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Every morning I wake up and go into the yard to check on all of my trees. It's pretty amazing what can show growth in just a day. After I explore the property, my partner Kelsey and I walk our dogs at the park for a half hour before coming back and making breakfast and coffee.

I feel like my daily ritual has always been about the same since I was a kid because I grew up around farmland. My dad has four acres of fruit trees that I used to eat from and I am so excited to see these trees that I planted become stronger like his.

I grew up ten minutes from where I live now. It was all strawberry fields and horses around us. I remember going to college and coming back home and just being shocked every time at how developed and unrecognizable it was becoming. 

I lived in San Francisco for around 8 years with a brief stay in NYC. I actually got into a bad woodworking accident that mangled my entire right hand and cut off two of my fingers. That sort of forced me to come back home because I couldn't work for so long. Even when I went back to work I was so limited in range of motion, that I had to build my strength back up.

I started building skateboard ramps. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I learned as I went on.

I eventually started building anything I could, which turned into me building electric guitars. One day I posted a video building my guitars on YouTube and a week later it had millions of views and I realized I had a business. 

I was very deep into building guitars and the guitar world in general, but every weekend I designed lamps and chairs etc. I realized quickly that I had to share some of these pieces with everyone as well, because I always resonated with spaces and design.

I think cutting my fingers off was the catalyst to really pushing myself harder and starting my own design practice. I had all the tools and resources already, so that is what I did.

I honestly always wanted to be an architect. I was even enrolled in architecture school when I was 18, but I got really scared that I wasn't absolutely sure if that was my end goal. I think the way things worked out, I would have been happy if I stayed, but I am also very happy now.

I would definitely go back to school for environmental architecture or urban planning! I think public spaces are so valuable in how they impact the community.

Kelsey and I love our home so much. 

The original late architect, Walter S. White, had so many amazing details put into this place. I hope I only accentuate them all further with my changes and pieces. I think it's important to consider everything while we live here, the people who were here before, and the overall initial visions as time goes on in this space. I think all of this is doable while weaving in our own personality.

I do hope to build a boat soon. I grew up near this huge lake and I always imagined going there. I think that will be a humbling process and the first voyage will be incredible. 

I am sort of planning a map for use and reason to walk every inch of the land. Essentially, deciding where recreation areas will be while planting around that. It is a lot of work to do and probably a lifetime project, but it will ultimately look amazing. 

Many of the plants are native, plus a lot of protea, and a lot of fruit. I am a fruit nerd and I obsess over what fruit can be grown here successfully. I have lychee, mango, avocado, peaches, persimmon, loquat, citrus, longan, mulberries, cherimoya and many types of guava. To top it off we have a bee box at the bottom of the hill with bees I pulled from our bathroom wall when we moved in. Come back in a couple years for the progress update!