About MM:

I came to design with an anthropologist's training. I think about houses and home much of the time, and I think about how we live and what it all means. I have been called a ‘therapist of material culture’ and I think that best describes what I do: I help people to find the material reality of living the way that feels best to them.

I have been working with clients on their houses for more than 25 years. Sometimes clients come to me knowing exactly what they want to change in their homes, and sometimes it is a process of exploration and discovery. Always my work with clients is about collaboration- a process of us working together to create their ideal vision of HOME.

HOME is an illusive idea— home can be about the people we live with, home can be about living with things that connect us to others, and home can be about light and color and a sense of space that just simply feels right. I believe that HOME is created through good design-- style and comfort and connecting ourselves with our material worlds— not about money or status or image or current trends. We all want to walk into our homes and feel joy at being there. Color, architecture, the form and function of the furnishings— all are the keys to experiencing that joy.

To this end— I am a space planner, an efficiency expert— and an idiot savant when it comes to furniture arrangement and color. My background is in anthropology— and much of our time together will be about me learning about your life and your story. I will not put my own aesthetic on your space— rather I will help you to find yours. I am fairly irreverent about the design world— I know the ‘rules’ but am happy to break them whenever the project requires it.

I believe in slow design, slow shopkeeping, and slow living. The funny part of all of this is that ‘slow’ actually means ‘real’ and rarely has anything to do with speed. I don’t watch a lot of television, I don’t spend any more time online than I can help, and I appreciate authenticity in everything from Belgian linen duvet covers to people.