This young family of six had completely maxed out their kitchen storage and didn’t have room to eat meals all together. See how we solved these problems while bringing the outdoors in to this Modern Rustic kitchen!

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.

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.

As someone who primarily focuses on interiors, it always feels like a rare and special treat when my design work has the opportunity to spill across the threshold to the exterior of a client’s home. These projects are most often focused on things like patios and pool rooms, but today I get to share a fun before and after for a completely different type of project — a new porch addition!

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.

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 thought I would talk to you about some common misconceptions the general public often has when it comes to working with an interior designer. Like I mentioned in a previous post 25 benefits of hiring an interior designer, there are a few myths floating around about what it’s like working with a full-service interior designer. I’m here to debunk those rumors and hopefully set the record straight by providing some honest insider information!

 With each individual business adopting a different design process and the way they operate, it can be somewhat overwhelming to find a relationship and system that works well for you, the client. The relationship between the client and their designer is super important!  The client is asked to grant a significant level of trust to the designer in a relatively short period of time.   This is not lost on a designer. They understand the uncomfortable feelings that could come along with handing over some control of the aesthetic of your home and personal budgetary information.