My Design Manifesto

…or why I do what I do:

You know, growing up I was pretty lucky. I never wanted for anything. Truly. And though I look back on the house I grew up in fondly, we didn’t exactly have the biggest house. And to be honest, the décor was out of the 1970s, with dark wood paneling, Formica and popcorn ceilings. It just wasn’t my style. Take a good, long look at your home right now. Is it your style? Does it look like you want it to?

It’s not selfish to want to live in a house that is beautiful, makes you feel good, or allows you to be the best person you can be.

There’s a science behind designing environments; it’s not a shallow endeavor. Environmental psychologists, interior designers, architects and homeowners have known it for decades. Our environments have a huge impact on how we feel and behave. A room can make you feel angry or tense based solely on how it’s decorated—and the same goes with decorating a space to make you feel happy or calm. I should know: I completed my design school senior thesis project on the subject of environmental psychology and have been implementing its theories in my design work for years.

I believe that the tools to get your home to where you want it to be should be accessible to all. That’s why I have come up with the consulting system that I implement, and that’s why I keep my rates so low. You control how much of my time you use, and therefore you keep the price of my services at whatever your budget needs are. We all deserve to walk through a front door into a place we are proud of each day, no matter our income or square footage.

You take your car to mechanic when it needs fixing. You take your dog to the vet when it’s sick. Trust your home to someone who is trained to look at it with a professional eye and really figure out what’s best for it. More importantly, I really work to find out what’s best for you in your home. I don’t just dictate a bunch of changes to you. I listen to you; I ask questions. I base my consultation suggestions on your specific design needs.

Sure you could go out and buy one of the gazillion design books out there, read a design blog or watch a show on HGTV. While all of those options offer inspiring ideas, none of them are about your specific needs. Besides, I help you corral any ideas you’ve been gathering for your home and make sense of it all for you!

 Whatever your specific design problems or questions, I guarantee I can give you some answers. Just a few of the ways I can help you are by suggesting new furniture layouts, wall colors, fabric and accessories, lighting, organizing, “pulling it together”—you name it. I can even accompany you on shopping trips and help you navigate the sea of home décor retail stores. You go at your own pace, time-wise and financially.

There’s a reason TV shows on HGTV are so darn popular; people love dreaming about what their homes could look like. Quit dreaming. Let’s find your perfect home together.

Modern Tuscan!

Many clients request that I help them infuse the spirit of Tuscany into their kitchen spaces. With the colors and textures of that Italian region, it’s no wonder many people want to reproduce it for their own homes. You don’t have to go overboard to create the feeling of Tuscany, and you don’t have to compromise your modern aesthetic, either.

We’ve just begun transforming this client’s breakfast area into a modern, Tuscan retreat, but you can already see the small changes we have made have been ultra affordable and easy to do! A faux wall treatment using Benjamin Moore paints (I’ll list the colors on a later post) and some simple, handmade “shutters” painted a great olive green compliment each other to give the impression of an Italian villa.

Stay tuned to this project for more as it progresses also!