Fall Design and Organizing Classes

New classes are here for the Fall!
Click to register, or email me for more information.

Thank you (and thank you to Tim Walker for the fabulous photograph above)

New Ways with Old Homes

I was reading a book the other day on how not to look old; the fact that I was even reading it speaks volumes, but after turning fifty I entered that magical place of being technically older (whether I liked it or not) and feeling like the universe had made some type of horrible mistake. I thought that I wasn't quite old enough to be fifty, and I still had so much left to do. Even though age had never bothered me at all, I felt like all of a sudden I had a sign on my head announcing that I was older, and maybe it was about time to start acting accordingly.

So, I bought a book, and basically, the book said that we should ignore the number, try to stay youthful in our ideas, have a sense of humor, and prop up (prettily) all the things that are falling down.

This got me thinking, and I realized that homes are very similar to people; there is nothing wrong with them having age and character, but they also need a small injection of youth now and again. So, with thoughts of botox (no, not yet) and hair dye (of course) in mind, here are a few ways to battle the old, gray areas, and bring a touch of vibrancy back into your own home.
                                                                           
FORMAL LIVING ROOMS

Old Way:
A curated, untouchable space for company and special occasions.

New Way:
Use it every day. Make it more cozy and welcoming by bringing in what you really need to make it livable. Mix up the styles, and add some casual, personal bits and pieces.

FAMILY AND TV ROOMS

Old Way:
The place where old furniture and everyday messes went to hide. Not a place for company.

New Way:
Mix in a few nicer items to perk it up a bit. Add some color if it seems a little dull. Tidy it up at the end of the day, and (if needed) be practical and add a decorative container or basket for collecting garbage.

BEDROOMS

Old Way:
Bed in a Bag (we've all done it before, but the fabric is usually itchy, no-one really wants a European Sham anymore, and they are really far more expensive than they should be).

New Way:
Choose your linens based on total comfort and personal preference, not your wall color.

KITCHEN

Old Way:
Covering the windows up with a decorative valance. Decorating the top of the cupboard with dried (and fake) flower arrangements, plastic ivy and wicker baskets.

New Way:
Lighten up the kitchen by removing all but the most necessary curtains. Banish any plant and food that isn't real, or can't be used. Your kitchen should feel warm, useful and alive, not dusty and fake.

CURTAINS AND DRAPES

Old Way:                                                              
Covering the windows with heavy valances, sheers and swooping curtains with tie-backs.    

New Way:
Remove valances and tie backs. Hang your curtain panels simple and straight. Take the curtain rod a few inches above and beyond the window frame to add height and light.  

FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES

Old Way:
Shop the showroom, and buy an entire room, or a matching set that goes with what you already have.

New Way:
Decide what you like (need?) before you go to the store, and, deliberately pick and choose items from different stores; your home will feel far more interesting if you buy it in pieces rather than all at once.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Old Way:
Defining yourself by a particular style. Being loyal to a brand, trend or an idea.

New Way:
Buy according to what you really like and need, not what others say and do. Be fickle in your choices, and let your heart and budget make your decisions for you.

p.s. The fabulous photograph is of Iris Apfel, a designer, fashion icon, and a great source of inspiration (age 93).

Fall Interior Design Classes

I am excited to be offering more classes through the Community School for the Fall and Winter months. We are once again having the Design Secrets series, as well as How to Stage (and sell) your Home, and a new evening class on easy ways to finally kick your organizing and decluttering dilemma's.
The first one begins in just over a week (Tuesday October 20th) with several more scheduled through the month of November.

A preview of the first two classes is above, but for more information, and a full schedule, please go to the Roxbury Community School link. Hope to see you there!

Skirts in my Kitchen

I love to wear skirts and dresses (although they do get in the way, and are not helpful at all when I really need to get housework and gardening done. I couldn't tell you how many times I have stood helpless as the vacuum cleaner hungrily wrapped my skirt around its manic spinning brush, never mind explaining how much damage a weed wacker can do to fabric before you can hit the off button). But, as impractical as my wardrobe can be, I enjoy it, and I wear it anyway, but dressing my kitchen in skirts is another matter.

Eclectic, bespoke kitchens are in style, and I am so glad that we finally want them to look like a room in our house, instead of an institutionalized afterthought for preparing food and opening take out containers. We want them to be homey and decorated, especially decorated; rustic, without being too countrified, and sophisticated without being cold and unwelcoming. And, we want the windows open and wide, preferably overlooking a scenic meadow, and we all want poured concrete and butcher block.

And, I couldn't be happier, because I think every room should be dreamy, and that kitchens deserve as much love, beauty and comfort as the rest of the house, but somehow, to me, having a fabric skirt in a kitchen just seems like going to the shops and buying a small headache; it's something else to clean, and a thousand more surfaces to attract all those random splatters and spills.

I honestly don't know how people stay clean in the kitchen, and if I had a zoom on my television, I would probably use it to see if that white blouse that she is cooking in is as spotless as it seems to be. Because I am such a messy cook. I cook and bake all the time, but I can't even wash a dish without sharing it with my fabric clad tummy, so I always wear an apron. And even my apron gets dirtier than I think it should. I am constantly wiping up, and my kitchen still isn't clean, so I can't imagine turning around and seeing fabric covered in goo that needs to be washed every time I get far too exuberant with the chicken and the flour.

So, I think, that as beautiful as some of these fabric laden kitchens are, maybe they aren't quite as practical as they want us to believe. Maybe the woman who lives there uses her oven for storage, or she has people to clean for her, or maybe, just maybe she does gaze out at the meadow in her clean, white blouse, and is a far neater cook than I will ever be....