As I think back, the desire to express myself through my home started really young. There was little room for luxury growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, but my mom indulged my desire for a harmonious and beautiful space of my own, helping me to paint my room, sew curtains and hang shelves. We picked up design touches at Goodwill and garage sales and a passion for home decorating started.

My taste has changed a lot in 25 years -- I've gone through phases and followed trends, made some good decisions and learned from mistakes-- but perhaps most importantly, I’ve gone from feeling self-conscious about my second-hand finds and eclectic taste, to exhilarated and inspired by the hunt and reclamation of tired cast-a-ways. I'm not an expert when it comes to design or decorating, I just know what I like. It changes. It is eclectic. It doesn't fit into one style or category. But, it is a reflection of me.

I have always had an interest in owning my own business. The idea of functioning independently and doing something creative really appealed to me but I never viewed myself as particularly artistic. It has taken time for this creative pursuit to evolve. When I moved to Madison in 2006,  my husband and I spent a lot of time and sweat fixing up the 100 year old two-flat that he had purchased before we met. That reignited a creative fire in me. In the time between then and now, I have worked as a registered nurse and a nurse manager, started a family, and began playing around with rehabbing furniture as a creative outlet. I left the professional world after the birth of my second daughter and the furniture work continued. 

With much help from my husband Connor, we put together a fantastic, functional workspace in our basement to call my own. He also gets 100% credit for teaching me how to photograph my projects. While he no longer does the photography for me, he taught me everything I know about the camera and lighting, is always willing to lend a hand, offer advice when I’m struggling, or spend hours on the internet doing research if I have an idea he doesn’t know how to implement. He’s like the human version of Google and YouTube combined in one and I couldn’t be more grateful to have him as a partner in life.

When I'm not busy managing the day-to-day with small kids or puttering in the basement, I enjoy running, gardening, yoga, browsing thrift stores, crafting, following news and politics, and of course spending time with dear friends and family. Oh, and drinking wine.  

Cheers!

Abbey