The burning question is often, “how long will it take”, and understandably so! A home renovation can mean displacement or incredible discomfort. Most of our clients come to us hoping the design will take a week or two and we can jump right into construction. What we forget is that it takes time to work through all those details and thoroughly consider each goal and need to tailor your home specifically to you!

One of the most common misconceptions I face is that a designer shops retail. While this is true for some designers, it is not at all true for others. We almost never shop retail. That is not to say that we will not utilize our local hardware store for products that are local and yes, retail.

We’ve all heard about the cost of lumber going up, but that’s not the only price increase we’re seeing. Estimating projects appropriately has been quite a challenge for us over the past two years, and we're definitely getting the hang of it. I’d love to share why it was so difficult for so long and what we are doing to help our clients navigate through the unknowns.

This project is a perfect example of how what we see on TV and in the media is NOT how design truly happens. I think that many people jump into a design expecting the first presentation to be exactly what they’ll get, and the truth of it is that it is a process of molding the design to meet your tastes and needs. Not only that, we start with unknowns, and accommodations are made based on assumptions that eventually are updated to reflect the actuality.

We love this picture because it illustrates the relevance of factors on time. How long will it take before the snd runs through her fingers? It depends on whether she tightens her grasp, moves her fingers, or parts her hands. The design process is very similar with many factors influencing each design, and many of those factors are out of our hands. This is why, when we say that we have a waiting list and will be in touch, we cannot give a definitive time.

One of the most challenging requests we work with on a daily basis is the desire for wood coupled with the desire for very little visible grain. Read on to find out why this is a challenge, specifically for a firm that specializes in sustainable design.

Well, I might be a bit biased, but I’m going to say YES. Yes, interior design does come with its unique challenges.

After four years of schooling majoring in interior design, about five years working for professional firms, and eight years of running my own professional firm, I am still learning new things every day about design. Every project has unique needs, depending on a number of factors.

We hear it all the time, “gas cooks more evenly” and “gas offers the most flexibility”. But, did you know that your gas stove could be poisoning your home, generating unsafe levels of air pollution?

Belonging to several design groups over the years, I heard over and over “a designer should be involved in EVERY remodel”. I heard it so often that I believed it, and with all my heart.

It only occurred to me in recent years that a designer may not be necessary for every remodeling project.

In the past, we have had three clients ask if they could make their own selections, and for the most part, we have obliged. Unfortunately, we have also learned that these projects are not the cost-savers that were hoped for, and end up with frustrations on both sides.

We understand that your home is yours and you have a style you want to maintain. It is our hope that we can work together through this process, allowing you to feel that you have made the selections with our support and guidance.

Details have the ability to go far beyond the banal and provide a higher level of sophistication, playfulness, or joy - and that’s a big reason we get so excited when thinking of them.

We don’t like being the bearers of bad news. I’ve always said “Clients love the designer and hate the builder”. Now we are both, and our goal is to maintain the love (as difficult as it can be when living amidst construction) through implementation. This means setting realistic expectations and understanding the reality of the impact of COVID on the design & build industry.