"The National Council of Interior Design Qualification regulates the profession... Qualification is based on education from an accredited university,... a minimum number of hours of experience which is around 2,000 to 3,000,.and testing on your expertise and your knowledge... That's really the strongest benchmark between an interior decorator and an interior designer."

"Cast the vision. Dream big and then let us... jump in and see what we can do to make that happen. Don't be scared to dream and we can help keep it practical, but make it great too. Go for it and let it be something special as a part of the fabric of the community."

"I would tell them to try and figure out as much as possible at the beginning of the project so that we don't get halfway down the road and have to make major changes. One, it's a nightmare scenario for us, but it also costs the client so much more money if they don't understand their vision...every little tweak...has ramifications across the entire site."

"Find the best contractor you can. Get references. Go look at other buildings that they have built and constructed. Maybe talk to those owners...Make sure that the contract between you and the builder is sophisticated - not verbal - and contains all the provisions that you think it should contain."

"The sooner you reach out to an agent the more educated you can be upfront and not make some of the mistakes that you don't want to make."

I think sometimes [people get the idea] that if a structural engineer touches [a project] it will be over designed… My goal is to always make it very efficient and save money versus just making a quick solution.”

"There are a lot of moving parts, and subcontractors aren’t necessarily looking at the best interest of the other subcontractors of the best interest of the schedule. We bring them all in and kind of create harmony, an orchestra if you will, and make sure that everybody’s operating in the best interest of the project. Time and budget generally are what we make sure that we’re keeping [in check]."

"You need the proper amount of time to design [your project], and you need some input to make sure that your costs are in check."

"My job as a risk management consultant... isn't to sell you anything. [I] like to come in and try and identify exposures that could have a negative financial impact to you or your business...[and] provide options for you to cover those exposures."