Are you keeping it together? Many of us aren't...

I try to take notice when the same issue or topic seems to be coming up a lot in my life and my work. It can feel like a big tap on the shoulder from the Universe that maybe a lot of people are struggling with the same thing, and perhaps it would be helpful to talk about it a bit more here on the blog.

And that is exactly why I am sharing today's article. 

So what exactly do I mean when I ask "are you keeping it together??"  Maybe you, too, are flustered by things scattered around and feeling out of control...

Oftentimes when we are overwhelmed by our STUFF--all of our possessions, papers, pantry items, you name it--it is because of how we store them. We are scattered because they are scattered.

You see, it is really easy to make the mistake of storing similar or identical items in many different places all over our house. Things aren't together, like at all. 

Let me explain how this creates problems for us:

For example, you are a tea drinker & you have a stash of your favorite blend right next to the stove where you heat the kettle every day. You also have a few different boxes on 2 or 3 shelves in the pantry across the room....

 OH! and there is also some that you bought a while back (just to be sure you wouldn't run out) on the shelves near the basement steps.

When your supply near the stove gets low, you find yourself at the grocery store buying more because you aren't sure if you really have more in the pantry. And you probably have completely forgotten the boxes on the basement stair that are getting older and more stale by the minute. 

This scenario could be repeated for many, many different items we keep on hand in our homes. It seems especially true for food items, but it can also be the case for things like lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, sewing notions, scrapbooking items, office supplies....you name it! Not being able to see at a glance the total of what we have and not knowing there is a central location where they are kept leads to confusion, lack of clarity, the wasting of time, the wasting of money .....and, of course, clutter.

Your assignment this month is: 

1. PICK ONE category of things you know you have scattered in various places around your house
2. COMMIT to one central location where these things will now be kept (preferably very close to where they will be used) and
3. PUT THEM ALL IN THE SAME PLACE.

This can be as simple as finding all of the cans of soup you have on different shelves in your pantry and making sure they are stacked together. Set a timer and devote just 15 minutes to this this weekend.

HOORAY! I hope that this simple idea helps in many ways around your home. Taking small, manageable steps toward keeping like items together can be the beginning of big meaningful change. :)

It can take a little while...and that's ok.

Yep. That's the wall above the little sofa in my sitting room here in my house. 

The blank wall. 

Sometimes known as the blankety-blank wall.

The room has been finished for months. Well, mostly finished, except for whatever is meant to be hanging over that damn loveseat. 

For the holidays and our Holiday Party there was a lovely fresh wreath there that made my heart sing.  Everything I have tried hanging on that lonely, empty nail after that beautiful evergreen thing faded and browned...well, not so much. 

I am writing this today to let you know (and remind myself) that this. is. okay. Sometimes these things can take a little while. Rooms are built over time, after all, and I have learned that when an element in a space (or in my life, for that matter) isn't falling into place the way I would like it to, I just have to have faith and wait.

As frustrating and boring as sitting around may seem, most often I find in these situations something really great--a creative idea, an ingenious solution, an "oh WOW" element-- is waiting to be born...and it just isn't time yet. 

Rooms and houses that really say something about their inhabitants, and the ones that truly nurture the people that live there, rarely happen all at once or on a strictly imposed schedule. Spaces that are forced into being finished can look more like contrived furniture store vignettes, and nothing at all like a home that is alive with soul and personality. 

So, if something doesn't feel right in your house--you aren't sure how to proceed & nothing seems to be clicking into place right now--just wait a tick. Something amazing is sure to be around the next corner, a complete "YES!" that was totally worth waiting for.  

How do you know what your next step is?

Having just moved her family back to the area, my client was settling into a new house and wanted to create a feeling of home again. Her goal was twofold: She wanted use items that had worked in her old house, and also figure out which ones no longer worked in the new space.  

That’s where I come in! (I love this type of challenge!)

Let’s look at the three steps we used to make great progress in her house. Taking on any project all at once can be daunting but breaking a project down into bite-sized morsels makes it easier handle and more fun...

Let’s take the first step: (Form & Function)

First, you must decide what items can stay and which ones need to GO. :)

Of the items in the above photo, my client knew she wanted to keep the green sofa—although the color had always been a challenge. She also liked the area rug, and the piano. The off-white loveseat in the foreground felt old and tired, so we knew that piece could go. 

She wanted to use the room as a quiet place for reading, relaxing, and enjoying the fireplace, which meant that lighting and comfortable seating would be important. 

Next, Step Two: (Major changes/Purchases)

This is the part of the project where construction or other major changes to the room would take place (if needed). If you look closely at the photo, you can see that we selected a new wall color to help the stone of the fireplace and the green of the sofa work better together. After this new color was up, the room really started coming together.  

We placed two new, cozy chairs (not pictured) across from the sofa. They are for conversation or for curling up with a good book. We also added a new ottoman to act as a coffee table or a place to put up your feet.

 And Step Three: (What I call the “Top Layer”)

Step Three is SO important, yet, it is the one where most people give up and stop before the room is completed.

If rooms were conversations, this step would be the moment when whomever you are talking with finally gets a point you are making, and suddenly exclaims: “OH, NOW I get what you are saying!!”

The Top Layer is the finishing touch that sets the room apart. By adding decorative elements that really show your style, you make the room feel uniquely YOURS.

My client loves color and funky accents, so I knew the bold pillows, the colorful, textured lamp, and new prints echoing the color scheme of the house would make her happy! Note how the orange accent wall down the hall in the background now feels a part of this room, as well.

I love it when the whole house gets along. :)

So, which step is next for your house? Are you at the beginning, figuring out the function and form the space should take? In the middle where you are finding new elements to put the pieces of the puzzle in place? Or at the end where you are adding the accents that complete the thought? 

Each step is so important and builds on to the next. Hopefully now you can see more clearly what is next to make your space really feel good and function beautifully for you and those you love. 

Snapshots from My Trip To Maine

Earlier this week I returned from a six day business trip up to Maine...

I have to admit, I have to pinch myself when I am there--I can't believe I get paid to be in such a beautiful place, working on an absolute treasure of a historic house.

On my morning runs, I snapped these pictures so I could share with you the lovely ocean views with the sun just coming up...

and a couple of the other cottages that are in the neighborhood--or "on the neck" as they say up there. :)

One charming old house after the next...

(Yes, even when they are this big, they are still called "cottages." :) )

Back at Seaview, the house I am working on, there was much to do this trip. 

I have been working on this house for two years now, and it is amazing to see how things have changed, how much better the house functions now, and how much more comfortable it is for my clients. The rooms are, one by one, being redesigned (you can see my post on the billiard's room, which was finished last year at this time, HERE) and showing off more of their historic beauty, accentuated with fresh new paint and furnishings which compliment the antiques that came with the house. 

The photo above shows the new paint downstairs, and the old paint on the balustrade and on the upstairs hall. When I return in June, this will all be finished (God willing!) and new lighting will highlight artwork on the second story.  Also, you can see the Billiard's room in the background, its furniture all covered up for the off-season and construction. 

Of course, I can't show you pictures of the house without at least one snapshot showing off my favorite Gothic windows:

In the downstairs powder room, the Gothic arch is repeated in the beautiful antique mirror.

My clients, The Townsends, have become some of my closest friends. Here is a picture taken at our celebratory dinner the last night of the trip. 

(I have a new short haircut...just in case you didn't recognize me. :) )

I look forward to sharing before and after pictures and more details of the project with you later this summer. Can't wait to go back in just two months! 

I'm going to ask you to try something new...just for a little while

I’m sure this is a scenario we can all relate to:

It has been a crazy, busy, tiring few weeks, and there is A LOT to do around your house that you haven’t had a minute (maybe not even a second) to get to.

The front hall is a mess, the sink is full of dishes, the laundry hamper is overflowing, and the piles of mail are teetering, threatening to topple and scatter all over the floor.  Maybe the refrigerator even smells.

What is the FIRST thing you do?

Now, be honest.

 Sure you could dive right in, tidy up, wash up & straighten ‘til things shine again. But I would be willing to bet you start somewhere else…

More often that not, it seems our first step when we are overwhelmed and tired is to start by criticizing ourselves –sometimes really maliciously--for not keeping on top of things, for not being perfect.

YUCK.

But this month, I am going to ask you to try something new.

For the next 30 days, I want you to check in with what you are saying to yourself, and stop dead in your tracks if you are being mean or judgmental.

Your homework for this month is to start with love.

When you start with negativity (and we often aren’t even aware that we are doing this) we are directing our energy towards what we DON’T want, and actually making things worse. We wouldn’t encourage a child by tearing her down, so why do we think this will help us to create a better outcome for ourselves?

SO, start with love--whatever the task.

If you feel upset or overwhelmed, take a deep breath and say out loud:

“I am starting with love.”

It IS the MOST powerful force in the universe, after all. :)

You will be fueled to get things done quickly, & peacefully and have energy for so much more as well.

In order for your home to be a place of caring and nurturing, it cannot be a yardstick by which you measure your worth or with which you flog yourself for not being perfect.

Easier said than done, I know.

Just remember—for the next month, start with love. 

That's what I am going to do--and I am sending love your way, too, dear friends!