09/01/2026
Renovating our own homes was the biggest design education I could have asked for.
Before I ever touched a client project, my husband and I gutted our first home top to bottom. He would tackle projects on his days off from the fire station while I was working my corporate job during the week. We did everything. Tile, flooring, paint, cabinets, plumbing.
We learned what works. We learned what doesn’t. We learned that the grout color matters more than you think, and that living through a renovation is SUPER stressful and planning as much in advance will save you lots of mistakes when you can’t think clearly later or the contractor is pressed for an answer.
Then we sold that home for double what we purchased it for, bought a second home with even bigger plans, and did it all over again.
The real life construction experiences taught me something no design school could. There is truly no better education than actually doing it yourself. I’m a huge learner and so I’m still always asking questions, talking to contractors on the job to get their take. There is always something new to learn.
I would still choose my business degree and school of hard knocks any day.
It’s more common to see someone working in a different field than their degree than not!
I don’t understand why this is such a common question designers get. No one is asking the contractor where they went to school.
If you want an approachable framework for design for your next remodel or new build, I’m sharing it all in The Honed Home. I have spent years making the mistakes, fixing the mistakes and helping others avoid them when designing because it’s never just a “tile” source. We are asking what has to be considered first so you make the best decisions for your dream home. Plus I’m sharing my exclusive designer rolodex with all my favorite sources with the best pricing you’ll find online, and I promise they don’t show up on your google search.
✨Comment GUIDE and I’ll send you the link
