Keep Taking Small Steps!

This week I came across this quote from one of my favorite authors, Martha Beck:

"Never in my life have I felt that I was doing big things. At most I can do a few small things before I have to lie down for a while. But it’s amazed me how these small things have added up over time."

This really hits home for me.

It is easy to feel that we are just getting by, putting one foot in front of the other--especially with all of the complexities that this year has thrown at us.

BUT all of these seemingly small steps really do add up to big things. That is why I wanted to encourage you this week to keep going. Keep doing "small things"--in your house and in your life-- because BIG, MEANINGFUL THINGS will be the result. :)

Time for a Retreat (BEFORE & AFTER)

An old soaking tub, a tired room, and the chance to refresh the whole space?

Yes please!

My client reached out to me because she knew it was time to rethink her old master bathroom—the one that had seemed so luxurious when the house was built decades ago—but now just felt really dated and cramped.

Large tubs (I know we have talked about this before) that rarely get used, take up A LOT of space in a bathroom— and this bathroom really needed that space back to create more elbow room and a lot more storage.

I got to work planning how the space could be reconfigured and rejuvenated—and here is the end result:

The room now has a lovely window seat, complete with LARGE drawers underneath that can store lots of toilet paper (so important these days!) and towels.

The vanity area which had frustrating cabinets and small drawers …

was replaced with lovely new cabinets that provide so much more definition and organization.

AND the shower area, which used to be a dark cave like space….(its behind the large mirror here)…

is now light-filled and lovely, complete with a bench to sit on.

Before the colors were dark and moody, and there was so little space to store necessary items…

but now the space is bright and airy, and we even carved out space from an adjacent guest room’s closet to create a new large linen closet! (*see the barn-style door below next to the toilet.)

Updating tired spaces like these are just a joy to work on, and I know that this room will bring so much ease, beauty and enjoyment for my clients for years to come!

A House Whisperer & Home Healer? Come along on a little house tour...

While I have been a House Whisperer for a long time (through renovation and redesign, I help clients give birth to homes that nurture and support the way they really want to live)...I have always dreamed of being a House Healer as well, and now that dream is coming true!

What is a House Healer, you ask ?? ☺️

Well, in that role I transform forlorn, down-on-their-luck vintage houses —preserving their character, and bringing them back to their former glory—while I also help the owners of these properties to move on to their next chapter, knowing that the house they have cared for for many years is going to be lovingly renovated and maintained.

Here is my one of my current project houses soon to be the first Revealing Redesign Rental!! Come along for a tour!

Oh, that cottage up in Maine! {BEFORE & AFTER!}

Sometimes it is hard to believe that I have been working on the house up in Maine for close to 6 years now!

On this most recent visit, I really took a step back and looked at all that we have accomplished there...

Here is a fun comparison of one of the favorite spaces in the cottage--the huge back porch that has an amazing view of the mountains and ocean.

(Many a cup of coffee/ cocktail has been enjoyed in this spot! ☕️🍸🍷)

Above is the porch when we first started working on the house in 2014…

And here below is the porch as it is now—-with all new paint & rugs, furniture rearranged, artwork rehung and new accessories.

My clients tell me that everyone who visits LOVES the wall color and the feel of the room.

It is a lovely space for sure. 😊

This may be a little hard to explain... {BEFORE & AFTER!}

It is going to be hard to explain exactly how this space has changed...

But I am super excited to show you these BEFORE & AFTERS!!

My clients contacted me because they were frustrated with only having one single small hall bathroom in the upstairs of their old house.

Could they add a second one somehow?

--I had a feeling that not only could we add a bathroom, but that we could rethink things so that the upstairs rooms could be improved overall--

I noticed the maze of rooms that already didn't make sense, and we talked about reconfiguring the spaces so that they not only would gain a bathroom, but would create a MASTER SUITE, and no longer have to walk THROUGH one bedroom to reach another...HOORAY!!!

After sitting down at the drawing board, I came up with a plan that we were all very excited about, and one that would fit their original budget for the renovation.

So many good things could come from this new plan--both for their day-to-day use and enjoyment of the house, AND for their bottom line when and if they ever decide to sell!

Take a look at the photos and see all the exciting changes we made!

The space was originally a walk-through room that was used as an office—but couldn’t really be counted as a bedroom, since it had to be utilized as a hallway to reach the room behind it…

We recreated the space and made it accessible to the master bedroom, so that we could create an ensuite bath

--complete with double vanity, and large curbless shower which is so helpful to my clients who plan to age in place and have mobility challenges.

SO, you see this closet here? This would be the perfect place to put the toilet--wouldn't it??

That's just what we did.

This little alcove was the perfect spot to run the new plumbing for the toilet.

We also allowed space for a beautiful bench, to make getting undressed and drying off that much easier.

Another view of the original space.

On the other side of this wall was the master bedroom--so that is where we created a new doorway to access the bathroom....

The door at the left is that door...

We reused the existing door slab that had been on the old study doorway, so that we could hold on to the lovely vintage character that is so charming in this 100+ year old Swarthmore house.

The original entrance to the study/hallway that led to the back bedroom.

The small hall bath is on your left, the master bedroom on your right.

This is the newly reconfigured hallway leading to the back bedroom-- complete with new nook for bookcases and new lighting, so that this interior hallway would not feel like a cave, but rather like a welcoming destination in and of itself!

We decorated with special artwork and photos that my clients wanted to display :)

From a space that started out as a catchall awkward hallway & study, we created a lovely spa-like master bath retreat that will give my clients joy and so much value for years to come!