September Home and Garden: I have opinions. It’s part of the job.

After years of designing homes, I’ve learned to trust my instincts. I can usually tell when a room feels off, when a layout isn’t going to function well, or when an idea that sounds great in theory might not be quite as great once we put it on paper.

But having strong opinions doesn’t mean walking into someone’s home and telling them how I think they should live. Quite the opposite.

First, I listen

I want to know how you live. What you love. What drives you crazy about your current home. Where everyone gathers. What you’ve been dreaming about for years.

I want the Pinterest boards, the saved screenshots, the crazy ideas, and even the sketch you drew on a napkin.

In fact, I always tell my clients that at the beginning, we shoot for the stars.

Give me the whole wish list. Dream big. Tell me everything you would love to have. We can always scale back, prioritize, or change direction as the design develops, but I don’t want to begin by putting limitations around what your home could become.

Sometimes the big dream works. Sometimes we find a smarter way to get there. And sometimes we decide together that something simply isn’t worth the investment.

But first, let’s dream.

Then we get to work

Once we’ve put all the ideas on the table, that’s when my opinions become useful.

Sometimes I love a client’s idea and we run with it. Sometimes I see another way to get to what they’re after. And sometimes I think, “Nope. I think we can do better than that.”

Kindly, of course. Just recently, I was working through a room layout with a client who had a clear idea of how he wanted the space arranged. I drew it, gave it a fair shot, and didn’t love the finished product.

I sent it to him anyway.

His response?

“I don’t love it.”

“I don’t either.”

Ha!

So I went back to the drawing board. This time, instead of focusing on the layout he had originally described, I focused on what he really needed the room to do. I took all of the pieces he wanted and approached the space from a completely different direction.

I sent him the new plan.

“Oh, I like this way better.”

Me too.

That, to me, is good design collaboration. It wasn’t about proving his idea was wrong and mine was right. Working through his idea helped us see what wasn’t working and, more importantly, helped me understand what he was really trying to achieve.

My goal is never to win an argument. My goal is to get to the best answer.

I’m not afraid to be wrong

I’m going to ask a lot of questions. I’ll explore your ideas, challenge a few of them, and sometimes we’ll draw something just so we can collectively decide we hate it and move on.

And every once in a while, you’ll suggest something I’m skeptical about, we’ll work through it, and I’ll realize you were onto something. I’m not afraid of that either.

My clients are the experts on their lives. They know how their family functions, what matters to them, and how they want their home to feel. I bring my experience in space planning, materials, construction, proportion, function, and all the little details that turn a collection of ideas into a cohesive home.

We need both.

But part of earning your trust is being willing to tell you what I really think. If I believe a decision will compromise how a room functions, feel out of proportion, or simply isn’t going to look good, I’m going to say something.

Not because my opinion matters more than yours, but because you’ve trusted me to bring my experience and perspective to the table. If I simply agreed with every idea, I wouldn’t be doing the job you hired me to do.

And frankly, I care too much about the finished home for that.

The best designs evolve

Some of my favorite projects have taken turns I never could have predicted at the beginning.

We try something. We change it. We move something six feet. We put it back. We laugh. We draw another option. Somewhere along the way, we land on something better than either of us imagined at the start. That’s one of the reasons I love this work so much. Every home is different because every family is different. I get to build relationships with my clients, learn how they live, dream alongside them, and help turn all of that into a home that feels distinctly theirs.

So yes, I have opinions.

But ultimately, my job isn’t to create my dream home. It’s to listen, guide, speak up when I need to, and help create the very best version of yours.

I want to hear the big ideas. The slightly crazy ones. The things you’ve been saving for years and wondering if you could actually pull off.

We’ll shoot for the stars, put it all on the table, and figure out together what belongs in your home.

And if I think we can do better, I promise I’ll tell you.

If you’re dreaming about a new home or renovation here in the Gorge and looking for someone who will listen to your ideas, challenge them when needed, and care deeply about where we ultimately land, I’d love to be part of the conversation.

Bring me the wish list.

Let’s see what we can do with it.