About

I have been building, remodeling, and renovating homes in northern California since the 1980s, when (and I cringe a bit at this) French County was all the rage.   While studying at San Jose State University I apprenticed with a prominent local interior designer for four years.  It was during this time that I gained practical, invaluable knowledge of how to successfully oversee a design from the inception to completion of the job.  I continued to build on my experience as I joined the teams of two other leading interior design firms where I eventually advanced to become a senior designer.   I have designed homes from Carmel to Tahoe, but also in climates as distinct as Florida, Maryland, New York, and Arizona.

A fascination with architecture lead me to return to school to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where I greatly widened by knowledge of architecture, construction, and project management.  I returned to the Bay Area in 2001 and began Home By Design as the sole owner and principal designer.

Throughout my career, it has been my goal to integrate interior architecture and interior design so that my client’s homes are not only beautiful, but flow with function and personality as well.  My belief is that interior design is all about creative collaboration and the most gorgeous homes are a direct reflection of a great client-designer relationship. My signature style aims to reflect my client’s lifestyle and passions and whether the end product is impeccably tailored or exquisitely worn-in, it is unmistakably home.

 

PHILOSOPHY

My touch, Your Fingerprint

I believe a home should wrap its arms around you. Home is our safe haven. It ought to be filled with colors, textures and objects that delight the senses and inspire our finest aspirations

Your home should speak to you and about you, about how you live, where you’ve been and where you’re going. The smallest detail can complete a room; accessories create ambiance and personality. When the project is finished, your space will feel as good as it looks — my touch will leave your fingerprint.

 

PROCESS

Getting to Know You
We’ll get personal in our initial meeting.  Do you eat dinner cross-legged on your couch or at the table, candles ablaze?  Will kids roll through your house like tumbleweeds or is your home quieter than the Louvre on a Tuesday?  Collaboration is key.  Together we’ll draw up a list of priorities based on your needs, dreams and budget.

Function plays a very big roll in the development of your project and it helps if you come prepared to share every thought you’ve had about your new space.  Are you working on one room, remodeling, or building new?  We’ll start small to ensure the project expands as your preferences surface and the home flows from a focal point.

Divine Inspiration
Treat yourself to an iced tea and a good read; the conceptual phase is all me.  With your input as an invaluable guide, I will begin to develop your personal design, whether it’s color, fabrics and textures that speak to you for that first room, or a well thought out floor plan that perfectly fits your needs for your remodel or new home.

The Big Idea
I’ll present several design concepts to you in person.  These concepts will take the form of fabric/furniture stories, or various floor plan ideas for your new space. You’ll choose the direction in this meeting, often pulling elements from one story to create a modified, final concept.  Depending on the size of your project, this phase may take a few or several meetings, but at the end we will have established the overall design:  fabrics and furnishings for interior design; or the furniture layout, general cabinet design, location, size of doors and windows, and basic lighting plans for a remodel or new build.

Showtime
The development stage is part blueprint, part organic growth.  Armed with your chosen direction, I will create the blueprint by drawing spatial plans. The organic part comes when I start to put everything together. Each layer informs the next and can often inspire new developments on the spot. Patience and diligence pay off, especially when the end result is meticulously tailored to your home.

Finishing Touch
Who would Charlie Chaplin be without his bowler hat and cane?  Carrie Donovan without her gigantic black round specs? My goal is to create the space of your dreams with each detail uniquely you—the home that wraps around you at the end of the day and sighs, “We’re glad you’re home.”