Writing Your Memoir--The Story Your House Tells About You...

Our childhood homes, our grandparents houses, our first apartments, the first place we lived where we had a mortgage payment due every month......these are the settings where the stories of our lives have unfolded. These places sheltered us and shaped us into who we are today.

 

And what about the place you live in now?  What story does it tell?  A couple of years ago, two dear friends independently sent me the following quote, each knowing it would resonate with me (especially since it is from one of my favorite writers):

"You may have no idea you've produced an extensive memoir, but you have. In fact, you're living in it. According to psychologists who analyze the relationship between our home and our psyches, we often - consciously or not - choose and arrange our living spaces to reflect our life histories."

- Martha Beck

It is a very interesting thought to me that we all have written a detailed story in the choices of where we live, how the rooms are arranged, and by what they contain. How do you feel about your house when viewed this way?  Do your choices accurately tell the story of you?

It is often the case that our houses tell the story of where we have been, but what is most important is that it tell the story of where you want to go.

It can be a difficult thing to figure out. We often are so used to the way things are, and comfortable with the way things have always been, that we don't see how our surroundings can be changed to help us become more of what we long to be. I strongly agree with Martha Beck's assertion that a person cannot change their life without changing the rooms they live in, and vice versa.

SO, where do you want to go in your life? Ideally, our houses  should be a beautiful, peaceful, and nurturing reflection of that idea and dream--then it can truly be the shelter you need to write the next chapter of your memoir and channel the story of your life. 

Your Monthly Homework Assignment--A Return to Routine!

Well, this month it was time to shed the carefree ways of summer, and get back to the more structured days of school...and some of us were more happy about it than others. :)

Because of this, I thought it would be a good time for us to talk about our houses & our routines...

SO, you guessed it! This is our quick assignment for the month!!

How do you feel about routines?? I know that to some structure can seem like a straight jacket, but I want to invite you to look at it as the groundwork for tons of fun and free time. 

After all, the sexiest of designs and prettiest of rooms can't be enjoyed if they are buried under dirty socks, piles of unopened mail, or stacks of soiled pots and pans--these are the kinds of things that aren't fun, but always need to be dealt with. HELLO, ROUTINES! 

Here are three of my favorite routines that take very little time, but can make a world of difference:

1. Make Your Bed Each Morning- This simple habit has actually been shown to increase your happiness. Pulling up the sheets and comforter as soon as your feet hit the floor takes less than 5 minutes.

2. Give Me 15-- Each day, right after everyone is off to school and work (and my kitchen looks like a box full of gremlins were let loose), I set a timer for 15 minutes, and quickly straighten and put away breakfast dishes, lunch-making items and and anything else that is out of place. Most days I even have time to empty the dishwasher and wipe down the counter before the buzzer goes off. Just fifteen minutes a day on a room that drives you nuts can be life-altering....

What room make sense for you and your house?

3. A Load a Day Keeps the Crazies Away-  Laundry can be so demoralizing, especially if on the floor is the heaping pile of clothes that needs to be washed, on the bed is the pile that has been washed and is waiting to be folded, and on the dresser is the basket with folded items that need to be put away. UGH-how overwhelming.

The routine of completing one load of wash from start to finish every day can give you a sense of mastery, accomplishment, and peace.

In the morning, throw a load in before you leave for work. As you start dinner that evening, throw it in the dryer. As everyone goes up to bed at night, have them take their clean clothes up to their rooms and put them away.  You will be amazed at  how little time it takes, and how there isn't stuff just laying around in transition.

Remember these assignments are supposed to be fun not overwhelming! Think of ONE routine you want to implement, and do it each day this coming month!

Some Inspiring Shopping....

I have been working on a new project for one of my long-time favorite clients...a person who likes color and whimsy, and one who happens to have a guest room that she wants to redo in a hurry before the Thanksgiving holiday. Usually, there are some constraints when starting a project--things like existing colors, carpeting, fabrics that will be staying. But in this case, everything is starting from scratch and the world is our oyster! Fun! SO, to get a starting point and find out where her heart was telling her to go, we went fabric shopping to find our inspiration...

There were almost too many possibilities! But here are just a few of the things that caught her eye...

The design is starting to come together now, and in a few more weeks I will be able to show you the finished product. Can't wait!

Cramped? Dark? Dreary??

kitchen before 5

Does your house feel cramped to you? Dark? Awkward? Maybe an addition is the answer....    Or maybe NOT

Whenever we become frustrated with our houses, it is really easy to blame it on a lack of space...but often putting the space we have to its best use can resolve the itch to add on (and save tens of thousands of dollars).

A house I worked on last year is the perfect example of this--a typical house built in the late 1940's-early 1950's--lots of charm, but not a lot of space compared to today's McMansion standards.

Before 2

My clients called me after they had already met with an architect and had plans drawn up for a complete kitchen/downstairs renovation, including an addition.

But after we talked and I saw the spaces,

dining room before

I could see why they were frustrated with the house. Of course, an addition would add space, but it wasn't going to fix the existing problems--problems that if addressed properly might negate the need for an addition in the first place.  

It seemed to me that the biggest obstacle for this house working to its potential was the poor relationship between the main living areas. Narrow doorways and an odd traffic flow added to the cramped, closed off feeling.

kitchen before 2

kitchen before

So, what to do?

To make spaces live larger, you want to create longer sight lines, so that rooms can share visual space and also natural light...a huge component of making a house feel spacious and welcoming.

front hall before

The existing front hall was dark and felt cut off from the rest of the downstairs--not the most welcoming thing to come home to each day. 

To make things come together, I knew that the wall dividing the front hall and the back of the house had to go....

Stair During Construction

Stair after a

and the resulting shared light and space speak for themselves.

dining room after a

The remaining doorways were widened to help with this as well, and the wall separating the kitchen was removed just as on the architect's original plans...

The result is a first floor that flows beautifully, sharing light, long views, and a feeling of a space that lives much larger than it actually is. 

kitchen after 2a

kitchen view after a

kitchen after

diningkitchen after a

In the new kitchen, we created a layout that would keep the existing exterior openings with all of their beautiful sunlight and views (changing a door to a window, and shortening the large picture window) but still give us acres of countertop, lots of cabinetry and a super functional work area despite losing a whole wall....

The addition has been subtracted from the plans for now, and I am proud to say that the house no longer feels dark or cramped, but rather light and spacious.  And because they didn't have the added expense of new foundation, walls and roof spent for an addition, money was directed into beautiful craftsmanship and the best possible materials. Stunning!

Storybook Land

SO, for Labor Day Weekend the cousins came to town! And we decided to take a day and visit Storybook Land!!! Have you ever been???  I am so excited to share our day.....Oh boy, oh boy, oh BOY!   SO MUCH FUN. We enjoyed the rides... and even braved the terrifying experience of Bubbles the Roller Coaster!!... Amazingly, we walked away unscathed.... and went on to enjoy more goofiness and overall fun...such as being eaten by a whale. But the thing that is most dear to my heart about Storybook Land are the little tiny houses and storybook buildings...I have a soft spot for churches and chapels, and here you will find one of THE MOST  quaint ones around, I think...

complete with a cute little old Victorian organ in the back...

And, of course, we have the Easter Bunny's house,

The Three Bears' House,Sleeping Beauty's castle,The Merry Miller's Mill...and Jack and Jill's HILL!!Snow White's house is especially charming, I think. I mean, she did have seven men to help her take care of it after all...

It even features a little vignette of the Evil Queen making her poison apple! SPOOKY! A wonderful day for sure....somewhat like a fairytale!