Design
Beauty & Quality are two core values in my life, so the pull towards a career in Design
was natural for me.
Discover more about my background
and how I might support you in surrounding yourself with luxury below.
My Background in Design
1998-2005
I fed my love for beauty and merchandising from a young age at a high-end antiques and design store in Charlottesville, Virginia called And George. The mother daughter pair Christy Ford & Jan Roden gave me complete license to create furniture and art vignettes around the store, finishing each off with a mixture of tortoise or nautilus shells, ostrich eggs, antique pottery and crystals. My innate love of juxtaposing the old, the new, and the natural became a language of space and style. Christy was also the spark of my passion for astrology. One day, she beamed into the shop with a thank you gift for me-a copy of Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs Moon Signs that was the start of a large collection I now cherish.
2005-2008
After studying Art & Architectural History at the University of Virginia, I moved to New York to work in the fabled halls of Ralph Lauren’s eponymous design studio. It was there I learned the mechanics of design from concept all the way to the runway. Pulling all-nighters preparing for design reviews with Ralph taught me the value of finding solutions where none appear to exist, as well as the power of storytelling through beauty. Though he might not call it this, Ralph’s design philosophy also planted a seed within me of what I call archetypal design–creating products where every detail evokes a particular time, place, and essence of character.
From behind-the-scenes design work, I moved within the company to the sales floor, where I worked on the Merchandising team. Watching the clothes I’d helped design land in the stores was a dream come true. My years working for RL in Merchandising connected all of the dots between conceptual design, product development, market launch and merchandising strategy, down to the very details of how it’s presented and styled.
2010-2017
When I received the opportunity to work for Holly Hunt, I moved immediately to Chicago to begin what I will always consider a privilege-to apprentice with an industry icon…a brilliant business mind and a woman who understood how to harness the power of both the right and left hemispheres of the brain. HH’s first question when she met me was, “what can you do for me?” to which I replied, “anything if you’ll give me some guidance and autonomy.” Her second: “What’s your sun sign?”
Under Holly’s tutelage, I both refined and expanded the Holly Hunt Leather collection, started the Great Plains Trim product line, and then went on to design the Great Plains textile collections. She honed my eye for color, entrusted me to work with over 50 suppliers of the highest-grade fabrics around the world, oversee the inventory and purchasing, as well as manage the softgoods business units. I’m proud to say I celebrated tremendous growth with the company alongside the revenue, and cultivated an astoundingly talented team along the way. We grew the Beyond Borders handknotted custom rug program, brought outdoor fabrics into the realm of spill-proof luxury indoor fabrics through Great Outdoors and successfully launched a line of hospitality-contract fabrics for high-end hotels as well as learning to expand the business internationally to places like London and Brazil.
I had the honor of spending a year abroad in Italy as the International Sourcing Director for the company. Focusing on product development and living at the source of new trends in the city that birthed the Renaissance opened up a new level of creativity within me. That year also solidified my understanding of how to effectively design with manufacturing in mind, making it a win-win for both the supplier and the distributor.
When Holly sold the business to Knoll, I stayed through the buyout and then felt it was time to pursue the gifts that were nudging at me from within. It was a new era for the company as well as for me.
2017-2020
In 2017, I began consulting within the industry. I worked with companies like Link Outdoor, who I supported in launching a collection of indoor/outdoor handmade rugs sourced in Nepal. My industry relationships were the biggest thing I missed upon my departure from HH, so it’s brought me great joy to be able to weave those connections into new and thriving product lines.
In 2020, as many of us, life became insular…and I began to focus on my inner design rather than interior design. The two are beginning to weave together in new & exciting ways.
2023
A friend and colleague in the realm of leather invited me to Austin to help him grow his company into the next level of success. Together with Kyle Bunting’s team, we’re expanding the range of products in his niche of hide (leather with hair that resembles velvet) as well as bringing his large range of designs into wool, silk and other handmade materials sourced in Nepal.
My Life in Design Today
These days, I’m enjoying part-time consulting for the KB team, helping make their operations more efficient and refining the design to market launch strategy. I’m especially enjoying Austin and open to new projects in the industry.
I’m also discovering my own unique style and form of archetypal design. From creating and building my own astrology rugs in the hermetic tradition, to layering the heirlooms I’ve collected from my global adventures in design, I’m now stepping more into the role of interior designer. Rather than just creating products for interior designers, I’m expanding into creating inspiring spaces for others.
For inquiries about projects I may lend an eye or an ear for, please fill out this form here: