July was nonstop in the best way. We spent some time in Boston and Maine and, of course, found ourselves obsessing over all of the charming homes, cedar shingles, overflowing planters, and classic New England details. We’ve been busy documenting, planning, budgeting, scheduling, and making lots of decisions on a few projects that we’re so excited to see come to life very soon. It’s that fun stage where months of collaboration come to life.

Many of my projects right now have a major focus on natural materials and wood tones, which is my favorite! But something I’ve been thinking a lot about is how to balance them. I find that clients can get too caught up in one particular finish when the focus really needs to be on the overall combination, story, and balance of all the materials.That being said, there is definitely a time and place for a monochromatic moment. I love a small space that completely envelops you in a single material or color. But it can’t be your whole house. The contrast is what makes those moments feel special. I’ve also been really attracted to small-scale wallpaper (basically a neutral, right?), interesting shelf brackets, and plate walls.

In the Garden

We are definitely in the heat of summer, but honestly, the garden makes it acceptable to me, haha. We’ve been eating all the caprese salads with our tomatoes. Some of our perennials are starting to look a little tired, but I’ve been cutting them back in hopes of getting a second flush of flowers. I also gave myself a strict rule of no summer planting—which I broke last week, oops—but for the most part, I’m looking ahead to fall and thinking about where I want to fill in some gaps. I’ve been really inspired by Piet Oudolf-style landscapes and plan to add and divide more grasses and wild-feeling plants.