Studio Garrison

It's never just a closet. This one is a closet.

They called about a closet. What they had was a whole floor nobody used, and the best view in the house pointed at four bar stools. Lindsey and I sat down and asked what they wanted out of that level. They did not answer with a style. They answered with a life. A spa bathroom, a steam shower, an infrared sauna, a real entry with storage, and a closet gallery that could take a pullout for family when they visit.

Then we draw. Plans, elevations at every wall, and a presentation that puts the floor plan and the actual selections on one page. Dimensions next to the thing itself. They read it, marked it up, and told us what they wanted. Every round of notes moved something real.

Ed at iBuildPDX taped the whole plan out full scale on the floor and the ceiling so they could walk it before a stud moved. A GC who wants to collaborate changes what the design can be. Cabinets are going in now, on the same lines they said yes to in June.

Most houses have a room like this one. A floor you walk past, a room holding the stuff you do not use. It does not need our design dreams. It needs to fit the life you actually have.

Which room in your house is the one you keep walking past?

Design: Studio Garrison. Construction: iBuildPDX. Renderings and sketches are ours, before photos are the existing space.

Just back from Design Point, and my brain is still buzzing.

Moderated by Julee Ireland, I sat on a panel with Sarah Robertson and Nureed Saeed talking personalized luxury: beauty, function, and spaces built to last. Real conversation about craftsmanship, wellness, sustainability, and what “custom” actually means when clients expect all of it at once.

Then I fell hard for SapienStone’s full body porcelain. The veining runs straight through the material, not just printed on the surface. That changes what we can spec on an edge detail. Expect to see it show up in a project soon.

And yes, I got the caricature. Some things you just do.

Grateful for the room, the ideas, and the people who make this industry worth showing up for.

Palm Desert, mid renovation. drywall sheets exposed, floors taped, standing right where the new closet wall goes in.

Extra closet space is one of our most requested upgrades. Practical and beautiful. Changes everything about how the room actually functions.

The rendering shows where it’s headed: walnut and olive millwork, a slatted wood divider, desert views straight through.

Nothing beats watching decisions made months ago start becoming real.

A night out celebrating of design! Architectural designer Jon Chenier and his lovely wife, Karen, looking fantastic on the red carpet at the NW Natural Street of Dreams event. Always inspiring to see great vision and talent come together to celebrate incredible craftsmanship and modern living. 🌟✨

This year the Street of Dreams turns 50.

I was part of three of those years, 2013 through 2015, across five homes. This one is the one I still think about most.

Gerald Rowlett of Westlake Development had one idea: build a home almost entirely with American made materials. He introduced me to a family ready to take that on, and by the time we opened the doors, we'd swept five Peoples' Choice awards. Best in Show, Best Interior Design, Best Outdoor Space, Best Landscaping, Best Master Suite.

Two days before the ribbon cutting, my team was still staging the last room. Nobody who walked through that door ever knew it.

That's the same bar I hold every client home to now, finished, not just presentable.