From Cold & Sterile To Warm & Inviting

woodbury before 2

Woodbury Before 1

woodbury before 3

When visiting the doctor, we would like it to feel clean, but not sterile... professional, but not institutional...

So, when I was asked to come in and help with Penn Radiology's new Woodbury, NJ location, the facility was brand new and ready to welcome patients....

but something was missing for sure. The "top layer," (what I call the very important decorative elements), was still needed.

hallway before

There were empty looking rooms, and long, bowling-alley-type hallways that needed some warming up.

woodbury after 6

Time to roll up our sleeves and get down to work! This top layer, which can seem frivolous to some, really pulls everything together and makes a space feel completely different--as you will see here:

woodbury after 7

Using the colors that were already in place, I selected artwork that was soothing, and would give patients a new "view", especially in rooms that had no existing windows...

woodbury after 2

woodbury after 3

woodbury after 4

Bringing in table lamps provided additional sources of light that made the necessary florescent overheads less harsh...

hallway

hallway 2

The loooonnnnnng stretch of hallway that seemed endless before, now is broken up with beautiful water scenes and landscapes that beckon you forward and create a serene feeling with the lovely blue-green wall color...

Woodbury after 1

Although you cannot see it in the pictures, live plants were added to the waiting areas to bring a little bit of life to the rooms--a very important touch. 

The need for the "Top Layer" is just as important in our homes as in a doctor's office...if not more so! These elements show our personality, create a cozy, welcoming feeling in our rooms, and make our houses feel like home. What little touches could you add where you live??

An Influx Of Cousins

We had some pretty special house guests these past few days, and we even exchanged Christmas gifts! (Yes, I do realize it is MARCH.)

It is always fun to see our cousins and do crazy things like try on hats at Target....

(this seems to be a common theme, since this is a photo from October's Cousinfest...)

Also, doing fun things like going to see certain husbands play the bass was quite entertaining...

as well as just being outside with some canine friends...

Nothing like an influx of cousins for good times.

What Your Bedroom Is For

Let's talk about something intensely personal... the things that a master bedroom is for, and what it is NOT.

Ideally this room, the inner sanctum of our home, is the place where we go to restore, to find quiet, solitude, privacy, a place for intimacy, perhaps a place also for prayer and/or meditation....

If you picture it the way I do, upon arriving home and walking through the front door, one starts shedding the "armor" that was worn out in the world. As one goes further into the interior rooms, layers of protection and carefully crafted facades fall away, until we are here...the place where we are hopefully most relaxed and most able to be ourselves--unguarded, open, vulnerable.

As is the case in most of our homes, things are often not the ideal. Some of the most common obstacles to creating a personal sanctuary are ones that happen without us even thinking about it:

Our bedroom may be the place, when in a hurry, we have stashed things we didn't want company to see...

It may be the place where baskets of folded laundry sit waiting to be put away....

It may be the place where we have a work station, complete with piles of paper and glowing computer screen staring us down as we try to unwind at the end of a hectic day.  

It may be the place that others in the household feel they can just enter on a whim without knocking or asking permission. 

I am sure one or more of the above sounds all too familiar...

To compound matters,  it is during times of increased stress (the time when we need this room to be at its most soothing and uncluttered) when we are least likely or able to keep this area tidy and nurturing.

SO, to help you gain this very important tool (this place of restoration is just that) for a full, balanced, peaceful life, let's talk about some simple things that can help to create and maintain YOUR much needed retreat from the world:

When you are tired, remind yourself that it only takes a few minutes-- it is tempting to not put clothes away in the evening or to skip making the bed in the morning because we are tired, pressed for time, and we picture these chores as being a huge deal. Change your perception of these tasks and view them instead as doing something nice for yourself--make yourself muscle through for just 3-5 minutes & you will be amazed at how quickly you are finished. Recognize in doing this for less than five minutes, you are preparing a soothing environment for yourself later.

Remove anything that stresses you out--

Ok--if your spouse drives you nuts, then that is harder to deal with....

but at least remove inanimate objects that you find annoying, and don't find lovely. Anything pertaining to your work or household finances also SHOULD NOT be in this room.

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.

Taking the time to create a little oasis for ourselves is so important and has far-reaching impact in our lives. I'll go put away my laundry, if you go put away yours!....

Working On My Own House (Ha!)

This week we have taken the first official steps to make some much needed changes to our house...and it is stressful.

I am usually on the other side of this equation, and I help my clients to make decisions that lead to stunning results, but with my own house the water can get a little murky...

As you can see, the siding on the newest part of our house is going south...mostly because it is ON the South side of our house, and the proper materials weren't used to begin with back when it was built in 1989. The windows have rotted (despite faithful and regular maintenance from my husband), the siding doesn't hold paint (once again thumbing its nose at my better half's hard work), and the insulation was never done properly. SO, as is often the case when we have worked on the house, I would like to not just make the repairs, but rather make the IMPROVEMENTS that I have been envisioning all of these years.

We are going to see what our budget will allow. I know at least that we will be choosing windows that are much more architecturally interesting and correct for the style of the house. In addition, the trim around the windows has always looked like an afterthought, and I am very much looking forward to that being improved upon.

I will keep you posted as things progress. Have to look at this as a window of opportunity....ahem.

Three Easy Steps--Your Homework This Month!

Step One: Pick a place in your house where you spend a lot of time--a spot that is visible to you most of the time that you are home... (the picture below is of my office windowsill...what I am looking at right now as I type this).

Step Two: Put a pretty vessel there with some with water in it...(anything will do--even a drinking glass from the kitchen).

Step Three: Plunk some pretty stems in it...ones that caught your eye at the grocery store as you did your weekly shopping.

OKAY!  So, that is your homework assignment!!! At this dreary, drab, cold time of year, I think this simple and inexpensive task is the most important thing we can do around the house to brighten things up and lift our spirits.

HOORAY!--be sure to comment and share below...Did you do the assignment? How did it change things around YOUR house??