It's been so long since I've done some inspirational color palettes. But when I saw the BM Color Trends 2023, I was totally inspired. I love the colors. Not that color ever went away but neutrals have been everywhere for a couple years so anything colorful is always exciting. I hope these palettes inspire you to do something colorful. I personally like seeing how colors can be combined and used in real life and possible vibes that you can create around the colors. Enjoy ..read more

Design sensibilities and best practices are constantly evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly informed and conscientious society. Modern buildings must be sustainable, energy-efficient, and on the cutting edge aesthetically. However, even the best-laid plans cannot come to fruition without the proper products in place. To help in this regard, the following breakdown looks at 5 innovative materials for new and ,adaptive reuse architecture projects. 1. Glass Partitions The open interior concept has been all of the rage in design in recent years, and for good reason. Fewer barriers incre ..read more

Whether it's your side hustle (ugh, that term is terrible) or your full time business; you need modern home office design that is organized, functional, and comfortable. Keep reading (or skim for the items in bold) for the 3 things you MUST DO to make your home office the perfect place to get sh*t done! UPDATE: since the outbreak of Covid-19, workplaces world wide have changed. For my insight on what has changed with the home office and various other industry leaders on what else had changed in architecture and interior design there's a great article here. 1. PURGE Clutter. It just somehow see ..read more

Copenhagen has built the cleanest, most efficient waste to energy plant in the world. (CopenHill, also known as Amager Bakke) It's 107% efficient, which means more energy comes out that goes into the process. This virtually eliminates landfill garbage. This is a big deal. Depending on the process, waste to energy is typically around 85% efficient. Besides the efficiency of CopenHill, it's provides community uses: a roof top ski hill, park, rock climbing wall, restaurants. It integrates community usage with energy production- 2 urban functions that are typically isolated from each other. I hav ..read more

Every state in the Midwest has a couple cocktails they like to call their own. Yes, every Midwest state could easily say beer. We're big beer drinkers out here. But we also like our happy hour cocktails. I've pulled together an official and unofficial signature state cocktail list for the Midwest. Honestly, I've never heard of the official cocktail for Michigan, the Last Word. It sounds good, but I've never heard of it. The Hummer, on the other hand, I've heard of. But I'm guessing many Michigan residents haven't, especially younger residents. Check out the video to find out how I know about t ..read more

Designing a home can be an exciting, but stressful process. Intentionally designing a home that won’t go out of style can be even more so. And without a professional architect at your side or years of experience yourself, there are so many crucial considerations that can easily be missed. Whether you’re building your family’s forever home or just trying to maximize resale value when the time comes to sell, we’ve selected notable experts in the field to provide you with tips and tricks to achieve a timeless home design, both inside and out. So kick back and let these architectural veterans from ..read more

I'm not sure if most folks know that the walnuts you get at the store or the ones in those token nut bowls at Christmas are English Walnuts. I never really thought too much about it. Walnut trees are everywhere here so I just thought everyone knew that the store nuts don't come from the trees here. The trees around here aren't English walnuts, they're black walnuts. Growing up in mid-Michigan, I've never had a yard without a black walnut tree. And much to my surprise, black walnuts are not everywhere. (What is up with those little islands of black walnuts?? Squirrels be like "let's fuck with ..read more

Wet bars are totally underrated in a home situation and they are the hero of office flex space. In both home and office, the design industry is seeing a trend in multipurpose, flexible use spaces. Bar carts are cool looking, but let's face it- they are mostly decorative, minimally functional. It's a glorified liquor shelf. You still have to make trips to the kitchen to get ice, wash glasses, and grab mixers. A wet bar is the real deal. For this post I enlisted the opinion of another wonderful interior designer so that together we can capture all the elements of the perfect wet bar. Margaret Wi ..read more

I love when Pantone comes out with their spring/summer colors for 2020. I was anything but excited for last years' colors but I'm digging this years colors. I am a firm believer in color and, as an architect, I love taking a design problem (random color) and finding a solution (complete color palette). I am always surprised by how much I love the color palettes that came out of these colors. What was noticeably lacking in the Pantone palette was greens and yellows so I added those in pretty liberally in my palettes. I would say overall the Pantone picks are very "nautical", lots of blues and o ..read more

Is there anyone more of a Midwestern icon than John Mellencamp? No. Are there any 2 people better to discuss this topic than me and my friend Kristen? No. We're basically female John Mellencamps: worldly, smart, trying to better the world, getting crusty with age in a good way, and there's no where we'd rather be than the Midwest. Watch the video for a surprisingly awkward conversation between old friends and scroll way down for the Little Pink Champagne Houses cocktail! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syeYhtc5rYc We all know John Mellencamp's music. Of course that's how we were all introduced ..read more