With a list of commercial and residential projects to her name, Linder is celebrating her 20th year in town as owner of one of the top interior design firms in Silicon Valley.

One philosophy held by those employed at Linder's firm, Interior Design Source, is that "second best is not an option," Linder said.

Interior Design Source provides services to aid in any stage of a project, from project development to project management. The firm helps clients select the materials, furnishings and other products needed to turn their homes or offices into the ideal setting. The firm takes on projects in the residential, commercial, retail and corporate sectors.

An allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers and an associate member of the International Interior Designers Association, Linder ventured to start her own firm in 1983 with help from the Los Gatos Bank. The financial institution, which no longer exists, gave her a small loan so she could pay the $1,500 needed to lease space at 315 University Ave. Prior to leasing office space, Linder worked out of a room in her home.

"I had no employees. I had nothing," Linder said about the early days.

Determined to get her business going, Linder went searching for assistants among students at West Valley College and San José State University and placed an ad that she was hiring three designers.

After several years, Linder relocated her office to Lyndon Plaza. Today she works out of an office with white walls and desks and bright fluorescent lights. The interior designer said she opted for the "nondescriptive" look because "you don't want to have clients walk in and think you have only one style."

Linder said she was inspired to go for the white color scheme after seeing this concept applied in the office of another designer.

Yet even with the attempt to keep the room looking simple, Linder's personal interests are apparent in a glass table in one corner of the room. The legs of the table are made of bamboo to remind Linder of a home she owns in Hawaii. A vase of calla lilies sits on her desk.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Linder moved to the Saratoga/Los Gatos area at age 17 and purchased her first home in Los Gatos in 1968.

"Being part of this town, I've always had a commitment to keeping to the architecture of the town," she said about her work.

While Linder was involved mainly with commercial projects in her early years as an interior designer, her résumé grew in time to include work on private residential projects.

Los Gatos residents Luvonne Stewart and David Towle came across Linder's name in the San Jose Business Journal, which has listed Linder's company among the top 25 interior design firms in Silicon Valley for several years.

Once the couple spoke with Linder about remodeling their home, "there was really no contest" with other designers, Stewart said. Linder "just seemed to grasp immediately what we were wanting. She has the ability to get inside your head and see what you want."

Throughout her career, Linder never advertised her business. Her husband is a real estate broker in Los Gatos, which got her into residential work, and eventually Linder had to rely only on clients' referrals to land her new projects, she said.

"Because I give total commitment, the clients give it back to me," she said.