happy eyes design

Last Fall I embarked on Project Guinea Pig. What was the purpose? The purpose was to find a test kitchen for the Happy Eyes framework. I needed to find someone who was looking to fully redo a room or two. I wanted to see the process through the full transformation. From beginning to end. And I wanted feedback. Did the framework keep us razor-focused on the purpose of the room? The first letter of the framework acronym begins with “M” for meaning. Did it help to organize the room...

The other day I invited, Gina - a Feng Shui expert, to come to my house to do an audit. I did absolutely nothing to prepare. I wanted her to see it in all of it’s frat-house glory. I thought it would be a fun challenge – where do we even begin? Are the giant cracks in hallway mirror going to be a problem? Should there not be a collapsed soccer goal on the futon, piles of unfolded laundry and clutter everywhere? It’s February now. Is it time to take down the dried-up Christmas tree? As...

When house hunting 10 years ago, we were looking exclusively for ranchers. We needed an accessible house for my son with disabilities. ...

Just to be clear I never dreamed of having an all-brown office. When we moved to this house the office was just that. All brown. Brown...

In my last post, Terracotta Office, I shared the transformation of my client’s home office from sad to sunny. Now on to Part 2. The...

We've all read articles about bad patterns and how we all seemed doomed to repeat them over and over again like Sisyphus and his boulder....

"Why hello. Here I am. Yes, that's right, you are seeing correctly. I am the formidable Eames chair. The North Star of this house and...

My favorite instrument is the piano. I always wanted to play, but it never came to me. It might have something to do with my brain/hand connection because I never learned to type either. I just sit here pecking out anything I write using 4 of my 10 fingers. My son has the gift. He teaches himself songs from YouTube and when he jams out improv-style he sounds like a composer. I’m jealous. I have to get my fix watching Philip Glass videos on You Tube instead. The piano has 88 keys. Did...

Last year, I changed out the flooring in my living room. It had been on the to-do list for a long time. The floors were badly damaged from too much spillage from watering the plants. It got to the point where the floors were so warped that the pots weren’t sitting straight anymore. But the main issue was the tripping hazard. The bowed flooring (not pictured) was right at the entryway from the foyer. I can't have older parents tripping and falling when they come to visit the house. That...

All you wallpaper enthusiasts out there may already be familiar with Rebel Wall’s Bellewood forest mural. I remember being captivated...

A couple months ago, I went to Sedona with my high school friend. On the flight there in a half-conscious state I pecked out a rough...

Often when we start a project in one room, it bleeds into another. That's why going into a project thinking you will only focus on one...

For many years a favorite subject of my daydreams was the name of my hypothetical design business. The first name I came up with was...

Look at this shot below of the kids' playroom, isn't it lovely? Toys nicely tucked away from view, wood shelves displaying my son's fox...

A couple years ago, someone recommended that I try Zouk. It’s a Brazilian partner dance that blends lambada and a bunch of other stuff. I started because I wanted to try something new and interact with 3D people. I thought I was signing up for an exercise class. I didn’t know that it would be an immersive course in leadership. Over time, Zouk has rewired my brain and defined the base of how I want to move forward with Happy Eyes. You see, here’s the thing. I am not a “natural dancer.”...

A year ago, I hired an interior designer business coach to help me get to the bottom of Happy Eyes and create the structure for my...

When I was pregnant with my second son, I spent an enormous amount of time scrolling on Pinterest looking for inspiration for his nursery...

In my post Indoor Plants 101, I talk about decorating with plants - my favorite accessory. I didn't touch on large houseplants, however....

Everyone knows I love plants. I have them everywhere and I often get asked how I keep them all alive. The truth is I've lost a lot and...

Earlier this week, I spent few days at High Point Market - one of the largest furniture markets in the country. Everything you could...