Generations of Artistry & Design
My late grandfather, Gerry, was a talented artist and architectural designer who began his post-military career as an art teacher in Wisconsin. He later had his own design studio, hand-painting signs and designing logos for local business owners, and rebuilt a historic steamboat in the Wisconsin Dells. In the late 1970’s he moved to Orlando, Florida to work for Walt Disney World as an Imagineer. Years later his freelance work included architectural designs for churches, restaurants and commercial buildings in the Orlando area. His sister, Jeanine, also had an eye for design and was a talented seamstress who also worked for Walt Disney World. She and my late grandmother, Marilyn, taught me how to sew dresses from patterns, and my grandmother’s sisters taught me how to knit and crochet. Growing up surrounded by creativity and talent planted the seeds for what has grown into a lifeling love of mine.
When I was a little girl we didn’t have much and what we did have was mostly hand-me-downs and second-hand things that had been given to us. I remember looking at my grandmother’s Sears catalogue and adoring the pictures of the beautifully decorated rooms, and being envious of my friends who had newer furniture and prettier bedrooms, a stark contrast to mine. I would go home and look at my rusty chair and worn out furniture and think about ways to make them pretty. Having grandparents who grew up during the Great Depression and were consequently very resourceful, always repurposing and reusing things rather than throwing them away, I learned to see things in the same way. So, I repurposed an old dress to cover my chair, and wrapped my rusted wastebasket and torn lamp shade in leftover construction paper and ribbons. Albeit simple, turning those worn out things into something prettier made me enjoy my humble room a little more. When I was in college I had a little more freedom and budget to choose the decor I wanted for my bedroom, and found that I really enjoyed decorating, and so my love of interior design and decorating was born.
It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when I went to work for a landscape architect with celebrity clients, that I was exposed to a whole new level of sophistication. I remember meeting with clients in rooms so big they would dwarf my entire home, ordering imported, hand-carved Italian sculptures and fountains that cost more than my car, and marveled over luxurious fabrics that made anything they were next to look more expensive. I took away so much inspiration from those experiences that it truly elevated my design eye to another level.
Traveling abroad also exposed me to the beauty of historic character: deep, rich, hand-carved woods, colorful, embroidered, ornate fabrics, and lush, tropical foliage... even worn, weathered stone and dark, heavy iron work can be beautiful when flanked by contrasting, delicate flowers.
Needless to say, over the years as I acquired new treasures and absorbed more inspiration, I took on bigger projects and began reupholstering and refinishing furniture, tufting headboards, hanging wallpaper and staining wood, as well as installing lighting and trim molding, making custom draperies, pillows, duvets and shams from decorator fabrics.
All this to say, designing and decorating spaces and gardens is my true passion, and my dream is to make others happy by helping them transform their spaces into their perfect oasis, no matter the budget.