About

Hi, I’m Michelle

I like oat milk in my coffee, a house that’s well designed, and sleeping eight hours a night. I used to prefer summiting mountains over long walks on the beach, but then I met the Oregon Coast, and now I love both. I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband and our two children.

Design

Having lived in six different homes in three states over the last ten years, I know the importance of creating a space to feel comfortable and personal. I love sitting in a space and firing up my internal photoshop to paint walls, redoing backsplash, and replacing light fixtures. Now that I’m a mom, I also know the importance of functionality in spaces. If I had to describe my design style in four words, it would be: timeless, calm, purposeful, and modern. And of course a good place to have a good time (preferably with a Negroni in hand).

Outdoors

Growing up in the midwest, I did not have a lot of exposure (or interest) to mountains. But then, in 2014, that all changed on a trip to Lake Tahoe. I summited my first mountain (Mt. Rose!) and I was hooked. After that trip, my husband and I went on to hike in Portland, Banff, Patagonia, Norway, and Croatia among many other travels. We’d fallen in love with the outdoor lifestyle, and in 2016 we decided we wanted to transition to living near mountains full time. We left our high-rise apartment in the city and moved out of Chicago and on to Salt Lake City. After almost four years of exploring the high desert and Mountain West, as well as welcoming our son, we continued the final leg of our western trek and moved to Portland in 2020. Driving down the Gorge still makes our hearts skip and we can’t help but gawk every.single.time we drive the 101 along the coast. Oregon smells like pine trees and feels like home and we feel incredibly blessed to get to raise our kids here!

Motherhood

After our son was born, I made the (very) difficult choice to pause my traditional work in order to be a full time mom. This is the hardest job I’ve ever had and by far the most important work I’ve ever done. Life in this role can be so mundane and slow, and yet somehow milestones and birthdays seem to be zipping by faster than I can grasp. I have to stop and remember to take it all in. As a mom, I know it is a privilege to get to decide to stay home with children, and I feel so grateful for this season I’m in.

And now…four fun facts!

  • Favorite place: the Oregon coast
  • Passionate about: living a sustainable lifestyle; working out 3x / week
  • Latest hobby: collecting cookbooks! do you have a favorite?
  • Go-to cocktail: a Negroni – especially if I’m trying a restaurant for the first time