So long 2020, Hello 2021!

When I was in my 20s, my mom gave me a book called Write it Down, Make it Happen. I read it on a plane heading back to New York, probably in a time of career change. I don’t remember any specifics from the book, but its title has stayed with me as a general mantra/ rule/ truth.

Last year around this time, I shared creative goals for 2020 on instagram. It was so fun to revisit them and to see how we are achieving what we set out to do—largely because I wrote them down and sent them out into the universe.

Check out this slideshow to see the 10 goals from 2020, with photos of examples of each accomplished last year (It was fun to pick—we had lots to chose from!). Some are finished projects but more are works-in-progress sneak peeks of project across the country.

This year, my goals are more focused on the business side of things. I’m excited to grow our team, smooth out our processes, launch a newsletter, improve the client experience, and generally get things more buttoned up.

On the creative side, I feel that this year will be all about nuance and mastery. Here are my creative goals for 2021:

Dial in on Details

I recently read that in Europe, they use wide grout lines, while the standard here is often to set tile as tightly as possible. I love the idea of challenging our assumptions about these details and being open to going against the standard if it is in service of the overall feeling of the project.

Additionally, I am thinking more about custom details that take more thought than money to elevate a space. Think a painted border under a crown molding, a shift in paint sheen, an unusual tieback on a drape. I’m excited for us to push ourselves on this level.

Focus on Materiality

We think a lot about how materials look and function. This year I want to deepen my sensitivity to how a material feels. Plaster walls. The nub of a fabric. The exact right glaze on a tile. Subtle, quiet choices that have an almost intangible impact and elevate the whole.

Increase expertise in lighting design

If I’m being honest this has been on my to-do list for oh, six or seven years? This is the year folks! While I have a working knowledge of layering light, lightbulbs, color temperature and so forth, this is the year that we think about architectural lighting and how light choices can shape a space. Lucky for us, we met with the team at the new Minneapolis showroom for Circa lighting, and they have a tone of resources to help us with this one.

Present the expensive idea (but have a backup)

We have been thinking bigger every year. (It’s so fun!) One of the worst mistakes I have made is to hold back on a big idea out of fear of making expensive suggestions. I have listened to a lot of LuAnn Nigara’s podcast A Well Designed Business recently, and she always says “don’t save your clients money!” What she means is, share your best ideas and let them decide if they want to invest in them. (Designer Markham Roberts suggests having a backup plan.)

I’m feeling thrilled for all we accomplished in crazy 2020, and unfettered in my creativity in 2021!