Goodbye for now, Barcelona. You reminded me that the most romantic thing we can do is walk slowly, laugh loudly, and be fully present. Five women, mostly new friendships (one 12 years deep), wandering without rush.
We strolled through Sagrada Familia, where light filters through stained glass like a prayer. We stood inside the grandeur of Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, we studied Gaudí’s curves, we photographed carved doors worn by time, and we took a moment to stand still and appreciate the centuries-old tile designs.
Somewhere between the tile floors and cathedral ceilings, a simple truth surfaced. Beauty slows you down. And when you slow down, you see more. Not just architecture, but each other. Simplified Living isn’t about doing less; it’s about being fully where your feet are.
Lisbon— Shelter, Memory & Identity.
Lisbon took my breath away. Cobblestone climbs to dinner, yellow trams sliding under historic arches, Fado echoing through Alfama, walking slowly with my brother and his family along the coast of Cascais.
One moment shifted me deeply. At the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, I found myself standing in front of Carlos Bunga’s work, Inhabiting the Contradiction. Within it was the series Nomads—figures carrying shelter where their heads should be, architecture woven into identity itself. Home appeared at once as weight and comfort, as both burden and refuge.
And I stood there thinking: as a designer, I create shelter. But what if shelter is something we carry?
Bunga speaks of instability, of migration, of the tension between safety and weight. It made me reflect on something I see every week at work. People aren’t overwhelmed by their homes; they are overwhelmed by what their homes are holding—memory, grief, expectations, clutter, all from a former identity. We don’t just live in our homes; our homes live inside us, too.
Simplified Living is not stark minimalism; it is lightening the emotional architecture we carry.
Back Home-The Lake Crest Study
Right before I left for Europe, I completed the Lake Crest study—a space that, in hindsight, felt deeply affirmed by what I would experience abroad. The architecture I walked through in Spain and Portugal—layered, grounded, intentional—echoed the same principles I had just implemented here at home.
A former Lake Travis business owner preparing for retirement—a room once tied to urgency and output, now reimagined as a library, a chess room, and a reading retreat for my client and his grandchildren.
Before-Blank walls without purpose or function
After-A sophisticated space to play chess and connect with grandchildren
Before-A view without a purpose
After-A calm, meaningful room where modern life stays hidden, and presence takes center stage
I elevated the once blank walls with warm Alderwood built-ins that anchor the room with performance and proportion. I layered in fine Belgian wallcoverings by Omexco for subtle texture and architectural depth. Semi-sheer shades filter the light, softening the space without darkening it. Meaningful art and legacy furniture give the room weight without clutter. And, tucked seamlessly into the millwork, a hidden tech closet! Housing routers, cords, and the necessary digital infrastructure of modern life—fully concealed, so the room could feel analog, calm, and uninterrupted. Because even in a simplified space, technologies still exist; they just don’t have to dominate it.
The question isn’t, “How do I improve this office?” It’s “Who is this room serving now?” That shift from productivity to presence is Simplified Living in action. Grounded in purpose—curated for everyday living.
Community Partnerships
As part of my Simplified Living mission, I’ve teamed up with select conscious brands that share my commitment to healthier, more intentional living
