Harry Armstrong

We meet our designer at the turn of spring. The birds begin their chorus before the sun has fully risen. Tulips stand proud—fist-sized and stubborn. The cherry blossoms and magnolias have already taken their bow, leaving just enough beauty behind to remind us: seasons move whether we’re ready or not. And so does the work. Our designer has been making quiet progress. Not the kind that trends. Not the kind that goes viral. The kind that happens behind closed doors. He splits his time between...

A case study in why good design begins after you’ve lived in a space. After living in a space for about 90 days, something shifts. You begin to understand the room. You notice where the best light falls in the morning. Where the heaviest foot traffic naturally forms. Where you tend to sit at the end of the day. Where storage actually needs to live. You start to understand how the space wants to be used. Before that, most design decisions are guesses. This became very clear in a recent living...

A practical guide to spotting real sustainability — and avoiding marketing theater. Look closer. Sustainability has become a headline. “Synthetics are bad.” “Natural is always better.” “Plastic is killing the oceans.” The reality is more nuanced. Polyester can technically be recycled. Poly-blends (like cotton-poly) usually cannot, because separating fibers is complex and rarely economically viable. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most clothing — regardless of fiber content — is unlikely...