Growing up as an Air Force brat then Navy wife, I learned the importance of making a house a home. My mother showed me how to embrace the things she could not change, and to not let it stop her from creating a welcoming place for her family.  

 

My father, who after serving our country traveled a lot for business, would often joke that he would never come home from a trip and enter a room without turning on the light.....because it was dangerous to assume that the sofa would still be in the same spot as when he left.  I later understood my mom was always changing furniture around because she was craving the opportunity to be creative that moving so often had given her. 

 

Navy life taught me that when changing duty stations 4 times in 3 years, the best thing I could do was unpack and get back to living as soon as possible.   As I got older I knew that I had been bitten by the “bug” to create as well and threw myself into my homes and the projects of others. I was often asked to help make decisions for friends, but this was always much more than “do you like this paint color”.  It was more like “here is the Sherwin Williams (TM) fan deck; pick a color then redo my whole master bedroom, please.”

 

I also participated as the design decision-maker for businesses such as a day spa, radio station, and church. In my years as a Navy wife, I was able to live in each geographic region of the United States and experience their unique style and way of living. It’s that unique perspective that fuels me when working with clients who have packed up their life “old life”, bought “someone else’s” house and are trying to create the relaxed coastal home of their dreams.