I grew up in a small town in the South, where my father owned a furniture store and my mother was an artist. From an early age, I was encouraged to see the world through an artist’s eye. Even as a child, I was opinionated about color and intuitively knew how it affected me — and now I know it affects everyone.

We inherited antiques that were used daily. Nothing precious, but I learned respect for those pieces. We were not a “throw it away” family, and I’ve loved sourcing vintage and antique finds all my life. Any time I can get to an antique store — in any country — I’m ready.

I went to college to study clothing design and began my career in fashion retail under a wonderful mentor who introduced me to the world of fashion show production. I had the incredible opportunity to meet and work with Bill Blass in my early twenties — and yes, he smelled fabulous.

From there, I became the Fabric Fashion Designer at Rich’s downtown store, where two seamstresses worked full-time creating garments from the fabrics I selected. I was a kid in a candy store. Later, my love of design took me into film and television production as a wardrobe stylist and designer — including work on Fried Green Tomatoes and 7½ years as the wardrobe designer for Turner Classic Movies.

During that time, I was renovating and decorating a modest house in Atlanta. When friends and colleagues began asking for help with their homes, I realized how much I loved creating spaces that reflect the people who live in them. That’s when I truly caught the decorating bug — and I’ve never looked back.