Birdie

I’ve always loved seeing the potential in a room. For more than a decade I’ve helped friends, family and clients rethink their spaces using what they already have — and walking through that many homes teaches you to notice what’s working, what isn’t, and what would make a room feel better.

Most of the homes I’ve worked on professionally were getting ready to go on the market, so the owners were open to letting me move things around, edit what was there, and try something different. It has never only been houses for sale, though — there have been offices, and there have been homes nobody was selling at all.

Often the change comes from rearranging and restyling what is already there: moving the furniture, taking a few things away, bringing something in from another room, adding the right finishing touch. Sometimes it means bringing in pieces of my own — an area rug, a pair of chairs, a console, a framed piece for the wall. And if moving what you own can change a room that much, a fresh coat of paint can do more than you would think.

I start with what is already in the house. The furniture you’ve had for years, the art you love, the things you’ve collected along the way — those are usually the pieces that give a home its personality.

Culture matters to me, too. I don’t think a home should feel like someone else’s idea of beautiful. It should feel like the people who live in it.

So whether you’re getting ready to sell or you simply want to enjoy your home more, you may not need a whole new space. Sometimes you only need a fresh set of eyes.