Ever since I first redesigned my cousin’s bedroom when I was 13, I knew that turning people’s living space into their personal sanctuary was what I wanted to do. I studied architecture and design in college, became a top designer salesperson for Ethan Allen, and redefined and redesigned my own family’s belongings and décor style through 12 military moves over the last 20 years. (Add to that the 16 moves I made as a child with my Army officer Dad, and you might say I served as my own apprentice for the first half of my life!)

Since launching my own interior redesign business in 2008, I’ve helped bring out the very best a home has to offer—for everyone from homeowners looking to breathe new life into old belongings to new buyers looking to outfit their very first home. I’ve even helped homeowners using only photographs and room measurements, through The Washington Post’s popular “House Calls” feature, which helps solve homeowners’ toughest design challenges.

Throughout, I’ve remained a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity, serving as the lead designer for their Fall 2010 Home Show, shopping for and purchasing used furniture and accessories in their ReStore retail outlets, and encouraging my clients to donate excess furnishings whenever possible. It’s an organization in which I truly believe, and a philosophy to which I hold fast:

Long before “reduce, reuse, recycle” became modern buzzwords, I’ve sought to reduce the need for purchasing new, reuse what you already love, and recycle what’s already been produced into a new and useful product.