When you created your own firm, what were your goals?
I find joy and purpose in creating personalized, thoughtful spaces that people call “home.” I just wanted to wake up every day and be excited to create something meaningful.
How did first serving as a head stylist for luxury magazines impact your design eye?
Because magazine trends are constantly changing, I needed to change as well. Constantly being exposed to different styles and points of view showed me that styles shouldn’t fit perfectly into one box. As individuals, we all shift and grow, so our homes should be a reflection of who we truly are, not just key words we’d use to describe our style.
Your firm doesn’t have a set “style”, but rather you shift based on individual client needs. Tell us about this process.
Every person is unique in their own way. So when you have multiple people involved—a couple or a family—there are so many personality traits and quirks that fill the home. The home itself should reflect all of that.
Does the ambition of designing unique spaces mean that the bar is continually raised for you personally?
My clients are unique. That’s why I love what I do. Each day is different because every person and project is different. Projects have their own bar to reach: the end of the job when I finally get to see clients living in their homes. The best part isn’t the walk through or first reveal, it’s the first dinner party or family gathering I get to experience, with platters of food covering the new dining table, spilled wine on the new counter, real life.
Tell us about a recent collaboration that was integral to one of your designs.
Our designs are nothing without a great contractor to implement them. Working alongside a talented team is absolutely integral to a beautiful result, and the thoughtfully and carefully crafted space our clients live in.
In your opinion, what is the most fundamental element of interior design?
The people and their personalities. Any good designer can create a lovely outcome, but my constant goal is capturing the human spirit residing within the space. Homes are an integral part of the history of the people inside them; babies coming home from the hospital, teenagers getting photos at the entry before heading to prom, a beloved family dog scratching the hardwood floors. That’s home. It’s the job of interior design to create the environment for that.
You’ve traveled extensively, which cultures have impacted your design perspective the most?
All of them! I always say to my kids that the world is a beautiful place because we are all so different.
Your work has been recognized throughout print and other mediums, what do these honors signify for your firm?
Each time we are featured it’s a pinch-me moment. I am constantly in awe of the talent of other designers in our area and beyond. To be featured alongside any of them is humbling and to be highlighted for doing something that I find this much joy doing is a dream.
What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into a room?
First, if there is a dog. Second, where the homeowners immediately gravitate toward.
What is a design rule you use again and again?
Layered lighting. Every space needs it.
Outside of design what interests you?
I am a staunch animal-rescue advocate. We have three rescue pets and have fostered 25 dogs and counting.
