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.

Freestanding bathtubs are stunning. We see them on the covers of magazines and posted all over Instagram (with low-hanging pendants and chandeliers - another topic of concern), and we are seeing so many homes pull out those tried and true alcove tubs to replace them with the lovely freestanding tub for the experience of soaking.

Let’s be honest though, how much are we thinking about that bathing experience and what surrounds this experience? There are many reasons people get freestanding tubs, and many reasons why maybe it's just not worth it.

Style, Services, or Cost – which aspect is best to pay attention to when choosing a home designer? We are here to help.

These topics cover the questions we are most frequently asked during our introductory meeting and each one of them is important, though one may be more important or less important depending on the project.

There are so many options out there for amazing and wonderful countertops. How does one choose?! We have you covered. Take a look at the features and brief descriptions of many of the most commonly used counter materials to make your decision wisely.

We found this as a common question in an internet search and immediately took pause to determine exactly what the question is asking. With two possible interpretations, we thought we would take a moment to answer both from our point of view.

Clients have come to us many times with comments like, “I’m not sure if this is something you’d even be interested in,” and others that boast about the multiple quick-flip properties they assume we would be thrilled to take on. In actuality, those assumptions are usually far from the truth.

As designers, we were taught how to do niche, trade-specific drawings, not only because we are expected to create them for technical understanding, but also to be able to coordinate all of them systematically and converse intelligently with the highly-trained specialists who develop the physical aspects of our projects.

As a female designer, I found that I had to suppress my experience and knowledge when communicating with contractors. It was much more productive to plead ignorance, bat my lashes, and go along with the playful teasing often found on construction sites. I grew accustomed to being called “honey” and “kiddo” and playing up my lack of knowledge of how things were actually built to utilize their expertise.

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.