From the House

The Design Journal

Thoughtful notes on how to make a home that actually feels like you. Design tips, style profiles, and a few things worth looking at. Design without the overwhelm.

All Posts

What Actually Sets Your Demo Date
Renovation

What Actually Sets Your Demo Date

Not the calendar, and not when the trades are free. One item decides the first day of demolition, and nothing on my jobs starts until eve…

September 18, 2026
The Two Deadlines in a Kitchen Renovation That Nobody Tells You About
Renovation

The Two Deadlines in a Kitchen Renovation That Nobody Tells You About

Your appliances have to be chosen before I draw a single cabinet, and there is a day after which changes start costing money. Both land e…

September 18, 2026
Why Your Kitchen Renovation Feels Impossible: You Started on the Fourth Rung
Renovation

Why Your Kitchen Renovation Feels Impossible: You Started on the Fourth Rung

Most people who try to plan their own kitchen pick the wrong thing first. Here is the order I have used for 25 years, and the one rule un…

September 18, 2026
Refined Traditionalist: Heritage Without the Stuffiness
Style Profiles

Refined Traditionalist: Heritage Without the Stuffiness

Traditional interior design doesn’t have to feel frozen in time. Here’s how heritage style lives beautifully in a modern home.

September 2, 2026
Are You a Refined Traditionalist? Here’s How to Know
Style Profiles

Are You a Refined Traditionalist? Here’s How to Know

Heritage, proportion and polish. If you are drawn to rooms that feel like they have been quietly getting better for generations, you migh…

August 24, 2026
How to Choose a Sofa You’ll Love for Years
Design Tips

How to Choose a Sofa You’ll Love for Years

Choosing a sofa is one of the biggest decisions in a living room. Here is how to get it right the first time.

August 15, 2026
The Soulful Curator: Rooms That Tell a Story
Style Profiles

The Soulful Curator: Rooms That Tell a Story

A soulful curator’s room isn’t finished, it’s collected. Here is how to know if that is your style.

August 13, 2026
Expressive Storyteller: How to Go Bold Without Going Wrong
Style Profiles

Expressive Storyteller: How to Go Bold Without Going Wrong

Bold dramatic interior design isn’t about being loud. It’s about being intentional, and knowing exactly what you love.

August 11, 2026
Why I Design for the Alberta Climate, Not Just the Catalogue
Lethbridge Life

Why I Design for the Alberta Climate, Not Just the Catalogue

Great interior design in Alberta starts with understanding where you actually live, not just what looks good on a mood board.

August 9, 2026
The Difference Good Lighting Makes
Design Tips

The Difference Good Lighting Makes

Lighting shapes how a room feels more than almost anything, and it is the most overlooked. Here is why it matters and how to layer it well.

August 9, 2026
Before + After: The London Road Kitchen
Before + After

Before + After: The London Road Kitchen

A tear-down rebuild in one of Lethbridge’s most loved neighbourhoods, and what the space between before and after actually looks like.

July 19, 2026
The Case for Doing Less: What Intentional Design Actually Means
Design Tips

The Case for Doing Less: What Intentional Design Actually Means

Intentional design isn’t about having less – it’s about making sure everything you have is earning its place.

July 18, 2026
Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth the Money?
Design Tips

Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth the Money?

Twenty-five years in, here is my honest answer about what you are really paying for, and when it is not the right fit.

June 30, 2026
How to Layer Textures Without Making a Room Feel Busy
Design Tips

How to Layer Textures Without Making a Room Feel Busy

Layering textures is what gives a room soul, but there’s a fine line between richly layered and visually chaotic. Here’s how to get it ri…

June 5, 2026
5 Furniture Layout Mistakes That Make Rooms Feel Smaller
Design Tips

5 Furniture Layout Mistakes That Make Rooms Feel Smaller

Small rooms aren’t the problem. How the furniture is arranged usually is.

May 30, 2026
How the Prairie Light Shapes the Way I Design
Lethbridge Life

How the Prairie Light Shapes the Way I Design

There’s a quality to the light here in southern Alberta that you don’t find everywhere. After years of designing in it, I’ve stopped tryi…

May 29, 2026
Are You a Quiet Modernist? Here’s How to Know
Style Profiles

Are You a Quiet Modernist? Here’s How to Know

Calm, warm, and quietly beautiful. If you’re drawn to spaces that feel like a slow exhale, you might be a Quiet Modernist.

May 28, 2026
The Design Edit

Monthly notes from the House

New posts, seasonal inspiration, and one honest design tip. No noise.