​I was destined to be an artist, and my childhood bedroom was my first canvas — rearranged monthly, restyled endlessly. Then, at ten years old, I landed my first real client: a kind woman who discovered my talent through how I tidied up after babysitting her children, and paid me to rearrange her furniture and accessories. While other children played outside, I dreamed of touring historic homes, wondering about the lives lived within their walls. I was mesmerized by how a well-designed space could make people feel.

 

After graduating from York Comprehensive High School in South Carolina, I attended Winthrop University as an Interior Design major — exactly where I belonged. Then dance, my other passion since the age of four, came calling. Rather than abandon either love, I found my way to have both: I majored in dance and minored in visual arts, keeping the majority of my coursework in design. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in December of 1999, and I've never once regretted refusing to choose. Design taught me structure; dance taught me movement — and I use both in every room I compose.

In 2000, I became the showroom designer for Purple Pickett Furniture Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, responsible for the design and placement of all furniture and accessories in both locations. There I learned how merchandise tells a story — and, through my first project outside the showroom, a high-end nightclub designed through the company, I discovered how much fun design could be when a space invited boldness. The following year, as manager of Varji & Varji Salon, an upscale hair salon and spa in Charlotte, I discovered the beauty industry and became captivated by the Aveda culture of excellence. What looked like a detour was really the beginning of a second artistic language — one I would speak again.

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In 2002, drawn by deep roots on my father's side of the family, I moved to Atlanta. Generations of paternal family history lived there — though I hadn't — and something about the city had always felt like mine. I took a position with a local flooring company and treated it as an education: learning everything I could about materials, craftsmanship, and the industry from the ground up. It made me a better designer, and it grounded my work in the foundation — quite literally — beneath every beautiful room.

 

Atlanta also gave me Jonathan. We met eight months after I arrived, knew almost immediately that we were soulmates, and married a year and a half later. With his Auburn business mind and entrepreneurial spirit, he did what came naturally: he sat down and built a business plan for my own company. In 2004, Practical Prestige Interiors was born. I began in residential design, expanded into commercial work, and developed a niche I genuinely adored — dental office design, where calm and beauty matter more than most people realize. Those years taught me how to run a business with integrity and confirmed that design wasn't just my talent. It was my calling.

 

When the economy shifted in 2009, I made the difficult decision to close that chapter — and chose to see the moment as an invitation rather than an ending. I enrolled at the Aveda Institute of Atlanta, finally pursuing the beauty industry I had fallen for years before. I threw myself into it and thrived: Student of the Month, consistent service and sales goals, and a Master Cosmetology degree and state license in 2010.

 

The next season was spent with the wonderful women of Bernadette's Hair Salon and Wig Gallery in Sandy Springs — relationships I still treasure. But design kept calling me home. After more brainstorming at the kitchen table with Jonathan, The Funky Debutante was born in August of 2011: a business model built around my passion for full-scale interior design, with room to spare for occasional hair and makeup artistry in film and production.

 

 

In the years since, The Funky Debutante has grown into a full-scale interior design firm serving residential and commercial clients across the Atlanta area and beyond. I love what this work asks of me: the problem-solving, the collaboration with clients, architects, and contractors, the pursuit of spaces that function as beautifully as they look. Every project is a chance to prove that beauty and livability were never opposites.

 

Whatever the creative avenue, my philosophy never changes. Getting to know the client is the most important step in my process. I ask detailed questions, listen closely, and tailor every design to the person it belongs to. I immerse myself fully in each project — which is why I take on a limited number of clients. My best work demands nothing less.

 

I remain a student of life, letting my creativity evolve in organic ways — through design, and through the constant study of beauty in all its forms.

 

Regardless of the medium, I am dedicated to using my creative gifts to serve those around me with excellence....