This Mother’s Day I spent some time remembering my own mother, and reflecting on the lessons she taught me as a child. My mom was an excellent dressmaker. She would make her own patterns, buy the best fabrics and, in turn, cut and sew them to perfection.

In the evenings she would hold pattern making and sewing classes. Hiding under the big table where she would cut the fabrics, I could hear her talking to her students, emphasizing the quality of workmanship.

During the day, I would travel with her to the fabric store. Being tiny and tired she would let me sit on the high stool, where I sat atop a magical world of colourful fabrics while she talked to the shopkeeper and made clever and concise decisions. As each fabric was considered she asked questions of it. Where did it come from, how was it made? The cloths were then touched and handled to assess their durability, comfort and drape.

In my opinion, it’s our earliest lessons that take root in us as adults – little seeds of wisdom passed on from one generation to the next. My mother’s example, lived through each day of brilliantly ordinary life, helped me to become the incisive designer that I am today.

She taught me to always pay attention to the details – in everything. And that lesson holds true for me today. In the design world, it’s the subtleties, nuances, and finer things that bring a living space to life.

So to my own mother, and all the other magnificent moms in our great city of Vancouver.

Thank you.