A Custom Moment

I always weave antiques and at least one custom-designed piece into every project—it’s basically my signature statement. That custom moment might be millwork, a bench, a chair, or a quirky table that quietly (or loudly) nods to the architectural details of the space. Everything I design has a purpose, a lineage, and a story. And honestly? Most of these pieces are already sketched, prototyped, or sitting in a digital “future products” folder, waiting for the day they get their big debut. Fingers crossed.

As most of my custom designs do, this custom entry foyer piece began with the drawing above. I lean on AutoCAD often for schematic and site-accurate planning.

Designing itself comes naturally to me. What doesn’t—what absolutely tests every last ounce of my patience—is finding solid craftsmanship. Not just skill and technique, but actual reliability… the holy grail. And I’ll say it plainly: I’ve found the latter far more challenging in Miami than anywhere else I’ve worked. If you’ve ever chased down a fabricator who swore they'd “be there tomorrow,” you know exactly what I mean.

I'm blow away with this final piece! As a lighting designer, I am critical on the execution of the install and projection of light. This one was done perfectly.

After many trials and tribulations I have found myself in a great flow. I've been working with Noxila Creations in Miami. So far they've built a custom table, custom millwork and custom chairs for me - all based off my CAD drawings and executed by them flawlessly.

Most recently Noxila delivered a stunning bench/mirror/closet combo for the entrance of my project in Coconut Grove. My client was screaming with excitement, and I was not far behind!

Currently I am dabbling in some antique restoration. To start, I will try my hand at it myself. I found a gorgeous, what-I-think-might-be, Murano glass ceiling fixture. It is missing its finial and mounting rod but I am fairly confident I will be able to source these pieces from Antique Lamp Supply.

I'm also extremely excited about these two Henredon Campaign pieces that I found for only a couple hundred dollars each. They have little bruises as you'd expect of their long life but nothing unfixable. The larger of the two will make a wonderful guest bedroom coffee bar, while the smaller will anchor our hallway beautifully - acting as a linen closet just outside of the laundry room.