I Believe in Joyful, Colorful Spaces

Color evokes feelings. That's my whole belief, really, but let me tell you where it started.

When I first moved to Seattle to start school at Seattle University, one of my art teachers took our class down to Pioneer Square for First Thursday — that monthly evening when the galleries throw open their doors, art spills onto the sidewalks, and the whole neighborhood smells like street food and possibility. I remember stopping in front of a painting of sunflowers. Large. Bold. Almost too much color for one canvas. But it worked—the way the artist had used color practically burned itself into my brain. I stood there and felt warmth. Sunshine. That unmistakable, uncomplicated feeling of good.

I didn't know it then, but that painting planted something in me. It's the reason I can't design a room that plays it safe.

Color isn't decoration to me; it's mood, memory, and energy, applied directly to the walls you live inside every day. Bold color does that instantly. It greets you. It wakes you up. It tells you, and anyone who walks through your door, something true about who lives there. This connection encourages readers to feel empowered to use color intentionally for emotional expression.

(Picture of an Airbnb I designed in Palm Springs, CA)

Now, I'll admit, I do love a neutral room. But only if it earns its place. A neutral space still needs texture and dimension: a chunky boucle throw, a woven rug with real depth, wood grain you can feel with your eyes, layers that catch the light differently throughout the day. Without that, neutral goes flat. With it, a neutral room can hold just as much feeling as a colorful one — it's just a quieter kind of feeling.

(Primary bedroom designed around neutrals)

That's what I try to bring into every home I design: not color for color's sake, but color chosen the way that Artist chose it; with intention, with feeling, with a little bit of boldness that says this room is alive. This approach aims to inspire readers to see their own color choices as meaningful and deliberate, fostering confidence in their personal expression.

Whether it's a room dressed in bold color or one built entirely in neutrals with rich texture and dimension, if it can't make you feel something, I don't think it's finished yet.