People ask me all the time what my style is. You know when you are involved with so many aspects of design, you really have a hard time choosing one style. However…
My inspiration for design came from my grandmother as I began to treasure old things passed down from her. I always loved going to her farm home and spending the night; I was one of fourteen grandchildren and we had to take turns. I was the only one who seemed to cherish her old furnishings, pottery, and quilts. She began to give me something each time I stayed with her. She would tell me the history and heritage, which really intrigued me more and more each time. Her grandmother (my great grandmother) was Irish. Grandmother’s family came over when there was a potato blight in Ireland and many people died of starvation. More than a million left the country to find another land where they could work to survive.
When my mother’s brother was diagnosed with MS, he found a way to make a living by buying, refinishing, and selling antiques. Since I was so interested in antiques, he would take me with him to auctions. I purchased my first chair at an auction when I was only fifteen years old. I took it apart to see how it was glued, pegged, and upholstered. My uncle taught me how to refinish the wood parts, and my friend’s dad taught me how to reupholster. I miss going to all those auctions where we found so many treasures. When I married my husband, he became interested in auctions, setting a maximum price on what I could spend and making me stick to it.
The culmination of my grandmother’s collections and my uncle’s passion for antiques led me to my Traditional taste, influenced me to having my own home adorned with a collection of my past and my present. I love being surrounded by all my favorite treasures.
