ABOUT THE BLOG
This blog is my forum for presenting some of my projects, but also going into detail about the process I’ve used to think about how the projects should progress. The blog is split into the following categories: Lifestyle, Home Organization, Decorate & Design, Renovate, and Small Space Living.
Start with examining your dreams and goals in the Lifestyle section of the blog. Move on over to Home Organization to see how you can put some of those Lifestyle dreams into practice with an organized space. Then let the magic begin with Designing, Decorating, and Renovating. Finally, there’s a section for those of us who live in small(er) spaces but still want to live large! Enjoy!
Lifestyle
Are you creating a life by design, a life worth living, or are you just making do? Is this your perfect lifestyle? Have you even thought about what a perfect lifestyle looks like to you?
One of the key posts in this category of the blog is :
The first step in this journey is to look closely at your home – whether that’s a castle or a room. Does it function well for you? Does it support you? Or does clutter weigh you down and trip you up? You’ll want to really think about how you want to live in your space.
Once you’ve done that the next step is to think about your perfect lifestyle. What do you really want? How do you really want to live? What steps could you take to start that process along?
Again, I’ve got a series of questions to help you with that process.
Once you’ve thought about your perfect lifestyle, and you’ve evaluated your current way of living – please note the difference! – you’ll see that some of the things you’ve accumulated along the path you’ve been living no longer work in your life. For example, we all accumulate too much. I’ve been thinking about de-cluttering and all the reasons why we collect and purchase things and I’m sharing some of those thoughts and tips with you.
Ok, so now you are left with a vision and only the things you feel would support you in your new life. Wow – exciting!
Finally we can make a plan and create the space that will help you succeed in your new lifestyle. That’s where my skills and expertise as a decorator come in. Helping you create something special – a home that supports and cherishes and renews you while of course, being aesthetically pleasing. It’s a tall order but I rise to the challenge!
Join me on the journey to creating a life by design – a life worth living.
Home Organization
Home Organization can help create an organized home that you want to come home to. Your retreat from the craziness of life. An oasis. That personal place of peace in the midst of life. By focusing on your the way in which you want to live in your home you can put systems in place. These systems are to support you and help you succeed in your life.
But what if you home doesn’t function right? Doesn’t support you. Isn’t organized in a way that helps you get out the door on time. Or find that vital document you need for tax time?
I know what it’s like to have an organized home. On the other hand I also know what it’s like to have a home that has too much stuff. That is to say, too much clutter, too much of everything.
De-clutter! Get rid of the stuff that holds you back from a more organized life. De-cluttering and removing the stuff that holds us back is liberating.
Organizing your home to make it function better helps create a space that is relaxing and rejuvenating. Getting rid of items that we once bought, were given, or accumulated but no longer serves us or helps us is clutter.
Removing clutter brings clarity and purpose – move it on out of your life!
Join me exploring the issues surrounding our “stuff” and see how getting rid of “stuff”, be it physical items or paper clutter opens up space for new opportunities.
As we go along I’ll share the systems I have created to make my life more streamlined, and moreover, to make my home more functional.
Here you’ll find useful tips and ideas to help you feel more in control of your life and your home. We will look at de-cluttering, displaying collections, and discovering what’s meaningful to you. In addition we will explore what will support you in your journey and life.
For example, we will look at what your perfect lifestyle looks like, and moreover provide you with a roadmap to creating the home that supports the lifestyle.
Join me in my quest to make your home and mine work better through home organization – to create a home you want to come home to.
Design & Decorate
Have you ever wondered why some homes just feel right – cozy, elegant, and organized?
There are some secrets to this which I will share and show you how you can decorate and design and create a home that is uniquely yours.
We will discuss the ins and out of choosing the right materials, using the right colors, layering lighting, adding texture, and playing with patterns.
Paint can work miracles! We will explore the impact a coat of paint or wallpaper will have. As you know, color plays such a major role in how we feel. This is true about using color in a home. We will explore the emotions that colors evoke and how you can best use them at home.
Learn how to decorate and design your home using new materials in flooring, countertops, and tiles, rugs, and more.
We look at lighting and how that can change the mood of a room. Furniture placement and scale is also important to design for function as well as decorate for the aesthetic look for your home. By learning more about decorating and design you will be able to create a home that is uniquely yours.
Renovate
Who doesn’t want a gorgeous functional space that meets everyone’s requirements, uses new materials, and brings a fresh newness to a home? However, renovating can also be expensive, messy, and stressful.
Join me to see how you can make changes to your home without making major mistakes.
The upside is creating a unique space that is truly a home you love. Functional spaces that work. Materials that are durable, practical, as well as beautiful. In other words, learning which elements will make your home uniquely yours. Decorating and design is a journey.We will examine the elements that go into renovation projects from kitchen to bathroom, basement to bedroom. In addition, we will look at material choices, and design decisions.
We will explore flooring choices – from hardwood to laminate, engineered hardwood to vinyl flooring. We will explore carpets and rugs.
There are so many trends in tiles, countertops, and hardware these days. We will look at granite versus quartz, the pros and cons of using marble or limestone. We will look at other materials like terrazzo and glass. From backsplash to bathroom floors, from kitchens to entry halls and mudrooms.
Lighting can also have a major impact in how you feel and function in your home. By creating a layered lighting plan you can make a room function effectively both day and night.
Wallpaper is making a comeback. It’s not the same as it was in the 1980’s and early 90’s. It’s now hip, modern, and easy to install. Consider giving a room a fresh coat of paint and a feature wall of wallpaper. What a transformation!
In conclusion I want you to have all the information you need so that you can enjoy your renovation!
Small(er) Space Living
This section of the blog is for those of us living in a small home or a condo. Just because we live in a small(er) space doesn’t mean we don’t want to live as if we were living in a larger space.
As anyone who has lived in a condo or a smaller space knows space and storage are often an issue. When you see the condo empty it looks like there is so much storage but as our personal items move in with us, and, as we accumulate items over the years it quickly becomes apparent that storage is essential to trouble free condo life.
Storage – there is never enough!
How can you find more storage? I’m constantly asking myself this question as I too, have lived in a condo and now live in a small(er) space.
Lifestyle – does your home support the way you want to live?
Above all, think lifestyle….how do you want your space to look like, to feel, and to function? Does your condo need a makeover or a complete facelift?
Can you achieve some of that change just by re-evaluating your storage needs? No, then you will likely need to de-clutter – to clear away the things you no longer need, that no longer serve your desired lifestyle.
The best laid plans….
After that, your next step is to make a plan.
In a condo there are only so many walls that are available for storage. Are you wasting some of your storage opportunities with storage items that are low to the ground? Would built in storage work well in your condo?
Quick Fixes – Sometimes just improving the lighting and a fresh coat of paint can change how you feel about your space. In many older buildings there is no overhead lighting in the living room area. Can a layered lighting plan help improve the functionality of how you work/read/watch TV in the space?
Living in a small space doesn’t have to mean you are drowning in your items – by evaluating how you use your space, what your needs are, and how you can create “hidden” storage will transform the feeling of overwhelm into calm.
Join me to learn how condo living means you can live large in a small space.