I’ve been working on house renovations for more than ten years now.
My background is as a retail Creative Director - which means basically that I directed and oversaw all of the graphic design, packaging, store display and websites for big brands.
People are most excited that I worked for Pottery Barn Kids, because well, they really know how to sell a lifestyle right? Pages upon pages of pristine and eclectically styled rooms devoid of crumbs, refrigerator hand prints and an explosion of kids’ toys. I adored working at Pottery Barn Kids, mostly because the people I worked with were so talented and hard-working (we’re still friends after almost 10 years away). But also because it’s amazing to see the inner workings of a big public retail company, that each month reinvents its stores and windows and pages to create a family lifestyle that only exists on Pinterest.
After Pottery Barn Kids I worked with some of that team on a division of Burt’s Bees - Burt’s Bees Baby. This was a creative’s dream, starting with a logo and a seed of an idea and launching a large brand in a very short time. I’m so proud that when I walk into Target or CVS I can still see the work that I designed on all their packaging.
So how did I get into house design? Well, I always wanted to do it. My mom bought me Terence Conran’s “New House Book” when I was in high school - a beautiful tome that I still have. At some point I must have voiced that I wanted to be a designer, and her family had a long history of success as architects. But at that moment in time that was a path towards being a decorator. That’s what women designers did 25 years ago. I was headed to Princeton! I didn’t think I wanted to select draperies. And it didn’t seem like in my family being an architect as a woman was a thing.
My first renovation was our house in San Francisco. A sweet postage stamp of 1072 square feet in Noe Valley, the back half essentially rotted off about 2 months after purchasing it. A renovation was essential and urgent, and that was my first opportunity to synthesize what I envisioned when it came to molding space and light. I poured through a lot of back issues of Martha Stewart Living!
When we decided to move back to the east coast after nearly eight years in California, we expected updated homes (as this is all that San Francisco offered in a competitive market). We were shocked when we saw house after house in very sorry states of disrepair or neglect - faded beige and mauve floral wallpapers, wall to wall carpet, kitchens with linoleum and cabinets whose doors were dripping off their hinges.
It was time for a renovation.
And that’s where it all began.