Guide Home is how I best describe my role on every project. With 30 years of design experience, I understand the terrain. As a designer and consultant, I bring knowledge, perspective, and thoughtful problem-solving to guide my clients toward practical, creative solutions for their homes. I approach every project with warmth, enthusiasm, and a collaborative spirit.

I was born and raised in West Virginia and moved to North Carolina as a teenager. Appalachia has always been home. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in studio art and a growing passion for environmental sustainability, I returned to the mountains near Asheville, where I spent several years studying sustainable design while working in the construction and landscaping industries.

In 1997, I completed a permaculture design certification, followed by permaculture teacher training in 2002. That same year, I founded SouthEast Ecological Design, a design-build general contracting company that operated until 2017. Those years were an immersive education in green building science, sustainable land use, construction management, and architectural design. I also served for 12 years on the board of the Greenbuilt Alliance. In 2014, I became a partner and lead designer at Nanostead, a design-build company specializing in small and tiny homes.

Much of my education in home and building design has come through hands-on experience: learning construction from the inside out and discovering what makes a design successful. Over three decades, that experience has shaped my approach to technical problem-solving and collaboration.

Along the way, I've raised four daughters and a son on a homestead in Madison County. Family, home, community, and exploring the mountains of Southern Appalachia remain central to my life and to my sense of place.

At the heart of my work is a deep love for designing homes and shaping land in partnership with both my clients and the natural world. I believe in a harmony of beauty, practicality, and sustainability, held together by the grace of collaboration.