10/21/2026
I’m not always the best about sharing the design process or the interior design side of my business. But I’m trying to be better about it. The retail side is inherently easier to photograph than all of the work that goes into a room before it’s “finished,” so this is me trying.
At the beginning of every project, I have a pretty intensive onboarding process. There’s a very detailed questionnaire, usually a virtual meeting and an in-home meeting, lots of conversation about how my clients actually live, and then all of the boring but important things like photos, measurements and floor planning.
After that, I disappear into what is probably my favorite part of the process: research, design and letting my imagination wander a little.
This is where I gather every potential idea for a space, figure out what feels appropriate for the house and the people who live there, work through the challenges, and start space planning to see what actually makes sense. Usually I spend a couple of weeks here before we meet for what I call a “vibe check,” where I pitch the overall concept and design direction before getting into all of the detailed selections and planning.
I’m in that phase with a really special project right now, and inspiration is coming from all over. I usually start with a Pinterest board from my clients to get a loose sense of what they’re drawn to. From there, I start pulling my own references. Old design books and magazines, millwork details, materials, shapes, color combinations, landscapes, stones, plants, architecture. Anything that helps me figure out what this particular space wants to become.
Eventually I’m looking for one thing to unlock the room. Sometimes it’s a sofa fabric. Sometimes it’s an incredible rug, a piece of stained glass, original wallpaper, a light fixture, or something that was already there all along.
Then I let the ideas get a little wild before editing them back down into a color palette, layout and overall direction that feels right.
This is that part. The messy, research-heavy, slightly obsessive part before there’s a pretty finished room to photograph.
