New Year, New Closet!

In a quest to help you make small changes to create a better life, I am starting with a room that is probably the most ignored space in your home- YOUR CLOSET. Not only can making simple changes in this space help with your interior, but you can also make changes that can affect your wardrobe and both will help you organize your life.

First of all- It's not just a closet, it's a room... so, treat it like one.

courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

So, everyone may not see this room- but YOU do, and aren't you important? Of course you are, so why not give yourself something attractive to see while you are selecting your outfits for the day.
     1. Proper lighting is a must- you need good lighting to see what you have in your closet and since it's typically a dark space, it is always a good idea to swap your current fixture out. But while you're doing that anyway, why not make it fun and pretty? A mini chandelier or cool pendant can go a long way and doesn't have to cost a lot of money. If either or these options are not your thing and you have a little more money to spare, how about having a skylight installed or solar tube which will give you natural light during the day?

     2. Don't hate, donate- One of the easiest ways to organize your closet is to go through every piece of clothing you own and truly, and I mean TRULY ask yourself, "Am I ever going to wear this again?" Us women have the hardest time with letting go of our clothes that don't fit or that we rarely wear. We tell ourselves, "I'll get into that again," or "One day I'll have a special event to go to and I'll need that dress." Don't clutter your closet with the past! It's time to break free of your clutter and open your space for new opportunities... AND CLOTHES! It's hard to embrace your new size but keeping smaller clothing will not help you shrink any faster. Think about all of the women who are in need and can benefit from your old clothing that just sits in your closet doing nothing but taking up space. Donate your old clothing to your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul or Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization and help those who can really use what you just store! It will make you feel great and that's it's own reward.

     3. Color it up- Since this is a room- give it a coat of paint. What's your favorite color? What's that wild color that you've always wanted to try on your walls but were too scared to do? Use it in your closet!

  Whether a small or large space, a little color will work wonders on your mood, will help accentuate certain colored clothing in your closet and make "shopping" for your outfit that much more fun!

4. Organize your rainbow- One of the most efficient changes you can make to your closet can actually save you time in the morning when searching for your daily outfit. My daughters and I practice this quite anally, I must admit. Organize your closet by color by placing all tops of one color together. I further break down each color by succession of sleeveless, tank, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, then long sleeve top. It makes my life SO simple when searching for an outfit for any season. When it comes to a printed top, place it with the color that makes up most of the top.

I remember living back East when I was younger and then in my young adult life and, having grown up with the tradition of putting away the winter clothing in the summer and vice versa, I never realized how outdated a system that was. A tank can always be worn in the winter under another top or a short sleeve top can be worn with a shrug. The possibilities for creating new outfits are endless when it's all at your fingertips and well organized.

 5. Give your closet a personality- Have fun with this little hidden space. Decorate it. Print it up with wallpaper. Give it a crazy area rug. Add purple see thru shoe boxes. Go nuts! Be bold! After all, it's your space. Make it yours with a little pizazz. 

courtesy of marylandpinkandgreen.com

     6. Have an extra closet? Convert it- Are you lacking an much needed work area in your home? Consider using your closet. Measure the space for a desk, task lighting and the necessary organizational tools you'll require. If you are planning on using your desktop in here, have the nearest electrical outlet rerouted to your closet or easily use a laptop. If your closet currently has sliding doors, replace them with standard double doors and utilize the doors for additional storage like in the photo below.

courtesy of countryliving.com

This bright room above is one of my most favorite closet remodels because the otherwise dull, white room gets the biggest "HELLO" with this fantastic aqua print wallpaper and matching painted desk. They really had fun with this space and that's what this year should be all about! How can you not smile every time you work in this space? 

Small changes in the things you see can make large changes in the way you think and feel. Start with your closet and see where it can lead...

New You, New Room!

How many times have we heard it already..."new year, new you?" It's amazing to me that so many still continue to make resolutions, and I guess it's because you want something to believe in and that is always a great goal, but we tend to make so many goals that become unattainable because life gets in the way! We say we're going to lose 30 lbs. or take up yoga or become more organized. We get a gym membership, enroll in the classes and go out and spend $200 on containers and organizer tools with all of the pockets and gadgets to help you whip yourself and your schedule into shape. For the first few weeks the gyms are jam packed and you can see the steam coming from the regular's ears when they can't get on the elliptical machine for two hours. But they know that in just a few more weeks, the newbies start giving up. You begin having scheduling conflicts, begin eating a bit more of the good stuff and a bit less of the healthy stuff. You miss one yoga class, then another. You forget your binder, misplace bills and then go back to being your unorganized self. Life happens and then your life falls apart and you consider yourself a failure at completing those resolutions. You're not a failure, you've just set yourself up with way too much all at one time and there's a better system to slowly create lasting changes in your life. 

What always makes me excited about the new year are the new possibilities for design in my life and the life of my clients. I am always continuing my education and researching the newest styles in design, fabrics, furnishings and decor, allowing me to offer the most variety and innovation to my clients, because of our field is ever changing. The new year means the first major event in the design world is fast approaching- The World Market Show in Las Vegas. This year it falls a few days earlier than normal, beginning the last week of January and running til February 3rd. As always, I'll bring you all the hottest trends in the industry and ways to work the new trends into your current decor, so stay tuned!

The new year also brings the opportunity for a clean slate. It's usually the time of year that I begin looking around my home and start hating my decor because I'm itching to try something new. (It's the hazard of being your own designer, it never ends!) I can easily tell you all that it's time to throw out everything you own and redo your your entire home, but that's just not practical for most people and although it would be nice for some, is not necessary for most. Sure, you may have some outdated decor or furnishings, but how about this year we take it slowly? Let's make the most dramatic changes that give us the most impact, but let's do it with slow finesse and savor the changes (us Puerto Ricans call it suave). So often we say "out with the old and in with the new" and it happens so quickly that we forget to enjoy the transformation. The end result is the reward but the journey is what makes it meaningful. The weight loss is your ultimate end result, but knowing how hard you worked to achieve it (truly taking the time to reflect on that work you put in) makes it that much more meaningful and allows you to process just how much you want to maintain it so you don't have to go through that hard work again. 

Savor the changes slowly and you will be happier. Take the time to feel more positively about your life.  Do something fun and exciting that you will see everyday and make you smile. Sometimes the smallest change can create such happiness! Take your weight loss goals 5 lbs. at a time and reward yourself mentally for every small goal you accomplish because you deserve it! Change your hair color to something more vibrant! Buy a new shade of lipstick. Paint just one feature wall a bold color and coordinate just three accent pieces with that color into your room and give yourself an entire new look (I'll show you how in an upcoming post). Tackle one small area of your world that needs organization. 

For instance, buy an expandable file holder to put your bills in each day that they come in the mail. Label the first four tabs- 1st Week, 2nd Week, 3rd Week, 4th Week and the tab immediately after that label Next. As each bill comes in check the date that it is due and place it in the corresponding week that you must pay the bill. Try this trick to make sure you are never late- place the bill in the file one week earlier than it is due! When bills come in that are not due within the first month they arrive, place them in the Next folder and on the last day of the month, take all of those bills out of that folder and re-sort for the coming month. It's only one small change, but, if you commit to it for the month, you've just created one new habit and that's how dramatic changes start! That new hair color will change the way you look at yourself every day and cause you to want to do more. That new wall color will brighten your day every time you pass it by and cause you to want to make more changes that make you happy. A series of tiny changes can transform your life and if I have any resolution for the year, it's to help you SAVOR YOUR LIFE one small change at a time! Happy New Year!

Newlyweds, New Life, Shared Space

This week I had the pleasure and fun of working with a couple that are tying the knot in two weeks and just closed escrow on their first major purchase together- their new home! They called on me to help them plan their next space, but, being on a newlywed budget, were hoping to start the process of their potential remodel slowly!

One of the hottest trends for my company is the introduction of our D-I-Y Design Consultation. With this $350.00 consult I spend up to three hours in a client's home learning about them and how they use their space, assisting them with design questions and dilemmas, educating them about the proper ways to use scale, furnishings, layout, colors, fabrics, window, wall and floor ideas and decor. For those who hope to take a more active role in their remodel or those just getting started, this has become a great way to save money on the potential costly mistakes made when homeowners go it alone. For Nicole and Andrew, who needed to focus their money on their wedding, this was the perfect way to help them understand how to tackle "the meeting of the things!" You know... her things meeting his things and trying to blend them in their brand new space. For couples embarking on their first home together, this is the most common dilemma to address and often ends up in an argument about what should stay and what should go.

Since Nicole and Andrew were closing on their home a few days after our first phone consult, I asked them to both take pictures of their current living spaces. We discussed their likes, dislikes and things they hoped to keep and incorporate in their new adjoined space. This is the best first step and should be done WAY in advance of your move. Most couples "just do it" and then get a mish mash of clutter and chaos with two styles of decor that are completely different and often tacky together.

We then met together at their new space and began with the most important room of the home- the family room. (Aha, I bet you thought I was going to say the kitchen? Totally different perspective here). When planning a new interior room by room, I begin with the place that is most visited by your guests. Yes, kitchens are often the "hub" of the home, but you usually have to pass through the family room to get there and you don't often have new friends or visitors in your kitchen. When starting with your family room and then working outward, eliminating the rooms that guests will focus on most upon entry to your home, it takes away a lot of the "new home stress" and allows you to later plan the rooms that are more intimate and private, like your master suite.

Nicole is more of a Pottery Barn, easy living girl. She likes a combination of transitional, plush and comfy  furnishings and soft, lighter colors. Andrew prefers sleek, contemporary pieces but likes dark, masculine shades (of course). One would think there is not common ground to two styles that are such polar opposites, but that's what I'm there for.
Since Pottery Barn is Nicole's favorite haunt, I began there. This is her sofa- the Charleston...
It has a loose pillow back with rolled arms and a slip-covered body. It's soft and delicate and very, very beige. She has a few colored throw pillows on it for (my least favorite designer catch phrase...((wait for it))).... pops of color. Andrew has a sofa he bought at a contemporary furniture store in Seattle. It has a low back and chunky boxed arms. It's more structured and a medium charcoal gray color- very industrial feeling and not the most comfortable in the world, but he seems to sit in the same spot A LOT, because there is a massive dip on the right side of the seat cushion.

From room to room, their looks were distinctly night and day, except for the bedroom, where they both liked the same calming and simple mission style slat bed and plain side tables. Their aim was to focus on the family room, living room (which is not the same), kitchen and powder room (which was easy for them since they bought my new E-book ((shameless, but true plug))). Now, back to a few tricks they learned in their family room...

To create a good compromise between her love of plush sofas and his love of all things structured and sleek, I suggested they still purchase at Pottery Barn, but go for the PB Comfort Square Grand. For the color, I suggested Twill Seagrass. It's a great median between her soft color palette and his manly grays.
 This sofa has a loose cushion back but more structured arm in a box style and short tapered legs, making it a more modern transitional piece, but still comfortable. For a coffee table, I suggested this wooden Rhys table with apothecary style bottom drawers.
Again, it's sort of sleek but also warm wood, so it's a great mix, but to get a more industrial feel, I suggested these end tables to compliment the look.
Note: Your coffee table and end tables do not have to match, they just need to coordinate in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and doesn't throw off the balance of good scale in the room.

For paint colors for this room, I went with warm neutrals that were a combination of gray and green. They are soft, but also gender-less so they appeal to both of them. Here are a few examples that can work.


For an accent rug, I am loving this selection from www.homedecorators.com.
It has subdued gray green tones and a modern twist on branches that can appeal to both his and her style. Once the basics are done, selecting wall art and decor is easy. One of the largest problems that couples face is editing because they are use to having too many decorations or, in Andrew's case, adding, because he had too little. When adding decor, there really is no "less is more or more is better" routine. It depends on the individual space, the wall it's on and the quality and scale of the pieces you are incorporating. For some reason homeowners are under the impression that they must line every available area with decor? While you don't want bald spaces appearing in your home, you can pair down to less, more high quality pieces to showcase, rather than multiples of stuff everywhere!

After giving them a list of places to shop, selecting color schemes, a change in flooring, helping them measure and understand the "why" behind a lot of what us designers do when planning a room, Nicole and Andrew were set free to explore taking on their new home. I'm excited to see what they do and look forward to the pictures. Congratulations to Nicole and Andrew S. of Chandler, AZ on your new life together and your new stylish space! If you need a bit of designer help to create your perfect space, contact me for your D-I-Y Design Consultation. Live outside of AZ? I have a plan for your too!