Using What You Have

A Picture is Worth …Well, A Lot

June 8, 2012 by Erin Cochran

I think we all have had the experience of looking at a picture of ourselves and being a little underwhelmed …..

or surprised ….

and we can question some of our choices….

Most often we are being too hard on ourselves & noticing things that nobody else pays attention to anyway. Most of the time….

What most people don’t realize is how much photographs can help us with our houses. If you are struggling with a room that feels off to you, and you just don’t know what to do with it, snapping some pictures of the space can help you to get some distance — a change in perspective that can help you make decisions, see what is needed, and clearly see what is working and what isn’t. And now that most of us have a handy dandy camera on our person almost all the time, this is a tool that is so easy to use, but one that is often overlooked. Snap some pictures, take a step back to evaluate, and then use the pictures on your phone as a reference as you work on your project.

You will be amazed how much it helps!

Hilarious Bad Paid-For Photos via Ellen 🙂

Adding On Vs. Adding More (Yes, Your House Is Probably Big Enough)

April 12, 2012 by Erin Cochran

Do you lay awake at night dreaming of the large addition you want to put on the back of your house? Maybe you picture how grand and easy life will be, with sunshine streaming through new large windows, washing over the miles of new counter space in the renovated kitchen, acres of new closet space, and cavernous rooms that are large and impressive for family gatherings and holiday parties…..

However, there is the flip side to that fantasy–there are the inherent costs such a space would, ahem, add on –since any new space starts, of course, with the building of foundation, walls, and roof…and tens of thousands of dollars. And there is the additional cost of heating, cooling, and maintaining added space for years to come. In my experience, there are a lot of reasons NOT to add on, the most prevalent one being that it is, in most cases, simply not needed. If you feel that your house is lackluster and in need of more space, I challenge you to first make the most of the house you have so you can honestly say that more space is what is needed. A lot of times we have rooms in our houses that are seldom used, and other rooms that are completely underwhelming in function & design. Without examining our feelings any further, we respond to our discomfort and dissatisfaction by thinking we need more space. Creativity, good design, and the principles of living simply can make a “small” house live very large….SO, before you pay a builder a hefty deposit, we should examine how you currently live in your house and make sure that each space works as hard as it can for you and makes you swoon with its abundance of charm, beauty, and functionality.

Read the following statements and see if they are accurate truths about you and your house currently:

I (or someone in my family) uses each room in our house at least once a week.
I feel proud of the rooms I have and feel good when I spend time in them.
The rooms in my house relate well to one another, and there is a sense of flow throughout.
I think my house is beautiful and reflects who I am and how I would like to live my life.
Accomplishing tasks in my house is easy, since the spaces are well organized and well designed.

If you feel that all of the above statements are true of your house, and you are still ready to build on, then I would say it is the right choice. However, if you can’t say they apply to your situation, then I urge you to rethink things. It is easy to believe the lie that bigger is always better. Much like fine dining can be a wonderful, memorable experience compared to a button-popping, forgettable all-you-can-eat buffet, having a smaller amount of house that delights you with its attention to detail and fine materials can be so much more satisfying that a lot of house that bores you and costs you a lot of cash. Invest the money you were considering using for the addition to thoughtfully and intentionally improve your existing house, and you will have something of beauty, value and quality when you are finished.

Feeling cramped and uncomfortable in our current house often has little to do with the amount of space that is there, but rather how well the space is designed and appointed. Remember, you can only be in one room at a time–make the rooms you are in beautiful and satisfying to you, and your life will be the better for it.

Bloom Where You are Planted?

April 5, 2012 by Erin Cochran

About eleven years ago, I was wandering through the big box home store and stumbled upon some puny, sad little trees on sale. I stood there and wondered. Hmmm…..would those look nice? Not much to look at now….but maybe…..
With an infant and toddler in tow, I somehow hauled a couple of them up to the register, stuffed them into the minivan, and even managed to plant them before they died. Amazing.

Much like the house they were planted next to, they were humble things with humble beginnings, but I hoped that, despite their lack of pedigree, they would find a way to be the wonderful trees I thought they could be…someday.

This morning those crabapple trees weren’t thinking “well, I had better hold back. I’m nothin’ special afterall….”

Nope. Those pathetic twigs in plastic pots have become glorious trees that are proud to be in full bloom, perfuming the breeze and intoxicating each bumblebee that flies by.

So, how about you? Are you proudly blooming where you are planted? Maybe your home isn’t where you always dreamed of living, maybe it isn’t the style of house or the neighborhood of your dreams….but you can bloom there anyway.

When you arrive home each day, I hope you feel a sense of deep satisfaction and pride in where you live. I hope you feel that your home is beautiful and shows the world in some way who you are.

I hope you can put your feet up there, and feel that it is a place that helps you to become more of who you want to be. Have faith that with time, creativity, and proper nurturing the simplest of dwellings can become simply beautiful-plastic pots, twigs and all.

Buying in Bulk

March 22, 2012 by Erin Cochran

So, do you belong to Costco? Do you frequent Sam’s Club? Do you delight in having a year’s supply of toilet paper and canned beans at arm’s length at all times?

Shopping at these stores can be fun~ we feel we are saving money AND preparing for Armageddon all at the same time. How efficient! But because I spend a lot of time helping people manage the items in their homes, I would like to invite you to think about buying in bulk in a different way…

At this time there are two things of which I would like to remind you:

First, despite what the media may tell you, you are NOT a “consumer,” but a human being. Hopefully you know you are so much more than your ability to consume and accumulate…

Second, as you shop for your needs week in & week out, keep in mind your goal is not to run a storage facility, but to create a home.

via

If you are wooed by the thought of saving some coin, and made giddy by the thought of all that abundance right on hand at home, let’s think about the real costs involved in investing in palettes of paper towels and tons of toothpaste:

Carrying inventory (which is what you are doing, just like a store or factory) requires time…time to make sure it is stored properly, that it is used in a timely way, and that it gets used at all…it is easy to forget what is on those shelves way down there in the dark basement.
Carrying inventory requires space– space that could be used for other productive things, or enjoyed with other activities. How many of us feel our houses need more space? Create some elbow room by not having so much of it occupied by things you aren’t currently using.
Carrying inventory has a built-in percentage of waste–we are busy people with lots of things on our minds. There will always be a portion of things that we are storing that we simply forget about. We will buy duplicates. The product will get dusty, spoil, pass its expiration date or just become undesirable as it waits on the shelf. It will end up in the trash unused.
Carrying inventory ties up cash in things that aren’t currently being used, which maybe can make sense if we are investing in something like real estate or gold, but we are talking about things like shampoo and soda. Enjoy your money now, or put it in the bank so that it is there for a rainy day. Don’t tie it up in things that are readily available at the corner store that you won’t need for months, or maybe never at all.

Allow the stores to provide a wonderful service to you: let them store your stuff until you need it! You are right to think that your house is much like a factory or machine that needs supplies to run efficiently. However, from Benjamin Franklin, to Henry Ford, to current day Toyota manufacturing processes, it has been proven that efficiency does not include managing inventory, but rather what is called “just in time” or “lean” practices. We can employ these same ideas, and have less waste and more time to do the things we really enjoy.

The product our little cottage factories (our homes) should produce in abundance is comfort and peace, providing an environment that supports how we want to live. Don’t manage inventory, enjoy living!

Do I Dare Enter?

February 16, 2012 by Erin Cochran

Through the course of the week, I often can see a theme emerge in the frustrations I am helping my clients with….and this past week was no exception.

Just as we can be unaware of the impression given by some of our clothing choices, or unconscious of facial expressions belying our true feelings, we can also be blind to how the approach and entryway of our homes and/or businesses affect those entering it.

Fair or not, we do make judgements and assumptions…oftentimes without even being conscious of it. When we approach a house or place of business, all of our senses are giving us clues about how those who are inside feel about us paying them a visit. Is the front light on? Which door should I go to? Are they expecting me? Have they given me a clear, level path on which to walk? What is that on the porch??–trash waiting to go to the curb? Can they hear me knocking?

As homeowners, we often forget that how our visitors are welcomed when they arrive sets the tone for whatever event or exchange is about to take place. So is your home’s entrance more like a warm smile, hand extended or a disinterested glance over the shoulder accompanied by a gruff grunt?

Author and architect Sarah Susanka, in her book Not So Big Solutions for Your Home, states it so well: “The key is to think of entry as a process, not a thing. A good entry is a sequence of places, not simply a door….A well-designed entry provides a gradual transition fom the outdoors to the indoors, with attention paid to visitors at every turn…is there a place for them to stand, to take off their coats, and to adjust to being inside before they step into the living spaces of the house?”

(You may remember that last year, Revealing Redesign’s project house underwent a major entrance overhaul which totally changed how the little house welcomed visitors. It took a lot of thought and planning, but it was well worth the effort and expense. You can read all about it here and here.)

While there are many involved structural and architectural elements to a “good” entry, there are also very simple fixes that you and I can apply any day of the week. Because the entrance is, by its nature, a transitional space, it is often a dumping ground for things that were brought through the door, but not needed once inside–boots, coats, keys, papers, mail, backpacks, sports equipment–you name it. Outside it is often easy to overlook leaning brooms, piles of leaves, dead flowers, cobwebs, and tattered welcome mats that we pass by every day, but items not exactly welcoming to those who come to the door. Look at all of these things honestly and take a few minutes to spiffy it up. It can make a huge difference.

And as the person who comes through that door every day, it is even more important that the entrance is welcoming and functional for you. Do you have a place for all of those things that are so often dumped upon entry? A table for mail, a hook or dish for keys, a hanging spot for your coat? Do not take up precious storage space here for things that aren’t used frequently or needed as you walk out the door. Additionally, you should have some beauty in this space– a small piece of art, some cut flowers or a potted plant, something that reflects your personality and the spirit of your home.

Take a few minutes and think through what you want your visitors to experience when they come to visit. What expectations do you want to put in place? How do you want them to feel? Thinking these questions through is the way to intentionally create the experience you want–a welcoming entry sets the tone for a comfortable, nurturing home. If you own a business, creating a warm welcome can directly impact your bottom line– when people can graciously transition from outside to in and feel good about what they expect once inside, they will feel comfortable. When they feel comfortable and welcomed, they will want to come back again and again.

images: 1, 2, & 3

Won’t You Be My Vintage Valentine?

February 14, 2012 by Erin Cochran

These sweet old Valentines were given to my mother when she was in grade school in the late 1940’s-early 1950’s. She had saved every one she had ever gotten, I think. 🙂 I have had them set aside for years…just my most favorite ones I just couldn’t part with…
and I am so glad that I have them to share with you. My daughter was so upset because her class had voted NOT to exchange Valentines this year…you would have thought they had cancelled Christmas. She still very dutifully filled out one for each of her classmates last night, and muttered incredulously every few minutes about how she didn’t know how SOME PEOPLE would choose NOT to give Valentines!!…

I can’t wait to show these to her when she gets home from school today. So neat to see something that is from your grandmother’s life when she was a girl just your age…

Happy Valentine’s Day to you! Here’s to a day filled with love and sweetness…..and chocolate!

Arriving Home

January 25, 2012 by Erin Cochran

Each week I write about all kinds of things that have been rattling around in my head as I work with clients, from clutter to contractors to kitchen colors.

But no matter the topic, what I am always trying to say is this:

You deserve to live in a place that is beautiful to you, a space that speaks to your soul and makes you feel at home.

When you have such a place to go to at the end of the day– a place that helps you relax and restore–you have more to give to the people you love, and more to give to the world at large.

This important place (your home) is created one little step at a time (not overnight), it is created through keeping things simple (not by being fussy and spending a lot of money), and it is created by being honest with yourself about what things really make you feel good and therefore have a place in your space.

My challenge to you: find 5 things in your home that you love and make you feel good, and 5 things that you know drag you down. Make sure the lovely things are somewhere prominent–where you can enjoy them. The other 5 things need to go — their welcome is officially worn out.

The quaint & beautiful cottage paintings seen above can be found here and here.

Boredom in the Bedroom

September 29, 2011 by Erin Cochran

Well, I don’t know what you thought this post might be about…..
but boredom in the bedroom, whatever kind we may be talking about, is not to be tolerated!

Just this past week, something made me take an honest look at my own bedroom….and I began to YAWN.

Now, it wasn’t always this way. I have loved my bedroom and the things in it for a long time, but with all the other distractions, responsibilities, and things that just pull my attentions elsewhere, there hasn’t been any love given to the space for the past few months. When I took a step back and evaluated the state of things, the words “anemic” and “pathetic” readily came to mind–not really the vibe I was after.

It was time to get to work.

So, what about your Master Bedroom? Let’s talk about what a Master Bedroom should be, and what it should not.…

A master bedroom is meant to be a personal retreat from the world. When you walk in and shut the door behind you (and the door should preferably have a working lock~ ahem) you should be able to feel you are removing yourself from your day to day stressors and giving yourself space for quiet.
A master bedroom should not contain anything that pertains to your work. I have redesigned bedrooms for clients who reluctanly went to bed at night because the space had a desk piled high with things needing their attention. It was the last thing they saw at night , and it greeted them first thing in the morning. No wonder they looked so tired.
While the room should not contain things that irk you, it should contain things that delight your senses: soft lighting, a variety of textures (think satiny sheets and nubby chenille throws), colors that you find soothing, fresh (but not overpowering) scents, and flowers and /or plants that bring life and additional color to the room.
And, most importantly, a master bedroom should contain order. If you have a pile of stuff on a chair in the corner, not only will you not have a place to sit, but you will feel annoyed. Annoyance is so NOT serenity.

I am glad to say that my bedroom is no longer a snorefest.

I bought some wonderful 300 count sheets in a soothing hue, found a decorative pillow that picks up some of the detail in the headboard and adds a punch to the existing color scheme.