The commercial office space has been struggling for several years. Covid was merciless to this asset class and it seemingly has not recovered.

I flew back out of LA on Tuesday, the day the fires started. The whole thing is incredibly tragic. Some of the most beautiful and storied neighborhoods in the world are on fire and we are watching history burn.

Ten years ago, I was a scattered creative - chasing music, juggling projects, starting all kinds of things but finishing little.

Today, the biggest difference is simple: I usually finish what I start.

Briefly in LA. My wife and I had a tiny window to pop over to Culver City and make a pilgrimage to Obsolete Inc, a gallery and antiques dealer whose taste and photography I am wild about.

Lately, I've been reading lists from other designers, blogs and magazines on "Top Trends for 2025."

I generally don't gravitate toward this type of material but I do find it fascinating.

We have this tendency to think of creative and non-creative people as separate types, or at least I did. Variations of "I'm just not creative," is a fairly common refrain.

This week was a whirlwind - visiting the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, and thanksgiving, client projects, making videos. The works.

If you've never been to East TN/West NC to see the Great Smoky Mountains, you are missing out. A wonderful juxtaposition of beautiful mountainous nature & a sprawl of unfettered family friendly tourist enterprise. It's a great snapshot of a certain type of American culture.

This past week I travelled to Brooklyn to put the finishing touches on a historic townhome renovation in Crown Heights.

I know the feeling well of beginning with a new space. Exciting but also intimidating. So many things you could do, directions you could go. Where do you begin?

I deviated from my normal walks this week and bought a used bike. November is usually really nice and good friend of mine moved back to town and is really into cycling so hope to get some use out of it.

One of the most frequent questions I get is what to do with a small space. Usually it's complicated because you need to fit a lot of activity into one area.

I made a video yesterday about "Aesthetic Gyms" It's on a tear across video platforms right now.

I showed examples of different gyms from decades or centuries past that were very attractive and contrast them with clinical minimalist rooms of today.

I have been in the position many times where you've renovated a space, you're starting to get your furniture in, and you realize there are still a bunch of holes to fill in.

These "holes" might be things like window treatments, or rugs, or art on the walls, or items on a shelf or coffee table.

I am obsessed with courtyards. It's always something I'll return to. I'm continually surprised by how rare they are.

The first time I viscerally experienced the magic of a courtyard was on a trip to New Orleans for Jazz Fest in 2010.

It's still hot, but we are fast approaching some seasonal change. Here are three things I am seeing more of in design that also scream Fall.

Last night, I travelled to Pittsburgh for an old friends wedding. It's where I went to college and was an extremely formative place for me.

I'm still in San Clemente CA, and have been enjoying working by the ocean.

The neighborhood we're in is walking distance to the beach. Real estate in this pocket is at a premium.

Life is messy. It's not straight forward. It's iterative.

My experience as a creative has been anything but a linear process.

Yesterday was my birthday and had a little time to reflect.

So many things are great about my life but I realize I don't often take the time to smell the flowers.

The Japanese concept of "ma" is the intentional use of negative space to create balance and harmony.