How I Found My Unicorn Job (and Why Design Consulting Was the Missing Piece All Along)

I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a design consultant. (Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a thing.) But after years in the design industry — the long installs, the last-minute tile swaps, the budgets blown before drywall — I started to notice a pattern.

It wasn’t the design itself that was broken. It was the process.

Projects would start with great intentions and beautiful concepts — and then slowly unravel. Overbilling. Too many cooks. Not enough clarity. No one on the same page. Architects designing in a vacuum, contractors making site calls based on "what's easiest," and clients stuck in the middle, wondering why their dream house suddenly had six different grout colors.

I was constantly asking myself:
Why aren’t we just bringing in the right people sooner?
Why isn’t anyone protecting the big-picture vision?
Why is this so much harder than it needs to be?

The Missing Link

That’s when I realized: design consulting is the job I’d been doing all along — just without the title. I was the one bridging the gaps, translating between architect and builder, keeping the client sane and the concept intact. The one who could spot a value-engineering opportunity and the wrong paint undertone in the same breath.

This work isn’t about fluff. It’s about problem-solving. Pivoting. Process. It’s knowing which battles are worth fighting, where to compromise without losing the plot, and how to make a project sing from concept to final styling.

It’s creative direction, logistics, budget awareness, sourcing, and therapy. And it’s quietly crucial.

Less Ego, More Solutions

There’s no shortage of talent in this industry — what’s missing is often someone to orchestrate it all. To translate big ideas into actionable steps. To advocate for design, but also for reality. Someone to ask the hard questions early, catch the small mistakes before they’re big, and get everyone working toward the same vision (not twelve slightly different ones).

That’s where I live. Right in the middle. Equal parts dreamer and doer. No fluff, no drama — just smart design decisions and an unshakeable eye on the end goal.

Final Word: Sometimes the Job Finds You

Falling into this role wasn’t the plan. But looking back? It makes perfect sense. This is the work I love most — the in-between space where things actually happen. The part where ideas become homes, where concept becomes clarity, and where everyone (finally) works toward the same beautiful result.

So no, I didn’t set out to be a design consultant. But it turns out, it’s my unicorn job — the one that ties everything I’m good at into one clear, cohesive purpose:
Keep the vision clear. Keep the process smooth. Keep the beauty intact.

If you’re building, renovating, or designing — and wondering how to actually make it all work — let’s talk. I’m here to help you do this the smart way. The stylish way. The everything's-finally-clicking way.