Italy/Switzerland Travel Blog

When I look back at the photos I take while I travel, there are ALWAYS plants, stone and furniture. I am constantly drawn to texture, whether it is stone, tile or fabric! I especially am drawn to urban gardening, I delight how a doorway or smallest window can explode with life and color.

Venice Italy

Florence Italy

Genoa Italy

Zurich Switzerland

Travel Blog/Haarlem,Netherlands

Most people travel to getaway, I travel to soak up the local vibes to bring back to my clients. Haarlem hit every button for me, crisp weather, bicycles everywhere, potted plants at every brightly colored doorway and practical yet gorgeous furniture and lighting!!!!

Haarlem Netherlands

Holiday Decor I gravitate towards….

When I think of the holidays I immediately go to fresh greenery, not that plastic junk! I want messy but smells delicious greenery!!!

Anything wooden from Germany, my personal favorite being the smokers..who doesn’t love fat wooden men who emit festive scents throughout the home.

I jamb up all my windows with paper lanterns and string boiled wool garlands everywhere!!!

A Papered Perspective

Bathrooms are my favorite challenge! Eeking extra inches out of no where, bringing punches of color and best of all WALLPAPER! This room started out very dull with a single sink, no storage and absolutely no room for two girls to get ready at the same time. We removed a door into a bedroom and were able to use that whole wall for a gorgeous double vanity. I added a storage tower in the middle to not only give the girls their own space but to also amp up storage. Luckily there was also room enough for a linen/storage closet as well. When it came to design I felt the room needed to be able to grow with the girls, appealing to the under 14 year olds and still being tolerable to the college and older crowd later. This is where wallpaper comes in! Spoonflower has been my go to for years, made to order designs from independent designers. It hits all my buttons…supporting artists and crazy fun designs!!!!! When I saw the large aqua floral print I fell in love instantly, knowing full well I would pick up the aqua for our custom cabinetry. I am lucky we are able to not only design but build all our cabinetry…I cannot imagine anything else. Oval mirrors, white subway tile and crisp chrome fixtures kept it updated.

I am heading to Tokyo and Seoul this spring......

I find as a designer that my eyes need to travel,  to look across cultures and design history.  Tokyo will be a search of Modern Architecture, the gems hidden in cramped neighborhoods that shoot up towards the sky to gain access to space. The simplicity of style.... cement, large windows....even plywood becomes charming!  Cushu Cusyo : Is first on my list, furniture and accessories made by artisans and local artists, a very warm organic feel.

Cocca: For original textiles and lamp shades, a much needed thing for me!!!

Manas: WALLPAPER!!

SEOUL: Back to my most favorite city!  I am looking forward to weaving my way through Samcheong-dong. A treasure trove of small galleries and shops. 

Why I travel

To me design is a never ending path. A twist of color, hard stone, fabric rough or smooth between our fingers. Every country has it's own theory of what is modern/antique. Seoul to me is wood,stone,concrete,glass...melding old with new. Twisty paths that lead to the most beautiful of pottery. Fabrics that stun your eyes with their beauty, rooms that force you to sit and enjoy the beauty of the small garden in front of you.