My Design Philosophy

1. Beauty is the application of understanding. Whether we're aware of it or not, our immediate physical environments have a major impact on our nervous system, our mood, our perceptions, our body’s ability to heal, and what our mind believes is even possible—and scale, proportion, color, lighting, layout, etc are methods to achieve a space that nurtures and inspires us. People can deny this all they want and claim that interior design is stupid, unimportant, and a waste of money, but there’s a library of evidence showing the complete opposite.

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2. I believe in gracious details, classic proportions, human-sized spaces, walkable cities, and [gasp] enclosed kitchens. I aim for delightful little surprises the closer someone looks at my work, and I believe modernism (i.e. the stripping naked of all detail) should be used judiciously and not as a default.  

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3. You don't need a mansion or a swanky ZIP code to care about your home. You can live in the most ordinary town, in the most unremarkable neighborhood, in the most previously unloved space, and still create a nest where you feel safe, supported, and encouraged--without spending a fortune. Even builder-grade, cookie cutter homes can become utterly charming with a smart selection of millwork, fixtures, decor, and landscaping.

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4. Learning to use power tools is so liberating, especially for women. A whole new world of creative possibility opens up when you learn to use power tools, and all you have to do is read the instructions! Literally everything is spelled out for you right there. Wild, right? And if you’re still unsure, there are so many great tutorials on YouTube. You don't even have to be a big towering lumberjack woman, because the motors do the work for you.

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5. Simplistic judgments about messy vs clean homes have got to go. A messy, chaotic house is not necessarily fun, loving, or relaxed. Likewise, a clean, organized home is not necessarily cold, controlling, or uptight. Both are a big swirling soup of upbringing, shame, pride, status, family dynamics, division of labor, neighborhood norms, social support, privacy, self-soothing mechanisms, and ideas about domesticity and self-expression.

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6. Whether or not something is “dated” depends on its context, how it’s styled, and the goals of the person living there. Admonishing listicles like “5 Things Making Your Home Outdated!” or “10 Ugly Decor Items You Must Get Rid of NOW!” are not created to be helpful; they’re created to get people riled up. And I'm in the business of making people happy with their homes, not agitating them for clicks. ​