Design Notes from the Studio
After 20 years designing homes across the US, Europe, and Asia, I returned to Colorado to focus exclusively on South Denver neighborhoods. This journal shares what I'm learning as I navigate Centennial kitchens, Littleton historic homes, and the unique challenges of designing close to home.
You'll find project stories, design philosophy, practical advice, and honest reflections on what it takes to create homes that work for real families.
Discovering Hygge in Copenhagen & Bringing It Home
As an interior designer, I’ve always been drawn to the way spaces can shape our daily experiences. I knew Hygge was a concept, but it wasn’t until my family and I traveled to Copenhagen that I truly understood its essence. It clicked for me—not as a trend or a style but as a way of life. And more importantly, I saw how it can be woven into our homes to create spaces that nurture us.
JHD Travels: Venice
When we decided to make the move from Houston TX to Berlin Germany a big deciding factor for me was to travel and show AJ the world. We have a long running list of places to visit still, but we started with celebrating AJ’s 2nd birthday in Venice. He’s not old enough to expect a proper party, he’s young enough to keep strapped in his stroller, these were are reasons. I would have made any reason really, I wanted to see Venice.
One Year as an Expat in Berlin
We decided that if we're going to make a big move we have to do it while AJ is little. So we jumped. It's been tough. It's hard to have a small child with no network. It's hard to leave a thriving business. It's hard to start again in a country that speaks a different language, tells time differently (military time has been hard to get used to!), and even uses a different measuring system (thanks USA for setting up this fail). It's also been good to not have a car, to walk more (I average 60 miles a month without even trying), to eat fresher foods (markets everywhere), and most importantly to see different parts of the world more easily.
My Berlin Ikea Kitchen
The kitchen design process has been excruciating. Our beautiful pre war apartment did not come with a kitchen, or any lights, or any cabinets of any kind. Tis normal here. That means however that until we got the keys I couldn't measure or really get down to designing the kitchen. So six weeks of living without an actual kitchen has been pretty terrible, not the worst, but pretty terrible. Luckily the landlord provided us with a little stove and a sink to get us by. My industrious husband found a little refrigerator on Ebay (they use Ebay like Craigslist over here) so we were functional.
Jamie House Design Relocates from Houston to Berlin
Hallo, wie geht es dir heute?
I've relocated to Berlin and opened a JHD outpost here. I know it's a bit out of the blue. It's been a dream my husband and I have held for a long time. We decided to take the plunge
Culture Travel : Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
I got a long weekend in Fort Worth this past weekend due to my husband speaking at an Android conference. I got to meet with a client, eat great food and visit my favorite museum. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The building gives me goose bumps, it feels alive. I love the art of course, but the building. The building is a modern piece of art itself. The concrete walls. The amazing windows and the shadows the mullions create is beyond. Goose bumps. I always get emotional in this space. I didn't get a shot of the famous windows, I was running out of time and my phone died midway through the museum.
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