We’re sure that you’ve heard about greenwashing. It’s a cool thing to talk about sustainability, but what about walking the walk?

As of 2014, we were one of the top 10 dreamy places to retire according to Huffington Post. It’s not surprising, really. We have a lovely small community. A trip to the grocery store usually means a hug from a friend or a familiar smile and wave. The natural environment here is blissful.

Some projects are smaller- a color consultation, a one-time meeting to discuss ideas and next steps, a quick sketch with suggestions. We have so many of these projects each year, and while each does not result in professional photos and big, front-page images, we take just as much pride in these smaller projects as we do a complete renovation.

My family recently moved (in October) to a new home that is 98% our dream home! We feel so fortunate to have this amazing home that suits our family perfectly. The only way we were able to make this happen financially was to have a vacation rental as a part of the purchase.

We are so excited to share that after a bit of DIY-ing (there is a time and a place, right?!), we have the cabin up and ready to go and are expecting our first guests shortly. But, we want our Waldron Designs friends to know that we are here and ready to provide a respite from your renovation, and a cozy vacation retreat! Take a peek at our listing and please, come visit us!

I’ve been noticing a lot of contractors with the title “design-build” in their company name. When I saw how many there were initially, I was excited and motivated. What a wonderful solution for building owners- to be able to hire one company who can completely manage their project from start to finish, have a keen eye on the costs as they design, and an equally keen eye on design as they build. I reached out to a few of these firms, and was astonished to find that most of them do not have a designer on staff!

During the schematic design phase of each project, I develop preliminary selections. I then confer with the product rep and contractor to broaden my awareness of that particular product and verify that my application is suitable.

One of the challenges to additions, is making sure that the addition feels as though it has always been there. We need to either really emphasize the difference between the new and old space or work hard to create a cohesive connection.