​I absolutely love the richness butcher-block countertops bring to a space!  They are not only beautiful but are extremely useful!  And have been used for centuries!  You can cut directly on the surface, stain it with food and liquid and they are easily brought back to the original beauty time and time again!  That’s tough to beat!

With the popularity of Mid-Century Modern style thriving it’s no wonder butcher blocks are continuing the huge comeback!  You can use them in numerous applications; kitchens, bars, office tables, laundry rooms, really wherever you need a countertop!  The best material to use is maple due to its hardness and its clear grain.  But nearly any wood can be used depending on your application.  In an area with heavy use I recommend selecting a harder wood such as maple, oak, or bamboo.  In an area that will not be utilized for direct cutting, walnut, zebrawood and alder are exquisite

Today I was going through some pictures, procrastinating my writing, and came across a small bar I designed/installed and thought, how great was that!  This compact bar has everything needed for storing and hosting plus it looks considerably more expensive then it is.

When Chris and I moved to Houston from Dickinson we had no clue what area to live in!  Everyone we knew warned us to live in an area where all your essentials are within a mile or two from your house.  The reason was to try and keep your errand running commute as short as possible; traffic in Houston makes the sanest person want to pull their hair out!

Chris is a small-town man!  Before moving to Houston the largest “city” he lived in was Dickinson, ND.  Most of you reading this are probably wondering, where in the heck is that?!  Well, it is a “city” of less then 30,000 and has a tendency to be subzero for weeks at a time!  Needless to say, my poor husband was in for an awakening moving to the fourth largest city in the United States!

​Our first Q & A questions comes from Kari in Midland, TX.
            “What is the difference between an interior designer and interior decorator?”

This is a great question! That I get asked ALL the time!  Honestly, most people do not know the difference!  Many people use “interior designer” and “interior decorator” interchangeably, but the two professions differ in critical ways.
 
When telling people I am an interior designer more times than not, they think interior decorator; furniture, throw pillows, colour palettes, and pretty signs.  Which is the most common misconception and possibly one of the worst things you could say to an Interior Designer.  Many people think that Interior Designers and Interior Decorators are one in the same, but this is just not the case. 
(We are as different as; Architects vs. Structural Engineers or registered nurse vs. nurse practitioner)