The first major design challenge I faced in my now and forever Brooklyn loft was how to address the expansive blank dining room wall.  The solution: a faux gallery wall I painted myself inspired by Indian architectural details and 18th and 19th century botany studies. What started out as a practical solution, became a statement piece, and the first thing people ask about. I draw from a twenty year journey looking hard at the best art and design from around the world:  Istanbul, Jaipur, Tangier, Attingham summers spent with museum directors and conservators around Europe. It has made for a lifetime of learning why some things endure. That’s what I bring to my clients.

It took years to learn the difference between referencing a great idea and being worthy of it. Early on, two sample sets arrived side by side on my desk: one referenced something beautiful, the other was something beautiful — hand-built, uninhibited, nothing cast from a mold. Now I can’t unsee the difference.

Before that, I selected on feeling alone — color, travel, print, joy. I couldn’t yet distinguish something that was simply moving from the truly extraordinary. That’s exactly where most clients start: real instincts, their passions, things they’re almost embarrassed to show me. Those moments shared often inspire the best decisions. They just need someone who knows how to hear them.