Good taste is one of the most valuable things a person can bring to an interior design project. The ability to recognize quality, discern proportion, and know instinctively when something is right — these are not small gifts. But they are not enough on their own. And understanding why is one of the most useful things a homeowner can do before beginning any significant design project.

The first photo is the iconic one — Frank Gehry’s Marqués de Riscal Hotel in Rioja, Spain. And yes, it is stunning. Fascinating to explore in relation to its site, the titanium ribbons shifting from pink to red to copper depending on the light and the hour.

But as I wandered the property — which includes not only the hotel but the winery — I kept coming back to a wall.

A home can be beautifully decorated, expertly sourced, and professionally designed — and still feel wrong to the person living in it. This is one of the most common and least discussed problems in interior design. It doesn't happen because of bad taste or insufficient budget. It happens because of how the process started.

Most design advice is built for a screen. It has to catch your eye quickly, communicate simply, and travel well on social media. Those are reasonable goals for content — but they are not the goals of good design. And somewhere in that gap, something important gets lost.

There’s a difference between decorating a space and designing one. Here are the 3 most common design mistakes I see—and how to avoid them with expert support.

From historic charm to clean-lined modernism, here’s what’s shaping my design perspective in Charlotte—and how decades of living in iconic U.S. cities influence the way I create spaces today.

A personal reflection from a Fairfield County and Charlotte interior designer on life transitions, alignment, and designing a home that reflects your next chapter.

There’s a common misconception that you hire an interior designer because you lack taste. In reality, most of my clients have very good taste.