A little about me.
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I grew up in Cleveland in a family that made things.
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My great-grandfather was a wallpaper hanger. My grandfather built more than 60 custom homes. My mother is an accomplished interior designer. I suppose that makes me a fourth-generation artisan, although I didn't think much about it at the time.

My childhood was spent wandering through construction sites and riding in the back of the family Rambler on weekends, accompanying my mother to estate sales and auction houses. She had an extraordinary eye, and our home was filled with remarkable vintage furnishings she'd collected over the years. I didn't realize it then, but I was getting quite an education.

Life took me to North Carolina, where I pursued graduate studies in human performance, and then to Beverly Hills, where I worked with Jane Fonda developing lifestyle products. I later co-founded Fortis Films, a film production company, with Sandra Bullock before returning to design as creative director of special events at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

At 26, I began traveling the world, fascinated by how people lived in other cultures. Not just the architecture or beautiful objects, but the everyday rituals. How did they make their beds in the morning? What did they gather around? What made a place feel like home?

Back in Los Angeles, I was always creating distinctive homes for myself, filled with family heirlooms and treasures collected during my travels. Friends often commented on them, but becoming an interior designer had never crossed my mind.

Until one afternoon, while visiting someone's house, I casually mentioned what I would do differently if I lived there. She returned with her checkbook and handed me a blank check.

"Here. Do it."

That was my first client.

One project led to another, entirely through word of mouth. A chance encounter on Melrose Avenue led to a television career I never saw coming. Over more than 300 episodes, I was welcomed into homes across America, discovering how people live and what makes a place their own. I also co-authored Take the U Out of Clutter, a book exploring our emotional relationships with the things we own.

Along the way, I earned an Emmy, and my work appeared in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, and The New York Times, with recognition on the LUXE Interiors + Design 2026 Gold List.

Over the years, I've worked on architecturally significant homes throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding desert communities. But one of the most meaningful experiences of my life happened in Cape Town, South Africa.

While volunteering to redesign the offices of The Big Issue, a nonprofit organization, I witnessed firsthand how thoughtful design could improve lives far beyond the spaces themselves. I returned home and created Design For A Difference, bringing the design community together to transform spaces for local charities throughout the U.S.

Today, more than 26 years after that first blank check, I still believe the greatest gift you can give someone is room. Room to be who they are. Room to feel comfortable in their own skin. And a home that makes all of that possible.

My clients may know very little about design, but they know a great deal about themselves. That's where we begin. I listen, I ask questions, and together we discover what feels true to them. It's an intimate process, and I never take that trust for granted.

And the greatest compliment I've ever received is when a client walked into their finished home, looked around, and said:

‍"Wow. This is me."

Only then is my work done.