Why We Design
There are days I question what I do.
The world is heavy sometimes. Bad things happen, people face unimaginable challenges, kids are loud and messy and everything feels like a lot. On those days, interior design can feel… silly. Who cares about paint colors when the world is on fire?
But time and again, through many conversations with clients, I’m reminded: it does matter. Your home matters.
I was on a call today with a client, we’re working on her living room, powder bathroom, and staircase. Before we got into the project, she shared some heartbreaking personal news. My instinct was to cancel. It felt inappropriate to talk about sofas and cabinetry. But she stopped me and said she was grateful for the distraction. That talking about wallpaper, picking colors, imagining something beautiful was a small moment of relief in the middle of an incredibly hard time.
Design isn’t about being frivolous. It’s about creating spaces that support your life, even when it’s messy and unpredictable. It’s about carving out corners of calm, places of beauty, and moments of joy.
A well-designed home is emotional. It empowers you. It lifts your mood. It helps you breathe. Sometimes it’s the way the light hits a textured wall. Sometimes it’s the feel of a favorite fabric or the fact that a cabinet door doesn’t bang into another cabinet every single time you open it, which, if you've ever lived with that, you know is the kind of slow-burn irritation that could unravel even the most patient among us. These things affect our moods and our relationships, often in subtle but powerful ways.
Another client of mine lives in a 1990s home that was never quite right for her busy family of five. We reworked the layout, created a true kid zone with toy storage, desks, and a drop zone for backpacks. We opened up the kitchen to the living area so she wasn’t cooking in isolation. We turned bath time from chaos into calm with a wet room design. And she told me, “Our family dynamic has changed completely.”
That’s what thoughtful design can do.
It’s not about spending the most money or chasing trends.
It’s about making the most of what you have.
It’s about shaping a home around the unique way you live.
The world can be hard. But when we come home to a space that supports us, that reflects who we are, that allows us to exhale, there’s nothing petty about that.