Core Values

One of the workshops I attended at High Point Market was called Own Your Narrative, and it was incredible. It was led by some truly brilliant professionals, and I took so. many. notes.

One of the key questions they asked was:

“Why do you do what you do?”“What is your firm’s North Star—what guides your work beyond the surface?”

Whew. That’s a big one.

And they didn’t let us answer it lightly—they had us really dig into it. Which, to be honest, is a lot for me to process in a room full of people. (I don’t think clearly in group settings—I need quiet and solitude to really think.)

So, since I’ve been home, I’ve been revisiting those notes in the early morning hours—when my creativity and clarity are at their best. I’ve been sitting with those questions, writing, reflecting, and refining.

And I’ve come to something I would love to share with you.

Because this is for you—whether you’re a client, someone considering working with us, or simply someone who ended up here for your own reasons. I want you to understand why I do what I do, what drives me, and what truly gets me out of bed in the morning.

My North Star

Design has always mattered to me. As a child, I would sit on the floor of my mom’s office and flip through her Country Living magazines, stopping every time I found the house plan page. I would study those plans and imagine how I would live inside them. I would take pieces from one plan and fuse them with pieces from another. I didn’t know then that not everyone could do that — visualize spaces so clearly in their mind. I genuinely thought everyone could see homes in 2D and slip into them with their imagination.

I have always been obsessed with home — not just the look of it, but the feeling of it. What it can be. What it represents.

Because to me, home is safety.

Home is warmth.

Home is sanctuary.

Home is where we gather, recharge, share meals, tell stories, chase cousins around basements, and live the memories we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives.

Home is the canvas our life is painted on.

During the workshop, they asked us to think back to the first home we ever loved. The first home that meant something. I thought of my Grandma Hoover’s house.

Now — let’s be honest — no interior designer was walking through that house saying, “Now this is beautifully done.” It was not particularly stylish. It wasn’t trendy or glamorous. Think That 70’s Show vibes — it had a lot of personality, but not necessarily in the intentional way a designer would put together.

But it was full of love.

It was where I felt seen and heard — even as a chatty little girl with a wild imagination and endless things to say. Grandma took time to listen to me. Also, she didn’t have a TV, so I learned to entertain myself — which fueled my love for books and my lifelong love affair with bookshelves. I would sit on the floor by her small bookshelves, pick out a new book, and feel like I had discovered treasure.

And when the cousins came over, we played for hours in the basement — especially with the wooden marble run. We’d load every single marble in and let them go at once. The loud roar of marbles cascading down that track sounded like pure joy to us.

So no, the house wasn’t special because of the décor.

It was special because of the people in it — and how the home supported the way we gathered.

That’s the heart of my work.

Yes — beauty matters. I love a stunning space. I love craftsmanship. I love millwork and stone and lighting that feels like jewelry. But those things are not the core of my “why.” They are the byproduct.

The core is this:

I design homes to support the lives lived inside them.

The family.

The friendships.

The laughter around the island.

The slow mornings.

The holidays.

The late-night conversations.

The everyday life that becomes memory.

So when I look at a home — I look deeper than finishes or furniture.

I look at the bones. The layout. The way the space actually works.

If we’re designing a new home, I want to study the plans long before the foundation is poured. I want to make sure the spaces flow, the rooms support your lifestyle, and the house will actually live well.

If we’re remodeling, I’m looking at the walls, the structure, the layout.

What needs to move?

What needs to open?

What needs to breathe?

How do we make this home function beautifully for you?

Because my goal is not just to design a house that looks good.

My goal is to create a home that becomes someone’s favorite place.

A place where life happens.

Where love gathers.

Where memories stick.

And yes — we’ll make it beautiful too.

Always.

Promise. ✨