Let’s be honest: humans have a weird habit of defaulting to sterile, flat "white boxes." We paint walls bright, clean colors, throw up some great uniform lighting, and think, “Yep, looks awesome, we’re done here.” And sometimes, that crisp aesthetic is exactly what a home needs. But as designers, we're always dreaming up ways to bring the gorgeous, textured Pacific Northwest ecosystem inside.

The other day, our firm got a call from a colleague with a referral for a new architecture project. Even though I launched this firm thirteen years ago and operate as its managing partner, the message wasn’t left for me. It was left for my spouse, Sean, because he carries the title "Architect." It wasn't the first time, and it won’t be the last.