When I first decided to strike out on my own seven years ago, I wasn’t naïve about the fact that I still had a lot to learn about the world of design. After all, it’s sort of an ever-changing beast by default. Styles and tastes change. Trends come and go (and often come back again). Technology advances. In this industry you quickly learn to be comfortable with feeling like there’s always something new to learn. But that’s part of what keeps things interesting!

When it comes to choosing metal finishes for something like light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, or even cabinet hardware, it can be tempting to just play it safe by sticking to one finish for all elements in the room. It keeps things simple, you won’t have to dedicate too much time or effort, and you know that at the end of the day it will most likely end up looking just fine. But if you the type of person who liked to play it safe, and were okay living in a space that looked just fine, you wouldn’t be reading this particularly specific post on an interior design blog, right? Right.

Chances are good that if you’ve never worked with an interior designer, it can be challenging to wrap your head around the entire process from start to finish. We often hear questions along the lines of “So how long is this project actually going to take us?” The short answer — it depends.

Perfect indoors and out, on floors, ceilings, and just about everywhere in between, it’s no surprise that tile remains a highly sought-after material in both residential and commercial spaces. You simply can’t beat it when it comes to maintenance, durability, and style!

We believe that good design is about so much more than fabrics, paints, furniture, and décor. It's about living well, and intentionally carving out some space for the things that bring you joy — big or small! This year, we launched a "12 Days of Design" campaign leading up to the main event in hopes that we might interrupt some the chaos of the season by bringing a little beauty and clarity to each of you.

Although we’ve still got a few new things up our sleeve to wrap things up for the year, we first wanted to take a moment to share a “best of the blog” year-in-review. To make the cut, the following six posts were either “fan favorites” that generated the most blog traffic over the last twelve months, OR were simply ones that we really enjoyed writing for you.

With the busy holiday entertaining season right around the corner, we thought we’d take the opportunity to write about a topic that comes up often with our clients: The best way to create a “mix-and-match” look with dining room furniture.

Today I’ve decided to be a little vulnerable and write about something that’s just the slightest bit triggering for me (if your own blog isn’t a safe space, what is?). Now, my clients would never bear witness to this of course, because I am an utmost professional — but I have what could be described as a “complicated” relationship with lighting.

Nearly all homes — whether intentionally “designed” or created more organically over time — are an eclectic blend of multiple styles of décor. It’s simply the byproduct of living in any one space for more than a few years. Our budgets and our needs change. We collect things (for better or worse).

From settling down in a more permanent spot, to joining forces with some type of life partner, to simply aging out of Ikea, there are a multitude of reasons we all eventually transition to that “seeking higher quality furniture” stage of life. But what do you do when your furniture budget hasn’t quite yet transitioned along with you? 

When it comes to a home design project, there’s nothing quite as exciting — or as daunting — as tackling a kitchen. And after almost ten years in the business, with just about as many kitchen projects now under my belt, I’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to make this central hub of any home as functional as it is beautiful.

If Marie Kondo made you throw everything away in 2019, left only to be sitting alone in a stark, minimalist apartment for an entire year during the pandemic, chances are you’re at least somewhat open to exploring a “more is more” approach for a more energetic and inspiring space. Here’s how to do it the right way.

A few weeks back, we hosted a fun “Ask Me Anything” through our Instagram stories (Currently saved in our "Fun Stuff” highlight reel in case you’d like to take a look!) where we got to answer many of your questions on topics ranging from paint colors to mixing patterns. As expected there were a few repeat questions, and it got us thinking about the handful of questions Interior Designers always seem to get.

Even if April in Pittsburgh can be a little bit dicey, we can take solace in knowing that warmer temps and sunnier skies are right around the corner. That means it’s time for the great indoors to finally spill back out into the great outdoors as we reclaim our dormant yard space from Mother Nature!

I’m sure you’ve heard it mentioned before that kitchens and bathrooms have some of the greatest impacts on a home’s resale value, and that’s for several reasons.  For one thing, you spend a ton of time in these rooms. They need to be as functional as they are beautiful. Second, they are anything BUT evergreen, meaning our collective design tastes and styles are more likely to change faster than the actual hard materials and fixtures in place degrade and need to be updated. 

In this age of online discount codes, two-day delivery, and instant gratification we’re all more than a little suspicious when it comes to paying the full sticker value for just about anything. I mean, there’s a reason the “S” in “MSRP” stands for “suggested,” right? Now don’t get me wrong — I love a bargain as much as the next gal, but my time and experience in this industry have taught me there’s a painful amount of truth packed into the old phrase “You get what you pay for.” 

Today I’m excited to share with you a recently completed outdoor space I began working on in the spring. These are previous clients of mine and I was so happy they asked me to come back and help them outfit their patio. Outdoor spaces are one of my favorite areas of the home to design. I love the idea of outdoor living and how it can expand the usable space of your property. Its versatility presents a wide range of uses. Relaxing, dining, entertaining, playing, and heck even an outdoor home office - whatever you need it to be!

The concept for a master bedroom has evolved greatly over the years, what was once just a place to sleep has now turned into a more complex multipurpose retreat. 

A question I often get asked is “Can you mix different wood tones?” and my answer is always “Yes!” Naturally, their next question is “Okay, but how?!”  Today, I’m going to share with you four easy steps to mixing wood tones. Try not to think of these as hard and fast rules, but more as guidelines to follow. Combining different wood tones is not just for the pros. By keeping a few things in mind you can achieve a beautiful, cohesive, and intentional look! 

We grow up with books. Beginning with picture books, we advance to textbooks, then move on to a wide variety of books we read for pleasure. One thing that never goes out of style is a great coffee table book!