Style is a particular way of doing things, a distinct appearance determined by design principles. It is a way of arranging your appearance and the appearance of the spaces around you. It may be influenced by environmental factors, cultural influences, and economic factors among others.

According to one of our favorite furniture retailers, Joybird, Washingtonians love Eclectic design. My favorite part about this is that we are the ONLY state that preferred this design style above all others. Ready for this to get even better? Eclectic design is described as “a type of interior design that blends different styles and motifs together to create a unique aesthetic” (Master Class). We chose a unique aesthetic, and we were the only ones to choose this.

We hear it all the time “green materials,” “sustainable practices,” but what does this mean? Sometimes it is a marketing ploy, something to convince people that they are making the right moral decision by purchasing that vinyl flooring that “meets sustainability standards.” Other times, it means that firm is doing the very best it can and are constantly working to do better.

Influence from cultural exposure is an inherent part of design that undoubtedly helps to make any design more unique and interesting. Without exposure to different cultures in design, we wouldn’t have Chinoiserie, the gorgeous influence of Chinese art on French design. We find that travel encourages a designer to see the unique characteristics of other designer’s (creators) work that then allows us to look at our own work from different perspectives with fresh influence.

You’ve made the decision to relocate or purchase a beautiful summer home on Vashon Island!!! Super exciting! Once the excitement dies down, the logical side of our brains kick in and the questions start piling up. We are happy to answer these questions and provide insight as to how working long-distance can actually reduce stress and be a wonderfully fun process.

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.