Client Letter:

After several years of living overseas as an expatriate, I began in 1998 looking for the "perfect" property for my eventual return to the U.S.A. I had longed for a unit on the water that provided a safe and tranquil setting allowing myself to create a life in a new community.

With the real estate mantra of "location, location, location" and an extensive search, I purchased what I believed to be the ultimate find with enormous possibilities. The biggest  challenge however was to select the right design firm that could meet my high expectations....to transform a property of potential to a home where the "livin is easy".

The firm I selected, Howard Design Group, not only impressed me with a thorough "snapshot" of the project, the creative possibilities of the interior, learning my wants and needs as a client but more importantly was sincerely interested in finding out more about the prospective client...who I was...my interests, philosophy and what made me tick. This was the beginning of the essential partnering between designer and client and what ultimately led to the "soul" of the living space that was created.

We started with the premise that we would use the "million dollar" view as the central theme, and that color, shape and texture would be used subtly to bring the sea into the home and the home to the sea. The strategy was to visit the design centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco and select the major furnishings for each room. The refinements and detail work such as fabrics and finishes could be collaborated through phone, fax, e-mail and Fed-ex. This allowed me to be fully involved as a partner even though the design team and myself were working long distance. I couldn't be happier with the results, which is an unusual combination of the sophisticated creating space and the eclectic creating comfort.

Landis Haugen:
Tokyo, Japan