I grew up calling myself a "girly tomboy". I was a fan of thrift shops, used items, and the better the deal, the better I'd done at shopping. I remember meeting my husband and being so proud of the $5 jeans I was wearing and the $20 red leather pants (you're jealous... admit it). But, he looked at all the piles of clothes I had with holes, loose threads and stains and said: "why don't you buy something nice and have it last?" I was appalled and dumbfounded simultaneously. My things weren't nice?!

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Fast forward 20 years... I'm sitting in a meeting with a client and contractor. The client lives in a gorgeous 1920's bungalow and the contractor suggests we put vinyl tiles in the bathroom. A few days earlier, another client suggested that they were okay keeping the vinyl flooring in the kitchen and mentions that they hadn't considered aesthetics. Then, it dawned on me. So many people hire me to help with the functionality of their home, to make their spaces work better for them, and it is not realized that the quality of materials absolutely affects the function of the space.