Good Questions Deserve Straightforward Answers.

Everything Buffalo homeowners ask before working with an interior designer, answered honestly.

Here's what people usually want to know before they reach out. I’m sharing a few honest answers to the bigger questions about hiring a designer in the first place. If you don't see yours, the Home Design Evaluation is a great place to ask it directly.

Working With Me

  • Every project starts with an introduction call. It's how I get to know you, your home, and what you're hoping to accomplish, before either of us commits to anything bigger. If it feels like a fit, the next step is a Home Design Evaluation.

  • That's what the process is built to solve, starting from our very first conversation.

  • It's a 90-minute, designer-led session where I assess your home, clarify your priorities, and map a strategic path forward. You leave with a written summary and a clear next step. It's a real working session, not a sales pitch, and it's a standalone service with its own fee, separate from any design work that follows. What you get out of it stands on its own, whether or not we go on to work together. We'll review the professional fee on your introduction call.

  • No. The evaluation is a standalone service with its own fee, separate from any design work that follows.

  • The Introduction Call is a conversation. We talk about your project, what you're hoping for, and what working together would look like. The Home Design Evaluation is the working session that follows: I come to your home, assess how it functions, and build the plan your project needs. The call is where we decide if we're a fit. The evaluation is where the actual design work begins.

  • You'll receive a written summary of what we found and a proposal outlining scope, fees, and next steps. There's no pressure to move forward, just a clear picture of what it would look like if you do.

  • I take on smaller-scope projects as they fit my schedule. It never hurts to ask.

  • I can help coordinate contractor interviews, but the choice to hire is always yours. What I bring is documentation clear enough that any contractor can bid and build from it accurately.

  • If you move forward with me as your designer, all products are purchased through me. It keeps your project and your budget accountable to one source, start to finish.

  • Every project is priced individually, based on scope, the size of the space, and how much of the work you'd like me to manage. I'd rather give you a real number than a range that turns out to be wrong for your project, so we talk through investment directly on the introduction call, once I understand what you're actually trying to do. You'll have everything in writing before you commit to anything.

Getting Started With Interior Design (Even If You're Not Sure Yet)

  • It varies by project, but most full-service designers in the Buffalo area require a minimum project or furnishings investment, with design fees layered on top. Because scope varies so much between a single room and a full renovation, I'd rather talk through your specific project than give you a number that turns out not to apply. That's what the introduction call is for.

  • A decorator typically focuses on finishes and furnishings within an existing layout. A designer addresses the layout itself — space planning, function, and flow — in addition to the aesthetic. If your project involves a renovation, new construction, or rethinking how a space works, you need a designer.

  • A designer first, if you want an accurate bid. Your contractor needs to know exactly what you're asking for before they can price it properly, and that's where a designer's documentation does the heavy lifting for everyone involved.

  • If you're feeling overwhelmed by decisions, unsure where to start, or you've tried doing it yourself and it didn't turn out the way you hoped, you're ready. You don't need a fully formed vision. You just need to be done living with what isn't working.

  • Furnishings-only projects typically move faster, often within a few months depending on lead times. Renovation and new construction timelines vary based on scope, and I'll give you a realistic projection during your Home Design Evaluation.

  • In many cases, yes. Part of the Home Design Evaluation is identifying what's worth keeping and building around, versus what's holding the space back.

  • It depends on a few honest questions: do you love your neighborhood, does your home have good underlying bones, and do you want a space that reflects your exact taste rather than someone else's. I can give you my honest read on this during a Home Design Evaluation, not one skewed toward keeping you as a client.