Like many of you, there are traditions I look forward to every summer like traveling, diving into my summer reading list poolside, rooftop parties, and baseball. With all of that cancelled this summer, it gave me the chance to create new summer traditions like backyard cocktails with neighbors, family road trips, exploring new recipes for family dinners, and taking time to treat myself to a decorating refresh. While nothing about summer has been typical, I’ve found myself enjoying the slower pace of long, hot days and the opportunity to connect to friends, family, and my home.

The end of summer is always a hard transition, and it’s especially difficult when the future is a bit uncertain. More than ever, we’re realizing how important it is to have a home that works for you and how your home can help you manage our new normal.

This newsletter is filled with ways of finding connection to your home; through the way we decorate, the special foods we share, and the ways we connect to one another.

Last month, we joined another local designer, Paige Rien, for an IG Live chat about the importance of connection in a home. The chat was inspired by something I had read in Paige’s book Love the House You’re In: 40 Ways to Improve Your Home and Change Your Life, where she talks about the difference between a home that is coordinated vs. connected.

The essence of a connected home is focusing on design and décor that is personal to you and your family. Rather than focusing on trends, a look, or pigeon holing yourself into a style, your home can be an expression of who you are and how you live.

We approach our interiors projects by designing around our clients lifestyles. We want our client’s homes to be beautiful, and we also want them to feel at home. We want their houses to work for them. That’s why our motto is, “Real Life, Beautifully Designed.”

If you missed our IG Live chat, and would like to learn more about creating a connected home, you can find it on our Instagram page.

What We Love Right Now: Our Studio Library

Once we were able to get back into our studio, it was time for a refresh. We cleaned, organized, and rebuilt our resource library.

The thing that most inspires me as a designer is working with textiles – layering, mixing, and matching colors, textures, and pattern. The focus of our library update has been discovering boutique textiles and wallpaper designers, so I found myself connecting with designers all over the world. It’s been an inspiring journey and allows us to bring unique textiles to our client’s homes.

What We’re Up To

Once we were able to get back into our studio, it was time for a refresh. We cleaned, organized, and rebuilt our resource library.

The thing that most inspires me as a designer is working with textiles – layering, mixing, and matching colors, textures, and pattern. The focus of our library update has been discovering boutique textiles and wallpaper designers, so I found myself connecting with designers all over the world. It’s been an inspiring journey and allows us to bring unique textiles to our client’s homes.

Our Passion for Living Well

Several years ago, I attended an event where “Top Chef” Carla Hall (also a local Washingtonian) joined the late Anthony Bourdain for a live cooking competition. It was thrilling and inspired me to pick up one of her cookbooks.

Now that we’re eating more at home, I finally had a chance to dig into her recipes and try them out myself. I started with her Molasses Baked Chicken Wings, which I’m happy to report were devoured by everyone at my dinner table, aged 2 to 78.