Recently, I was walking with a friend after dinner and stopped to smell a flower and run my hand along a building moulding. He noticed and asked if it met my standards. This question made me laugh and took us both down a rabbit hole.

In Why Kind, Beautiful Buildings Spark Joy and Happiness, I mentioned why I often choose walking…

Many times when I give my background for a session, I rarely talk about where I went to school. As soon as I mention that I have a Master of Architecture from Notre Dame, I get an "ah that makes sense." So I suppose IYKYK, and if you don't then maybe this post will give you a glimpse…

I have recently been reading Your Brain on Art: How Art Transforms Us, which walks through the science of how our brains and bodies transform as we participate and immerse ourselves in the arts. While reading, I thought back to this thumbnail sketch of a vibrant yellow building...

Have you ever paid attention to how you feel when you are in, on, under, or near water? Long ago a friend who is a landscape architect mentioned to me that people are naturally drawn to water. That is why they always try to incorporate water features within the programming of public spaces. That comment always stuck with me and raised a number of questions, until I came across A Blue Mind…

When we went to Paris last year, our son was about 15 months old. He had just started to walk and was only expressing himself in a handful of ways. Mainly with screams to generate laughter and “oooo's" to express delight. Our first couple of weeks in Paris, we decided to take morning walks to the most notable parks…

I am obsessed with this quote! I love it because it captures everything I have working toward for the past five years. When my husband and I were expecting, we decided to move from San Francisco back to Dallas. Through our decision-making process, we set values for ourselves. Some of our values were…

I love Jaipur. I have visited three times, and every time I am drawn to the cultural and visual energy of the city: the pink sandstone glistening in the hot sun, the deep purple shade and shadow dancing on the facades in the cool sunset, the sounds and scents from the bazaar wafting in through the open windows and courtyards, the smell of incense from the nearby temple, and the pops of colorful dresses as people walk and dance through the city…

While I was studying in Rome, I had a studio professor who told us that if we designed a piazza that people would want to lay down in then we could consider our design successful. I thought to myself, who would be crazy enough to just lay on the ground on a whim? I often think back to that semester…

During the 2019-2020 holiday season, we stayed in London at a hotel within the Marylebone borough. I remember one particular morning I had gotten up early and decided to go for a walk through the neighborhood. As I opened my umbrella and stepped onto the street…

A couple of months ago I picked up a book by Catherine Gray titled The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary. The book is a witty appreciation of the familiar experiences that can bring us joy in our ordinary lives. I started off relating this to the hyper-localism we are seeing right now in our cities and neighborhoods due to COVID-19, but it grew…

As millions of people across the country have been taking to the streets to raise their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of prejudice and inequality, I found myself initially feeling paralyzed. This overwhelming feeling was stemming…

When we decided to go to Florence in December, I knew I had to revisit San Miniato al Monte across the Arno River from the center of the city. My professor, David Mayernik, took our class here in 2011 to see the delightful monastery but also to observe Florence's skyline as seen from the surrounding hills. Looking down into the city's center we see a fabric of kind, beautiful buildings all of more or less the same height.

Over the holidays, we traveled to London, Florence and Rome for ten days. While we were planning our travel, we decided to take a day trip from Florence to Lucca. It was one of my most favorite days of the entire holiday! I started the day with a cappuccino…

When walking down Las Ramblas, I remember feeling joy spreading infectiously inside of me through the gentle motion of laughter, music, dance, color, and texture along the promenade. After recently reading Play by Stuart Brown MD, I realized…

One of the most breathtaking experiences I have had in a city was when I first witnessed Zio Ziegler's 6 story tall mural on the landmark Cathedral Building in Oakland CA. This kind, beautiful building stands…

Nestled within the Mission District is an alley that contains the largest concentration of murals in San Francisco. When I visited Balmy Alley the first time, it was during the fall of last year. Across most…

When we moved to San Francisco, my initial project was located in downtown Oakland. The first time I rode a bike through downtown and experienced the various neighborhoods, I was drawn to the authenticity and grit of the city…

When I think of the most joyful place during the holiday season, I always think of Bruges in Belgium. The cozy atmosphere makes the Bruges Christmas Market one of the most festive markets I have visited. Within the Markt piazza…

During our travels in Japan, we started off in Tokyo and then took the bullet train to Hakone, Osaka and lastly Kyoto. Throughout the trip, I was craving to see and understand the traditional architecture, building culture and urban patterns of Japan…

Kyoto has historically been known as the cultural center of Japan, and Nishiki Market has historically been known as the center of food culture in Kyoto. In contrast to the variety and abundance of Tokyo…