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Imagining your dream home is fun; building it is not. As an interior designer with a background in project management, I know just how intimidating it is for homeowners to face a new home build or home renovation with all the decisions, timelines, and the bottom line hanging in the balance.
Whether you want to avoid design choices you’ll regret or costly fixes near the end of construction, your project should start with a way to stay on track without fear.
Read moreUp until very recently, when I thought about a house with ‘good bones’, I came at it from a place of how the home looked to me.
I asked my colleagues Leesa Mayfield of Leesa Mayfield Architecture and David Logan of Vintage Building what the phrase ‘good bones’ meant to them. In our third installation of our A Home With Good Bones series, we discuss the construction techniques and next-level choices homeowners can make whether they’re starting from scratch or renovating any age of home.
Read moreUp until very recently, when I thought about a house with ‘good bones’, I came at it from a place of how the home looked to me. I asked my colleagues Leesa Mayfield of Leesa Mayfield Architecture and David Logan of Vintage Building what the phrase ‘good bones’ meant to them.
In our second installation of our A Home With Good Bones series, we discuss the literal ingredients of a fine house, the materials that provide for lasting performance in both old and new homes.
Read moreUp until very recently, when I thought about a house with ‘good bones’, I came at it from a place of how the home looked to me.
I asked my colleagues Leesa Mayfield of Leesa Mayfield Architecture and David Logan of Vintage Building what the phrase ‘good bones’ meant to them. In this first installation of our ‘A Home With Good Bones’ series we start, like the professional nerds we are, with a conversation on the principals of design. Specifically, scale and proportion.
Read moreThis time of year fifteen years ago I decided to open my own design business. Looking back, that choice was a bold one. I was only about four years into my career and I had studied design in school and not business. At the time, it didn’t feel all that gutsy. It seemed like something inevitable was finally coming to pass.
The years since have taught me many things, some of them humbling, all of them enriching.
Read moreFor anyone who grew up with a lot of it, or even just a little bit, but it was not their taste - or certainly for anyone who has ever stripped it on their own - wallpaper can be viewed with a little skepticism. Yet it has never been more relevant, more transformative, or varied.
Here is my advice for picking wallpaper that will please your senses year after year. But, first, the things you need to get over.
Read moreAfter almost two decades in design, I have become an expert at intelligent space planning, but as the owner of a modest home, the tricks I've learned for making the most of tight spaces are particularly close to my heart.
Read moreDespite having already met one another, on the first site meeting the client is sometimes a shade nervous. They might say, "Here it is. Don't judge."
There are a lot of myths about what it’s like to work with a designer. Read on for a no-nonsense look at how we operate from introduction to installation.
Read moreUpholstery is the most hard working furniture in the home, providing enduring comfort and establishing the personality of the room through its stylings and fabric. No one wants to regret this choice either on delivery day because the fabric doesn't compliment the room or a couple of years down the line because the sofa hasn't held up to wear and tear.
Read moreThis blog is not about what kinds of rooms or how many should be included in a large house blueprint. The one piece of advice I always pass along to my clients is to build their home not for future owners or by any standard but their own. Choose your spaces because you think they will enrich your home life, not because other houses in your neighborhood have them.
This blog post is for people who want a large luxury home where every space is useful and all of the details and proportions make the right statement.
Read moreAs a seasoned designer with diverse clients, I am often either helping a family decide how much to add to a home they are outgrowing or I am figuring out how to put unused rooms to work in a house that is a little too big for its owner.
Generally my opinion is that less house is better than too much house, but my skills and vision afford me the opportunity to create impactful designs no matter the scale of the project. For the homeowner who is trying to decide the size of their next home investment, there are a number of ways to evaluate what will be the perfect fit.
Read moreInterior design makes spaces look great and function optimally. Thoughtful consideration of lighting, space, color, and organization can improve our quality of life and our mood. Yet many people choose not to seek professional help for a myriad of perfectly understandable reasons.
Read moreEclecticism is a term designers use to describe a mix of furniture periods and styles, trends, colors, and textures. It is not new, although it really took off about the time I started in design.
Read to the bottom for answers to your questions!
Read moreWe recommend looking at the business from two perspectives: inside out and outside in. How staff experience it inwardly and how customers and clients perceive it outwardly. By sharpening the image of a business through interior design, clients and patrons feel more confident in their choice and more apt to refer the business to friends and colleagues.
Read moreMuch like business dress, the design in an office suite should elicit confidence from clients. This makes the typical default one that in the world of fashion is the equivalent of a two piece grey suit: a classic choice, but one that needs a little help from a necktie, jewelry, or a great pair of shoes.
Read moreCradled in the rugged, wind-swept mountains of Boone, North Carolina, the facility provides jobs that have not been available in many American towns for decades. We took some time to watch and learn from the master craftspeople.
Read moreOver two decades of working in the design industry, I've learned a few lessons to better navigate the rise and fall of trends.
Read moreWhen you strip away the frills, my design expertise essentially revolves around recognizing and solving problems. Large rooms are usually considered ideal, but they also require smart space planning to assure comfort and functionality.
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