Summer Solutions

When Summertime hits, we want to be outside; a few minutes of fresh air and sunshine seems to make everyone’s world feel so much brighter. If we’re lucky, our thoughts drift to daydreams, and we remember to look around us a little bit more; absently wondering about the universe, instead of rushing around and complaining about what we should, or shouldn’t, be doing next. I like to believe that Summer is nature’s way of telling us to take a break, and slow down a bit.

Of course, I know that it isn’t all sunshine and daisies, and sometimes our outdoors is not what we would like it to be, but waiting until we have the perfect space is to deny ourselves a whole lot of happy moments. Instead of worrying about what we don’t have, why not adapt what we do, tweak it a bit, and enjoy that extra dose of Vitamin D (see, it’s even healthier to be outside!). Here are my favorite items for getting the most out of any outdoor space.

A round table with a pedestal base – Will comfortably seat four, six at a squish, and takes up very little room.

Mirrors, crystals, wind-chimes etc - Adds energy, and extra space, by creating movement and reflecting light.

A sturdy bench or trunk – Useful as a serving piece, a display area, extra storage, and a place to sit on.

Candles, lanterns and fairy lights - Makes an outdoor room feel warm and cozy (and practical).

Plants - Let these be your go-to item (the garden equivalent of the little black dress); they will soften any corners, add texture, color, and hide the bits you don’t want to see.

Height – Not technically an item, but so necessary to add scale and interest. Use your accessories to go up (hanging baskets, lanterns in trees, tall screens or trellises etc).

Your personality - Probably the most important item of all. Don’t forget to bring some of yourself outside with you. Add a few books, your favorite color, an ornament, or a blanket for when it gets cold…

English Thoughts Abroad

There is something very iconic about the Union Jack. Of course, all countries have flags, and many use them as promotional souvenirs and symbols of patriotism, but I think that the Union Jack may be the most decoratively used flag.

While reading an article about a popular British model, I was struck by a beautiful vintage flag that she had in her New York apartment (a Union Jack, loosely pinned up on the wall, implying that it wanted to be a headboard).  My mind fell in love, and I had to see what other Interior Designs I could find that were inspired by this graphic favorite.

I suspect the bold graphic has a lot to do with its visual appeal, but I also like to think that it (subliminally) fills our minds with thoughts of royalty, tradition and a murky reminder to move forward, hold our heads up high and carry on.

In this children’s room, it is nestled between the two beds; echoing the preciseness of the design, but (thankfully) adding a bit of personality, saving it from being just a little too sweet.

Perfect for almost any room, it evokes a certain nostalgic, pop-art vibe that is the muse for many designers. English designers in particular, are well known for incorporating the flag into their fashion, and some have even stepped into the Interior Design market, creating exclusive pieces for an elite list of clients.

This rug, by Vivienne Westwood, is fabulous in this home. The casualness of the setting totally belies the expense; it manages to feel a little undone, but enormously grand at the same time.

This rug is definitely another item for my designer bucket list!

Thanks to Vivienne Westwood for always providing inspiration, and The Rug Company for their gorgeous designer rugs.

Home is not a home without...

This week, I am happy to post a piece written by Sue West. Sue is a professional organizer whose company, Space 4U, specializes in helping people to downsize, organize and simplify their personal and business lives. In this excerpt, she writes about how to cope with clutter during a time of major change.
As a special treat, Sue is offering a free copy of her book, Organize for a Fresh Start: Embrace Your Next Chapter in Life to one of our readers. Just submit a comment (make sure we have an email address for you) and all names will be put into a hat for the drawing. My daughter will choose the lucky winner, and you will be notified next Friday if you have won! 

External clutter is often a symptom of internal clutter. The mail that’s piled up is because your child was just diagnosed with a learning disability and you’ve got a lot on your plate now. Or your mom now needs caregiving and you’re trying to figure out how to make her a priority, and still give your all to your family and your business. Or a room no longer has a purpose. Or it has too many purposes going on at once.

Major changes and life transitions often bring on distraction, intense emotions and some overwhelming feelings. And when that happens, whether the change has been of your choice or foisted on you, our stuff and our time can get a bit out of control.

The good news is that reorganizing is cathartic, not just for your physical stuff, but also for your internal, emotional or psychological "stuff." The organizing makeover—that big change you make in the beginning—can be quite a journey: one that is cathartic, sentimental, and treasure-laden. It can be a very useful processing time that helps you deal with the changes you've gone through or are transitioning into.

Once you’re on the other side of that life change, you will think differently about how you use your time – what’s important now – and you’ll think differently about which belongings are most important to have around you. You’ve changed inside and gained new clarity.

The Journey Starts with a Tour

As you prepare to physically reorganize your house and your belongings, you’ll start by taking a tour of your own home. Bring your notebook or your camera because as you tour, you’re going to decide which belongings truly make home feel like home. You’ll want a record of this to help you move forward, after the tour.

Sit or stand in each room and acknowledge what specifically makes the room feel like home to you. This will be your first cut at identifying what stays in your life and what you may be ready to let go of, as you move into your next chapter. 

Each room has had a purpose in the past, but each room can have a new purpose now. Use the questions below to help you decide which items from the past are still part of who you are today and which items are not so anymore. This reorganization is about having your home reflect who you are now and who you are becoming. We need to make physical space for current and new interests. You may not know what they are yet, but you will, soon enough.

Questions to Ask Yourself

What do you see? What do you notice first (and why?)

What kind of energy do you feel in this spot?

What's in place? Out of place?

Which objects have good memories associated with them?

Which things do you not really see anymore?

What did you love – awhile ago – but now feel differently about?

What activities used to occur here and don't need to anymore (but the stuff is still located here)?

How would you like this space to be?

Do you need space for something which is wedged in somewhere else in the house currently (“I wish I had space for …”)

Do you enjoy the color scheme, décor, and lighting? Is it still your tastes?

It's a pretty exciting journey if you're ready to get on board. So enjoy it and don't rush it. It's the journey, not the destination; the destination may change, as you make the journey if you let it.

 - Sue West, certified Professional Organizer and Organizer Coach 

If you give a Mom a minute,
      she'll want a cup of tea and a magazine.
Reaches for her favorite mug,
      but starts to unload the dishwasher instead.
While putting away the dishes,
      she rearranges the cupboards.
Decides to put some dishes aside for a garage sale.
      Calls her friend for advice,
but forgets to ask about garage sales.

Goes to the toilet, and notices the shower is dirty.
      Sprays and scrubs the shower stall,
while she reorganizes the body scrubs and shampoos.
      Throws away expired medicines,
and cleans the bathroom cabinet.
      This reminds her to call the Pediatrician.

On the way downstairs to get the telephone number,
      she notices the floor needs vacuuming.
Gets the vacuum cleaner,
      and sees all of her handbags.
Distracted, she starts to look inside them.
      Throws out a a pile of old lists,
seventeen hair ties and a melted lollipop.
      A dirty cigarette packet,
but knows she doesn't smoke.
      Puzzled, and embarrassed,
she remembers picking it up off the lawn months ago.

Thoughts of smoky handbags remind her to wash the laundry,
      and she forgets to call the Pediatrician.
As the laundry spins,
      she begins to tidy the cellar.
Makes another pile of things for the garage sale,
      wondering why on earth she agreed to do it in the first place.

The laundry done, she hears a drip,
       but decides to ignore it.
Folds the laundry, opens the mail,
        and fills the tea kettle with water.
As she waits for it to boil,
       she absently wonders why the water is still running.
Perhaps the washing machine has turned back on,
       or maybe it is starting to rain.
A lot.
     
She hears more noises in the cellar.
     The cat is crying, and the phone is starting to ring.
So she just stops listening.
     Her child is sick,
and she must be picked up immediately,
      if not sooner.
Before she hangs up,
      she is sweetly reminded that she has to bring four decorated cakes,
473 dark blue napkins and 8 dozen bottles of water to school.
Tomorrow. By 7:30am.
      It's Children Appreciation Day.
Oh, and don't forget -
      no gluten, no sugar, no peanuts, no dairy and no mushrooms.

She drives to the school,
      brings her child home, and puts her to bed.
With a bucket.
      Which reminds her of water,
and the cat.
      Marooned on a shelf,
he is watching as the water steadily laps around the basement floor.

Calling the Plumber reminds her that she never did drink that cup of tea,
      so she decides to turn the tea kettle on,
                       and take that minute....


(Written by me, but inspired by Laura Numeroff's wonderful books for children).

Hang-ups

Have to confess, there was a time when you could barely see my living room walls; if I could put a nail through it, or find a gizmo to attach it to, everything  got hung up. Not sure where this obsession came from, but I think, initially, it was because my house was small, and I wanted to display my ever-growing collection of vintage hats and clothing. But, honestly, I also know that I saw my walls as an endless opportunity, a blank space just waiting to be decorated.

Years later, I continue to cover my walls; moving things around to fill a corner that needs a little something, or hanging a new item that I might find at a flea market. I justify my actions by telling myself that there is a practical side to what I do, and that I am providing homes for things that otherwise would be lying in a cupboard, unappreciated. And, with that delusional thought, here are some of my favorite "hang-ups" for you to share.

Unfinished Wooden Peg Hooks, like the ones in the main photograph (above), can be used to hang just about anything. Easily painted or stained to match your home, I have used them for handbags, coats, towels, necklaces, scarves, clipboards, belts etc. (Found in most craft stores and Flea Markets). 

Safety Cup Hooks are larger than regular cup hooks, and have clever little spring-catches at the top that prevents the cup from falling off. Find them at your hardware store, or on-line. (I have had mine for over 20 years now, and they are still as good as new). 
                          


Binder and Bulldog Clips. So much stronger than you think, and only limited by your imagination. Here, they have used them to hang boots and label baskets, making a great entrance-way look organized and stylish for very little money. 

 

And, finally, one of my favorites, the cork-board. Perfect for inspiration, miscellaneous business cards or just a few things you want to
keep, but don't quite know what to do with.....


 

Furniture Maneuvers

A desk in the office, a dresser in the bedroom, and a hutch in the dining room. This is the way most of us live, and all of them are perfectly logical choices, but what if we decided to change it up a little?

Redesigning a home is so much more than moving furniture and displaying your favorite things. It’s about seeing what isn’t there, and imagining what could be. To believe that a piece of furniture has a single place and purpose is  limiting its use, and denying you and your home a whole lot of fun (and function).

When you take a piece of furniture out of its natural environment, not only does it continue to be useful, but it also appears more important, and the room that it is moved to becomes far more interesting. Take the photograph here for example; if that desk were in an office, it would look very pretty (but obvious). By placing it in the Living Room it continues to be a very practical piece, but it also brings an extra dose of personality to the corner.

To be fixated on what we “should” do, restricts what is possible. Why not:

- Have a desk by a window in your kitchen, a corner in your Living Room or on your sun porch during the Summer?

- Move a hutch or china cabinet into a large master bedroom or family room. Display your family treasures in it, fill it with books, or take out a shelf and tuck a small television inside.

- Use an end table, or vintage trunk, as a nightstand.

-  Put a dressing table by the front door. The mirror is perfect for last-minute-checks, and the drawers can store gloves and hats.

When you have time, take a few moments to think about your furniture – they are, after all, the ultimate working accessory.

Thanks to Janie Hirsch for the beautiful photograph (check out her portfolio, it is very inspiring).

Clutter Control x 3

We all know what clutter is, but do you know that there is visual clutter around us that can be eliminated on a daily basis? Easily, with no stress. These three ideas will make your home feel less cluttered, today, without any effort at all.


- Keep your basic, disposable items clear or white (liquid/bar soap, paper napkins and plates, toilet paper etc). Your eye will always go to something colorful, so the less noticeable you can make the essentials, the more visual space you will create in your home. Promise.


- Go through your mail every day, and throw out all of the fliers and junk letters (no hesitating). This is a major stress for a lot of people, so to keep these bits and pieces in your home is a waste of time, energy and space. Try it for a few days, and you will be amazed at how much more relaxed it will make you feel.


- Give every single bedroom its own laundry basket/bin/tote/bag. So many people I know, complain that the dirty clothes never get picked up, or taken to the laundry room (even if it is right outside the door). This is the easiest solution that I know of. It will make everyone feel more organized, and, if it's not in, it doesn't get washed....

What is a Domestic Goddess anyway?

When I gave my very first dinner party, I followed the instructions to the letter. I bought exactly a quarter of a pound of green beans (like the recipe said). I counted them out; there were 23 green beans - I needed five each for four people, so I threw the extra three away. I was so concerned about making such a good impression, that I cannot remember the evening at all.

Years earlier, in school, we had to take Home Economics. For me, anything that took me away from Math and Science was a good thing, but gradually it started to feel too much like work. The cooking was the fun bit, but afterwards, we had to deal with the mess that we had made; washing dishes, cleaning ovens and putting everything away on neatly, labeled shelves. I know it took longer to clean up than it did to cook. We also had to learn how to sew (which I was miserable at, and still am) and study the anatomy of farm animals, all while being constantly reminded about manners and which fork to eat your fish with.

At the time, I didn't think I was really learning anything, but years later I found myself thinking of little pieces of advice that my teacher had given me. Of course, there were practical things, like, "Always use sheets and blanket's that are made from natural materials", "Take your time..." and, my favorite, "Never bang your whisk on the side of the bowl, always tap it on your hand". (None of us ever knew why that mattered, but I still never bang my whisk on the side of the bowl without cringing and thinking of my teacher). 

Several years ago, I decided to contact my Home Economics teacher. A couple of letters and a phone call became an afternoon, and a visit turned into a friendship that I now treasure. Her home is quietly beautiful and comfortable, and there is always hot tea and something sweet waiting for us when we visit. We sit with her and her husband outside in the rose garden, and we talk about where our lives have taken us. We laugh about banging the whisk on the side of the bowl when I was 13 years old. Life has moved on, but her priority is still having a loving home that people want to return to.After I had visited her recently, I went back to my mum's house, we talked as I helped her hang the laundry on the washing line.
"Don't you just love my new laundry basket?" mum said. "I had to buy it the minute I saw it. I know it's not practical (it was a small, wicker basket with a blue and white lining) but it makes me smile when I put the washing in it, and that's all I care about!". I knew what she meant.

When we had finished, we sat on the deck with a glass of wine and a piece of warm cake. The cake was a bit dry, but we had made it fresh that afternoon, so it really didn't matter at all. We wondered, outloud, about what we should do next; maybe we should re-pot the hanging baskets, or prune the tree, or maybe just walk to the beach and look for shells.

That afternoon, two amazing women made me realize that being a domestic goddess wasn't about the perfect house, or counting your green beans, it was about creating a home filled with love.... 
Photograph from Rosemary Washington's Blog

Transitional Decorating

Sometimes, we have to change our homes because something happens that we didn’t expect.
A lost job, a bereavement or illness, a divorce……We are left with bits and pieces of what we used to have; the task of sorting through memories, adapting our surroundings and making a new list of things that we never even asked for. It can be very overwhelming.
When we are forced to change, it never feels good, but there are ways to guide us through it.
 - Ask for help. If you need to sort through someone else’s personal belongings, don’t do it alone. The emotional connection may be too difficult.
If you are not ready to get rid of anything, and you are not rushed for time, just leave them for now. Stay in touch with friends, journey through your grief, and let them know when you are ready.
- If you are downsizing, try to be realistic about the amount of furniture that you will need. Keep the better quality pieces, and measure your new space (and your furniture) before you move (doors and hallways may be narrower than in your old home). Take a note of your new floor plan, including closets and extra rooms, and try to pack accordingly. Consider a garage sale, or donating to a charity that re-sells/uses the items. Children may find it even more difficult, so let them keep what is really important to them, and store the rest temporarily. This way they can “visit” their things, and make decisions as they get older.
- Blended and divorced families create their own paradox of opposites, ending up with homes that are both over-filled and half-empty. If you are combining two households, try to compromise the sentimental and the practical before moving everything in. It is much easier to do it this way, rather than have 9 people, 6 sofas and 3 refrigerators standing in your living room (for more information about how to blend homes, see this blog).
An almost-empty home is an opportunity (even though it may not feel that way at the time) to totally please yourself. Don’t rush your design decisions. Of course, buy what you need and love, but the space will feel differently when you are alone, and it may take a while for you to adapt. Time will allow you to see what you want, what you must get rid of, and how you want your home to behave.
As someone who has an emotional attachment to almost everything that I own, I write this week’s blog holding my breath, but knowing that we are so much more than our things….

Many thanks to Laura and Rob of  Sisbro Studios for the absolutely beautiful photograph at the top of this page.

Living in your Rooms

A seat by the fire, a table for your lap-top, a mantle for the cat, and notes hanging from a defunct light fixture. No matter how pretty a room is, it has to function for who you are right now, giving you what you need to enjoy where you live.

Many of us are tremendously lucky to have more room than we need, but often, we don't take advantage of that space. We have spare bedrooms filled with things that are waiting "to be put away", or a living room overflowing with remnants of a life that we lived 10 years ago. Wouldn't it be great if you could store things there that you really needed, or have a lovely living room that you couldn't wait to sit in?

I know it takes a lot of time to undo these things, but the pay-off is worth far more than we realize. Keeping things that we don't use, want or need, and having spaces that don't nurture our current way of living, is a waste of who we are, and what we have.

Next time you have a few moments, take a wander around your home, especially the places that you don't use very often. Take note of what you have, and make a list. Sit down and ask yourself why those things are there, and if you still need them. Write down what you wish you had instead, and what is really important to you. Then, figure out what you can do to change it. Here is a (fictitious) example to get you started.

THE LIVING ROOM

China cabinet and buffet filled with wedding china and silver. Two sofas and a chair. A big box of toys. Ridiculously oversized, dried flower arrangement. A dining room chair. Collection of crystal elephants.
Why are they there?
I haven't redecorated this room in over 10 years. Brought in the dining room chair last Christmas, and forgot to put it back. My son used to play with his toys in here when he was little (he is now 15). It is my ex-husband's collection of crystal elephants (I got custody of them in the divorce). I bought the dried flower arrangement at a flea market in Woodstock, NY. It was handmade by a woman who looked like Janis Joplin (my favorite singer) and it was so big I had to tie it to the top of my car to get it home.
Do I still need them?
No. My son is grown, I don't like elephants, and I can't be bothered to dust the dried flower arrangement.
What I wish, and what is important to me:
I want the room to be less cluttered, and for it to have things in it that I like now. I would like a place that feels more friendly when people come over. I want to be able to sit and drink tea, read a magazine and daydream.
What can I do to change it:
Take out the dining room chair, the toy box, the dried flower arrangement and the elephant collection.
Display my crystal giraffe collection instead.
Bring in a table (or two) for my cup of tea and magazines.
Display my current china and serving dishes in the china cabinet. Store the wedding china and silver out of sight, in the buffet.
Buy some fresh flowers at the supermarket. They can be changed all the time, and don't get dusty.

Be inspired to change your home to suit your needs as you go along. The apartment in the photograph above is just 400 square feet of carefully placed things that are well loved and lived.