08/27/2026
A designer’s summer is 90% palette research disguised as leisure.
1. Stone. A material I came to late and now can’t stop specifying. Different stones for different rooms and different clients (some can accept the scratch; some can’t). Expect bolder statement stone in our upcoming work, from mantles to backsplashes.
2. Vancouver Fauna. Our garden is full of different shapes, sizes, and colours growing together, and I get so much joy watching them come to life. We’re used to seeing that kind of colour outside. Indoors, the reaction is often to recoil. A constant challenge to re-invent.
3. Travel. Pender Island and Nelson this summer, both giving me new palettes and textures I’ll be pulling from all year. Time away from the desk is the fastest way back to it.
4. My Kids. Their whole job this summer is reminding me the season is short. Eat the ice cream. Jump in the lake. Get out on the ocean.
5.Sports. The World Cup in Vancouver and the Tour de France are both palette research disguised as fandom. Pink soccer cleats. International style. Colour trends showing up two years before they hit the mood boards.