sometimes you are inspired and driven by something before you truly understand what âitâ is. for me, âitâ came to be interior architecture, founded along a personal and meaningful journey.
THE BEGINNING
we met the man i consider my father my kindergarten year, by the end of 2nd grade, i was blessed to watch him marry my mom. together, they bought a tiny farm house, 880 square feet, built in 1910 with the front door of my dreams!
a little girl dreaming about the perfect door should have been the first sign of my passion. i always wanted to live in a farmhouse with a door embellished with 3 tiny windows. iâll never forget the first time i saw it⌠the farmhouse, old pillared porch and the door!
GROWING AND LEARNING
the planning began my 3rd grade year. i remember watching in fascination as my dad sketched plans on grid paper, i loved those plans! i questioned everything: why that wall there? what is that symbol? where did you get this cool paper? how do you know how big that room should be? how do you know this will work? i still sketch plan windows the exact way he did, not the way my professors told me to. đ
dad is the quietest man you and I will ever know but patient. he answered all my questions through, what ended up being 9 years, of phased construction. i followed his every step as demolition and construction started then finished.
dad taught me how to read drawings. we walked inside and outside the house and compared it to the plans so i could understand the overall direction.
i watched as he hand-built the house he had once described with words and sketches on paper. i accompanied him on trips to pick-up/order materials, meet with subcontractors and listened as they determined the best course of action when unforeseens occurred in the nearly 100-year-old home. he taught me to hammer, âmeasure twice, cut onceâ, understand electrical, foundations, subfloors and roof structures.
i watched him phase construction, based on budgets and weather.
by my senior year, i was not only helping with plans but selecting finishes. the house was finally done, with loving memories along the way.
COLLEGE - WHAT'S NEXT?
no idea! i attended my freshman year with an open major. by 2nd semester i found my way, returning to what had been in my life all along â design! i majored in interior architecture and minored in construction management.
designing/being on construction site is where my heart has always been, it just took a minute to realize and understand my options. nothing has ever felt more natural. my dad gave me the foundation required to take on this intense industry. on a daily basis, i am taken back to a loving memory or lesson he taught me; every day i am grateful for those and for him. pay attention to underlying passions and quiet leaders in your life, they are the most impactful. find your options, do your research, you never know where it will lead you!