My Story

I grew up in Cape Town - a vibrant city with beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, friendly people and a creative  energy that flows throughout.  My mother was an artist, a painter and so I earned my first pocket money preparing (sanding, painting, sanding, painting until it was a perfect canvas)  various wooden objects for her -- clocks, lap desks, wreathes, trays ... you name it.   Later she expanded her talents to murals and paint effects.  In this environment, it wasn't long before I wanted to put my stamp onto my bedroom.  Looking back, I have to admit to my 17 year old tastes being a little over the top!  I think the first time I painted my bedroom walls they ended up being a paint treatment with sort of peach, blue and maybe green....?!!  My poor mom! But I appreciated that she gave me the freedom to try something after all even on a low budget paint is a fairly easy thing to fix.  Over the years, my aesthetic evolved as I learned (through osmosis) about design from my architect boyfriend/(ex)husband, living through the many many years it takes to get qualified. 

In my early 20s we immigrated to Australia - first Sydney and then Melbourne.  Getting out to see the world expanded my horizons and exposed me to new ways of living.  I'm a serial mover (so far I've had more than 25 addresses!) so every 1-2 years I got to unleash my creativity in how furniture got arranged in new spaces so that they felt good, quickly making new places feel like "home". In addition we started to travel to different places in Australia, New Zealand and eventually Europe.  As I was able to experience an increasing variety of cultures, history and living spaces, my style become more refined as i gravitated towards mid century modern and Scandinavian influenced furniture and colours.

In 2011 I accepted an opportunity to live & work in Shanghai.  I thought I'd be away from Australia for 2 years, but that assignment was followed by another 2 years in both Singapore and Ireland, before landing in the US a few years ago.   During all that time I had a demanding corporate job, but I wanted something different.  When I look back at my journals over the last 8-10 years there are consistent themes of freedom, creativity, and a passion for design and real estate.  

Finally in 2023 I decided to take the plunge and start Exhale Home Designs with the goal of being able to work with clients across a variety of budgets and time frames to deliver functional rooms for living, spaces where they can relax.  From selecting colours and painting walls, to sourcing furniture (assembling it where needed)  and accessories, or designing new layouts I will collaborate to create your home.   

I am now based in Jacksonville, Florida and am available for in person projects throughout NE Florida, as well as remotely for all design services