Summertime in our part of the world usually means heading to the beach.  It’s family time – a place to relax and recharge. Beach time for me is Book Club reading, sleeping late, long walks and cocktails on the beach.  Every night is game night with the boys and the cooking seems endless!

But leaving the stress of work behind allows us all to reconnect with what’s important to us.  Family, friends, maybe some solitude for personal interests.  For me, it’s also the time I recharge my creative battery.

The nature of design work is busy and deadline oriented.  It takes discipline and planning to find creative time.  As professionals, we work to keep up with the latest trends, newest products and current styles.  Time off allows me to scour my backlog of design magazines and delve into some favorite blogs to see how other designers solve many of the same challenges I face daily.  With coffee and an iPad, I finally have time to get lost in Houzz for hours.  A late afternoon golf cart ride includes my camera phone to capture an interesting shutter color or window detail.  No, this is not about being a workaholic.  It’s about loving what you do.

Aside from the personal satisfaction of pursuing something I love, it’s important to me (to all of us at Pulliam Morris) to provide clients with the right answer – the best answer – regarding their project.  Whether it’s color trends, furnishings, lighting or even appliance choices, it’s not uncommon for me to grab my photo file or say, “You know, I just read the most interesting article…”