A Little Weeding 🌿
A garden update, a refreshed website, and a new blog post on preserving the character of your home.
We got potatoes! 🥔 (and a beet!)
I finally made myself go up to the garden and clean up the beds.
I’ll admit, it’s been overwhelming me this year. I’m not sure if it’s because I felt behind or because the reseeded cilantro and parsley completely took over, but I kept putting it off.
Today I grabbed the wheelbarrow and got to work.
I pulled all of the coriander seeds (which come from cilantro once it flowers) and the second-year parsley that had completely taken over. While I was cleaning everything up, I found at least 20 volunteer tomato plants growing. I honestly can’t tell if they’re from seeds I planted back in May or from last year’s tomatoes, but either way, I’m excited to see what they do.
I’ve also been trying to time the potato harvest just right. Today I pulled five plants, with about ten more still in the ground for another week or so. Those five plants gave me around 25 potatoes, which felt like a pretty good reward after finally tackling the garden.
More than anything, it just felt good to get back in the beds.
Everything is staked, weeded, and cleaned up enough that I feel like I can actually garden again. I don’t do well when things feel chaotic. I don’t need everything to be perfect, but I do need some sense of order before I can really enjoy the process.
As I was putting the wheelbarrow away, it hit me that I’m the exact same way with my business.
Every year, I make it a point to revisit my website with fresh eyes. I look at what’s working, what no longer serves a purpose, and what can be simplified. Just like the garden, it’s easy for things to slowly grow until one day they feel a little overwhelming.
So I did some weeding there, too.
I’ve simplified the navigation, refreshed a few pages, added recent projects to my portfolio, and updated the Shop with a more curated collection of furniture and accessories.
One thing that’s always been important to me is creating resources for homeowners, whether you’re hiring a designer or tackling a project on your own. Not every project calls for full-service design, and I hope the website reflects that. It’s a place to find renovation inspiration, browse completed projects, read Design in Real Life, or simply gather ideas for your own home.
While making those updates, I also published a new blog post, Not Everything Needs to Be New.
It expands on one of my recent basement designs and why preserving a home’s original character can sometimes be the best design decision you make. It’s less about the basement itself and more about the stories our homes tell—and when those stories are worth keeping.
If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the website, I’d love for you to take a look around.
Until next time,
Maria
If you're in the mood for a little more design inspiration, take a peek around my website. You'll find blog posts, shopping resources, completed projects, and plenty more to explore.