Our tagline absolutely encompasses all of these things! OUR PASSION. So, I included the details of our passions on a newly updated "about" page on the site, and I thought I'd share a bit more with you about these passions and what makes me keep going even through the lows (and yes, there are plenty of lows in design).

SUSTAINABILITY. RELATIONSHIPS. QUALITY. LONGEVITY. ETHICS. PERSONALITY

Would you ever want to live in a Street of Dreams home? Do you read design magazines? Ever notice that the homes in design magazines are not nearly as showy as the Street of Dreams homes? There is a reason for that. Street of Dreams homes are not designed for people, they are designed for product sales. I pride myself on designing homes for real people.

One of the first questions we ask is, "how involved would you like to be in your project?" Sometimes a direction is all that is needed to run with. Sometimes, measurements and plans are needed, then sourcing is done independently. Then, there's the "turnkey" project, meaning that we handle the design work from start to finish...

Have you wondered why people would spend so much on designer furniture? Why not just buy retail?

<p>You should. No... I mean that. If you think that retail will serve your needs, by all means, shop retail! If you'd like design services for those retail products, I highly recommend using the in-house designers. They often offer services at no additional charge and they know their product. I can provide retail shopping suggestions, but this is not my specialty, and I think your money can be best spent elsewhere.

<p>Blown away by my response? I try to be as honest and transparent in how I work as I can be.

<p>So, now I'll tell you why you should shop "to-the-trade" merchandise....

While many share the title, "Interior Designer", the profession varies extremely depending on who you talk to. Much like a podiatrist will help you with your feet, and an obstetrician will help you with.... not your feet, designers have many different areas of expertise. Be sure to do research and determine first, what you are looking for in a designer, then whether your local designer provides/specializes in the service you are seeking.

So, your neighbor just got a white kitchen, and there are white kitchens on Houzz. There are white kitchens in all the magazines. Therefore, you MUST have a white kitchen, right? Wrong. Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good white kitchen and am not here to bash them. However, it honestly breaks my heart to do one after another of the same design because people see it everywhere. Why do you hire a designer? To be unique. So that you can have a one of a kind, 100% YOU space. So, throw away the magazines. Stop looking at Pinterest (oh, how I love/hate Pinterest). And start looking at yourself, your experiences, what makes you happy.

Almost anyone who has ever visited a spa does not want the feeling to end. It's a place where we leave all our to-do's, our responsibilities, and burdens behind and focus entirely on the here and now.

We feel healthy, pampered, and able to leave the world behind for a time. Isn't this how our homes should be? We should arrive home and not let work even cross our minds. We are in our safe place, our oasis. This is our haven, our place of ultimate freedom and even more than a spa- personal expression!