06/02/2026
Some design decisions feel like extras until you see what the room feels like without them. Especially in the sunshine state!
These are the ones clients almost talk themselves out of, and then never stop being glad they kept:
1. Window treatments with a liner.
Drapery in a Tampa Bay home isn't just finishing a room, it's protecting everything in it. UV exposure degrades everything in its path, and most people don't realize it until something starts to fade. Lined drapery hung at ceiling height blocks direct UV, reduces heat coming through the glass, and takes real pressure off your AC. It looks like a design decision, but it's also doing a lot of quiet work behind the scenes.
2. Interior wall insulation during a new build.
Standard Florida construction insulates exterior walls. Interior walls stay hollow, and nobody seems to brings this up during the build unless you ask. The difference between a home that holds sound and one where every conversation bleeds through the walls comes down to a conversation that needs to happen before the drywall goes up. It costs almost nothing relative to the project. It's nearly impossible to fix after.
3. Textured or grasscloth wallpaper in one room.
Every client who almost talked themselves out of it ends up making it their favorite thing about the house. Used in one room, it changes how the whole home feels because suddenly there's a space with a different weight and presence to it.
What's a home detail you almost skipped but didn't?