Summer is far and away my favorite season. I look forward to it all year–the long days, the wildflowers blooming everywhere, the alfresco dinners, the seemingly endless flow of rose…you get the picture.

This year is no different, and in fact maybe even more highly anticipated for the obvious reasons, but also because (drumroll)….we bought a beach house at the Jersey Shore! We knew we wanted a secondary home somewhere that felt totally different from our primary residence, and this little home fit all of our needs perfectly, with one huge exception…. Every inch of it has been designed by another designer. It came with allll the furniture, the bedding, the silverware. Everything! And while for most people that would be a dream (more on that in a moment), for me, it was a hurdle.

Here’s the thing: I’m always looking for a fixer. It’s what I do. I don’t know any other way. So when this perfect little gem of a house came on the market after years of looking, we had to make an offer. My only qualm was that I couldn’t put my own stamp on it. Also, I didn’t want to pay for someone else’s renovation when this is literally what I do all day, every day. But we were peek Covid, and our family needed a getaway STAT. So we made the offer, it got accepted and we showed up at closing with our toothbrushes. And let me tell you, I had no idea what an absolute gift that was for my family and for me. To be able to walk into a home and have NOTHING to do was a dream. It has forever changed the way I view my full service clients, and I am now even more excited for them, knowing exactly how it feels to be able to literally walk in and have nothing to unpack (except maybe a bottle of champagne to celebrate).

Of course, now that it’s a been almost a year, I’m itching to change a few things to suit our personal family style and taste, but it’s all in my own time.

One of those things is to make it a little more teen friendly, since our daughter Penelope just turned 13. She recently left for camp for a whole month for the first time in her and our lives. It hasn’t been easy on us; we’re definitely getting a taste of the empty nest life, and I’m now planning on designing a fun hang out space for her and friends for when she finally comes home (#projectpleasedontleaveusagain).

Between that and work, it has been an intensely busy summer, but we’re having a wonderful time and I wouldn’t have it any other way!