Tiffany Cassidy left California, a chemistry degree and a corporate job behind, sold what she owned and moved to St. Thomas in 2002. She and her husband David built a design practice there on a straightforward idea: that a beautiful house should also be an easy one.

Two decades of designing island homes taught her what the islands ask of a fabric. Sun that bleaches. Salt that sits in the weave. Doors left open. Rooms that have to look composed and still take a wet swimsuit. She started drawing prints because she could not find enough that met the brief.