Home designer Christina’s new husband, Thomas, is the first American-born American woman to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant.
He earned $25 million in funding from the MacArthur Foundation, which is a venture-capital fund.
Christina says her husband’s achievement was “one of the greatest moments of my life.”
“It has given me a great sense of accomplishment that I can never put into words,” she says.
Thomas’ first client was the home designer Lola Stryker.
“I remember thinking, ‘Why is there a woman in the business?
Why can’t we have a woman doing this?'” she says, explaining her belief in her husband and his vision for the future of home design.
Thomas also helped the wife of the late George Carlin win a MacArthur Award for “best presenter of a television program.”
“I think she has the right to be proud of that,” says Christina.
“The truth is that she has a lot to teach us, and I’m excited to be her guide and teacher.”
Thomas says he plans to teach other aspiring designers how to build their own homes.
“They’re going to learn from her,” he says.
Christina and Thomas, who live in Ontario, Ont., started working on a home design project together in 2002.
They have had four children together.
Christina’s clients include the designers of fashion magazines like Marie Claire and Elle.
She says she hopes to teach them how to create beautiful homes with little to no materials.
“We’ll build them ourselves,” she said.
Christina said she’s happy with the financial support her husband has received from the Foundation.
“He’s done it by himself, and he’s done all of it on his own dime,” she laughs.
“But I’m not the only one.
I’m a woman and I don’t have the money to pay for myself.”
Thomas is now in his 20s and plans to start a second home design career.
“My wife has the ability to do anything,” he said.
“She can do anything.
I can do whatever I want.” “
In my case, I’m the architect.
I can do whatever I want.”
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