Meet Aimee Martinelli

Staff Highlight

Aimee Martinelli’s creative journey hasn’t followed a straight line, and that is exactly what makes it so compelling. Now an Interior Designer in Hobbs+Black’s Phoenix office, Aimee brings a rich, multidisciplinary background shaped by both graphic and interior design, along with a decade long entrepreneurial chapter that still influences her work today. After completing her undergraduate studies, Aimee took what she calls a creative detour, launching her own mural company. For ten years, she painted walls up and down the West Coast, transforming spaces with color and storytelling. One of her earliest projects remains especially meaningful, not because it was her most polished work, but because it marked the beginning of everything that followed.

While working on her first on-location mural in Big Bear Lake, California, Aimee stayed in a charming cabin as she painted a bedroom for her client’s grandchildren. Children’s rooms quickly became her specialty, and that experience sparked a chapter of travel, creativity, and independence. She describes it as a time when she was young, footloose, and full of freedom, a period that left a lasting imprint on both her career and her sense of adventure.

Eventually, Aimee returned to school to pursue interior design more formally, building on the artistic foundation she had already established. One of her proudest accomplishments came recently in 2025, when she earned her NCIDQ certification while working full-time and raising a family. She notes that it was not easy, with plenty of late nights and coffee along the way, but that challenge made the achievement even more meaningful.

Today, Aimee is part of a growing Phoenix team that is carving out its own identity while staying grounded in H+B’s established standards. What she enjoys most is the sense of shared momentum. She says the team is collectively figuring things out, and it is exciting to see the progress being made week by week. She is especially energized by the opportunity to help shape what the Phoenix office will become in the future.

Outside of work, Aimee’s story is just as meaningful. A fun fact she loves to share is that she met her husband, John, in second grade. The two were best friends for twenty years before eventually going on their first date. Now married for twenty-one years, their connection spans more than four decades, a testament to the lasting relationships Aimee values in every part of her life.

When she is not designing, Aimee is often on the move with her family. Her son Reid, seventeen, is heading off to Brown University to play football next year, while her daughter Mia, fourteen, is about to start high school. With both kids attending the same school this year, the Martinelli household is preparing for a season that is equal parts exciting and emotional, especially with college just around the corner for Reid.

Through every chapter, from murals to motherhood to professional milestones, Aimee brings creativity, determination, and heart to everything she does.