My mother introduced me to interior design at a young age, ushering me through the showrooms on Melrose Avenue in search of “the perfect piece.” I played with a pearled Labrador at Grace Home and picked out wallpaper to match the drapes and the bedspread and the dust ruffle at Laura Ashley. It was the ’80s! Design felt fancy and a little out of reach, yet somehow friendly. She was a good client, after all—there was some sucking up involved.
But it wasn’t until I bought my first home 20 years ago that the idea of transforming a space really got me. I became fascinated by the fact that something as simple as changing a paint color could alter a person’s mood—damn, I’ll say it, their whole sense of well-being. So many rooms later, it still fascinates me.
I dove headfirst into construction while remodeling a bathroom in that first house, and I was hooked. I couldn’t seem to get enough sawdust in the morning. That feeling has never really gone away.
Today, I live and breathe this work, and I bring that enthusiasm to every project and every job site. Whether it’s a closet or a great room, it’s all the same to me: an opportunity to make something beautiful, transform the way a space feels, and give people a home they’re genuinely happy and proud to say, “Welcome to my home.”
