found reading Nancy Drew books on the grassy lawn of their beautiful LA suburban backyard that was tirelessly well kept by her mother, who loved to garden, and instilled those skills in all her children.

While studying design in Los Angeles, Cynthia began her construction management career while simultaneously building her design firm. The experience she gained with an extensive management background allows her to take charge with industry knowledge while being a productive super-charged creative.

Cynthia founded Urban Gypsy with intent to share her west coast experience and inspiration with those who seek to enjoy their space and life in a meaningful and relaxed style (heavily influenced by how she was raised). She has found that incorporating organization into the business has been a very natural progression as all good design starts with an organized thought.

Growing popularity of “getting organized” is only part of what goes into a good design, therefore, before any design is created, organization is always considered.

Her love for color and texture, and recognition of the unsung beauty in homes as expressed by the tastes and possessions of their owners, allows her to unveil a custom look specifically for them - AKA she desires to have the final product something YOU love… not a cookie cutter design.

Cynthia believes every occasion should be a beautiful experience, whether it be hosting a party, reading a book cozied up on the couch with her daughter, enjoying coffee with a friend in the garden or cooking with loved ones over a glass of wine.

Cynthia-ism: flouncy

Alisha Pallotta

Design assistant / Art director

Second born and first girl of six siblings, Alisha is a natural born leader and a superstar mother. Born in So Cal but growing up in southern Oregon, Alisha could be found doing most extreme sports trying to keep up with her older brother, basketball with the neighborhood kids, volunteering in 4H, or if you were one of the lucky few, making you a killer sandwich at Subway (you gotta start somewhere in your teens!). Being the adrenaline junkie she is, Alisha has been a full time emergency medical tech in the ER for the past 10 years. After all, being in a big family, you end up in a lot of sticky/bloody situations that benefit from having someone who can splint the bone or control the bleeding…ya know?

Alisha’s first creative job was straight out of high school at a local ad agency, where she met and fell in love with a life behind the lens. This led her on an amazing career journey in photography which she has been perfecting since 2005, traveling all over the US from LA to NY for fashion and lifestyle shoots.

Alisha has pursued creative endeavors ever since she was a child, and knows how to express it through painting (see the front desk for inquiries), photography, cooking, and pretty much anything she puts her mind to.

Alisha’s love of minimalist design, appreciation for the stories an antique postcard can tell, and joy in the unsung beauty of hand crafted goods allows Urban Gypsy to maintain a wide variety of understanding for all our clients.

Alisha’s secret talent is being an incredibly kind human who loves to humor those around her (she’ll pretty much do anything if it makes you laugh) and she effortlessly shares her bright smile with new and old friends at the ready.

Watching Alisha’s creativity come to life is a beautiful experience, how did we get so lucky?!

Alisha-ism: erh mah gersh

- Our Story -

So you know how some people know each other forever? We are some of those people. Without boring you to death, the short version is that our parents were friends from a young age, and we’ve never known existence without one another. Although life happened and we soon became long-distance friends, it only enhanced our creativity as we continued to be close pen-pals, family camp buddies, and summer camp besties.

While on family vacations, we spent our time together creating home movies and commercials, singing our brains out to The Dixie Chicks, and dodging our brother’s BB guns. The amount of beautiful dinners enjoyed by our families together on warm summer nights are what dreams are made of and is completely unfair to the rest of the world.

A good time is not only what we have when we’re together, but a sort of magic that can accomplish anything. The charming humor, creative endeavors, and inside jokes we share is what really lights the Urban Gypsy community up on the daily.

Ayse O.

Design Studio Producer

Ayse is the newest Urban Gypsy team member, and we feel so lucky to have found her! Leading with a strong background in executive work, Ayse has experience in technical drawing, functional lifestyle design, and comes from a long line of custom home designers. Her experience in health and wellness infuses depth and knowledge into anything she is involved in.

Plus - check out her KILLER brows😍 We are so happy to have her on the Urban Gypsy Team!