More than okay — it's a lot of what I do. Not every project is a whole-home renovation, and it shouldn't have to be. Whether you want a two-hour consultation for a room that won't come together or a full design for a single space, there's a service built for exactly that. Start small. We can always do more down the road.

Yes — this is exactly why the flat-fee packages exist. You don't need a five-figure budget to get good design. Sometimes you just need the right advice and a clear plan you can carry out over time, at your own pace. Tell me what you're working with on our first call, and I'll be honest about what's realistic and where your money is best spent.

That's what hourly consulting is for. Send me the sofa you keep going back to, or the two paint colors you can't decide between, and I'll give you a straight answer. An hour of advice can save you from a purchase you'd regret — and those add up fast.

Never. Some of my favorite rooms are built around a piece the client already loved — a chair from a grandmother, a rug they couldn't part with, art with a story behind it. Good design works with your history, not against it. Where something can be refinished or repurposed, I'll tell you. And where something genuinely isn't serving the room, I'll tell you that too.

No. With the consultation and flat-fee packages, you shop on your own using the recommendations I give you — on your timeline, at your pace. For full-service projects, I can handle sourcing and procurement through my trade resources, often at better-than-retail pricing. But that's there as a convenience, not a requirement.

I lean toward rooms that feel collected rather than decorated — a mix of old and new, with real attention to texture, material, and the way light moves through a space over the course of a day. That said, the style of your project is yours, not mine. My job isn't to stamp a look on your home. It's to make a room feel unmistakably like the people who live in it.

As involved as you'd like. You'll weigh in on every decision that matters to you; I'll quietly handle the dozens that don't. You'll see ideas as mood boards, layouts, and drawings before anything's final — and nothing gets ordered or installed without your sign-off.

It depends on scope. The flat-fee packages are priced right on the services page, so there are no surprises there. Full-service projects vary widely — the size of the space, whether construction is involved, and the furnishings you choose all factor in. We'll talk through real numbers, grounded in your actual budget, on our first call.

A consultation or single-room design moves quickly — usually a couple of weeks from start to finished plan. Full-service projects depend on scope. Furnishing and styling a space might run a few months; projects involving construction take longer, since timelines hinge on trades and lead times outside any designer's control. I'll give you a realistic estimate once I understand what's involved — not an optimistic one.

Earlier than most people think. Architects, builders, and designers all see a space differently, and bringing a designer in before the walls are framed and the finishes are chosen can save you expensive changes later. If a build or major renovation is on your horizon, it's never too early to start the conversation.

Happily. I'm based in Arlington and work throughout the greater DC metro area, but I take on projects well beyond it too. If yours is somewhere else entirely — a lake house, a second home, a move across the country — reach out, and we'll talk through how it would work.