I was just on my weekly call with a small group of architects from all over the country, a group organized through the EntreArchitect network. We have been meeting every Wednesday via Zoom for years, and I am so lucky to call this talented, thoughtful, funny, smart and devoted group of people colleagues, and more […]
Aging in Place: A Conversation about Living Longer in Our Homes
Last month, I received my Certification as an Aging in Place Specialist through the National Association of Home Builders. When we posted the update on various social media platforms, I was frankly blown away by the number of reactions. This post received 100 times the number of views as my average LinkedIn update. And while […]
Open Houses
As the holidays quickly approach, the hubbub of preparation for impending festivities and celebrations goes into high gear. Holiday open houses, hosted in shops, offices and homes, speak to the sense of hospitality that accompanies the season. I’ve been thinking about this hospitality lately, especially in light of a recent three-day workshop I attended in […]
Gratitude
I recently attended a roundtable luncheon attended by women from different professional backgrounds and business endeavors. Our speaker for the luncheon, Kim Davis from Synovus Bank, gave an inspiring talk about our “one thing,” and distributed a lovely illustration by Ellie Tew of the Japanese concept, Ikigai. The Ikigai lies at the heart of the […]
Places Where
We were in NYC for a quick trip to celebrate our twentieth anniversary and our oldest child’s first parents’ weekend at Princeton. While my husband worked at his firm’s NY office, I did what I love to do in the city, and headed to the Met with the express goal of visiting three galleries I […]
Summer Empty Nest
We are fledgling empty nesters for another week. Our oldest is in Italy studying Latin for the month of July, and we dropped off the younger two at their respective camps in northern Alabama last weekend. In truth, this is not the first time we have been childless for a couple of weeks: our kids’ camp […]
Five Ways an Architect Can Save You Money
Last weekend was my 25th college reunion (#legendary), and the whole family attended. A 15-hour car ride left me with some time to catch up on social media, and there’s nothing better for Facebook/Instagram surfing than I-81 in Virginia. Summer is peak renovation season it seems. Owners want to have renovation projects completed by the […]
Handprints
Groovy. Painted on the floor of a midcentury home’s utility/rec room. I love thinking about how the parents of these teenagers came around to handing their kids a couple of cans of paint and a paintbrush and let them loose. Maybe the slab painting wasn’t sanctioned. Regardless, the lingering effect of the graffiti on the […]
Women In Architecture Wednesday
This year, I have been meeting with a group of amazing women at our Birmingham American Institute of Architects chapter in an effort to engage women in the profession. Specifically, we are working on mentoring programs to help women in all stages of their careers, as studies show that professionals with mentors have demonstrably greater […]
Expert Guides
When we were in Italy this past summer, we worked with Context Travel for our day at the Vatican Museums. Being vaguely familiar with the crowds made me a little nervous about negotiating the vast museum complex with the kids, and I wanted to make sure they saw the things they needed to see, as […]
“Do you know any contractors?”
Absolutely. I know great contractors who do amazing work. The more important question, however, is who are the contractors that would be a good fit for your project, your investment, and your family. Residential construction is personal, and there is no getting around it: your contractor becomes a part of your family for a little […]
Tiny Kitchens
This Sunday, we will celebrate my youngest child’s birthday, and he has requested that we recreate the meal we learned to cook in Venice with Anna, a very talented chef. (http://bit.ly/2wb1nBF) The experience, of course, will be impossible to replicate entirely. Certainly the ingredients will come from a supermarket rather than the fruttivendolo and markets […]
