A Little House Therapy For You

This week I thought it would be fun to talk about how the rooms in your house get along--both with each other and with you.  

If your rooms flow one to the next, and feel fantastic to spend time in, then that is wonderful. Congrats! You have a relationship that many would envy! 

But, if your rooms are small, halting spaces that are disjointed and closed off from one another-- and you feel frustrated and cramped when in them-- then it may be time to think about how we can improve this very important relationship in your life. :)

One solution for a home that feels cramped is to investigate ways to open up interior views from one room to the next. Long sight lines, especially diagonal ones, give the feeling of more space without changing the footprint of the rooms involved at all. 

Before I did this for a living, in my own house a small front hall had frustrated me for years.  I had a feeling that the room's original layout had been tampered with because it just felt wrong. 

Instead of a graceful, Victorian-era entrance, it seemed like a pokey space-- an afterthought with very little elbow room and no charm at all. 

Sure enough, after closer inspection, we realized that the wall was not original but probably had been added in the 1970's...(by the way, this discovery was more exciting for me than if I had won the lottery. There was a lot of jumping up and down and clapping as I took these pictures back in 2005. :) True story).

The small doorway that had been added, with its low header and cramped feeling, completely blocked the view of one of the nicest architectural features of our home--the staircase--and made both spaces feel so much smaller. 

SO, you know that wall had to go! 

With the wall removed, the dining room and front hall were able to relate to each other once again and share light, space, and a feeling of openness--all hallmarks of a healthy relationship. 

As you can see, nothing has changed in the dimensions of these spaces, but your perception of the amount of space that there is, is very, very different.

Widening doorways, opening portions of walls for interior "windows," or removing portions of walls altogether are all great ways to help your home live larger (with the help of a knowledgable contractor and designer, of course!). Certainly this is more involved than just moving a few pieces of furniture, but if you are frustrated by what feels like a cramped abode, then this option is far less expensive than adding on.

Remember, no room in your home ever acts alone, but interacts and converses with the other areas around it, and what kind of dialog they have has a huge impact on how your house feels to you.  Encouraging a good relationship between the rooms in your house can make your house live so much larger than the number of square feet between your walls!  

A Quick 'Before & After'

Just a few months ago, I purchased a simple, small vintage chair from a consignment shop that I love...

Filled with excitement, I texted the above photo to my husband and explained that I had found the *perfect* little chair for our new sitting room that we had been working on. 

The texts that followed said things like:

"Did you buy it already?"

"Will they allow you to return it?"  

and other questions that let me know that he was totally onboard.

HA.

(I know these are the moments that he must question my sanity--and probably his own for choosing to marry me-- but that's ok... After all, what is marriage without a little excitement, a few design challenges--and $50 secondhand furniture??)

I am pleased to say my little find has been re-imagined and reupholstered, and is now happily situated in our new favorite room in the house, making the most out of a cozy corner.

Soon I will have photos of the whole room to show you, however I hope this little snippet inspires you to see new possibilities, even if something seems old, drab or worn out.

Happy Spring!

Forging Your Foundation

This past week, something VERY EXCITING happened! 

A project that has been in the works since last summer has taken flight...

(an apt metaphor, since this new space is specifically designed for the feathered members of my client's family: it is an aviary in the making!)

This new space is able to grow wings and fly because it started with its feet firmly planted on the ground, not only with its solid cinderblock foundation, but also the strong foundational ideas that formed its design.

Not all of us start with such a specific idea or need for a room, but taking the time to identify WHAT YOU NEED A SPACE TO DO FOR YOU is the key to building and creating areas in our homes that function effortlessly while at the same time looking beautiful. 

This week I encourage you to think about the spaces in your house--especially the rooms you aren't very fond of, the ones you find frustrating to spend time in, or the areas where clutter has taken over.

I would bet that these are places where no one has ever made a clear, descriptive list of jobs that the space is supposed to accomplish.

For example in my house, my home office is here to give me a quiet, inspiring, comfortable space to create away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the household. When I state this purpose clearly, I know that piles of paper needing to be filed or items waiting to be placed in attic storage are roadblocks to the room's purpose--distractions that when they come up (as they often do) need to be dealt with right away, so that I can fully enjoy the space and use it to its full potential. 

I am sure you can think of similar hurdles in your house, SO try these three steps and see how they change things in your home:

1. Forge your room's foundation by stating its purpose clearly, including how you want it to make you feel. Write this description/purpose down so you can reference it as needed.  

2. Next get about the business of removing things that are in the way, that don't help things to flow as they should regarding the room's purpose--i.e. extraneous furniture & items that belong elsewhere, pieces that don't function well or are frustrating each time you use them. 

3. Finally, add things that will help the room to do what you need it to do with ease,  as well as decorative touches that will nurture you day in and day out with beauty. 

No one EVER came to our front door...

I am sure you have had the experience of going to a new friend's house for the first time and as you approached the front door, had a conversation with yourself that went something like this: 

"I hope this is the right house. Which door should I go to? Are they expecting me? Is the front light on? I can't see the front door from here. This path is awfully hard to walk on…I hope I don't track mud into their house.  Does the doorbell work or should I knock?"

For our guests, our entryway is where we welcome them and show them a little bit of our personality and hospitality. For us as homeowners, our entryway should welcome us home each day and make our life easier the minute we walk in the door.

So is your home's entrance more like a warm smile with hand extended, or a disinterested glance over the shoulder accompanied by a gruff grunt?

In my own house, it was a long-time frustration that our front door didn't face the street. Our historic house faced the main road when it was built in the 1800's, but when the land around it was developed in the 1980's, our house didn't relate to the neighborhood that now surrounds it. 

During our early years in our home, guests NEVER came to our front door, because there was no way to get to it. As a result our house was confusing to visitors and not welcoming at all--a problem we fixed as we renovated in the early 2000's, making the front porch a focal point at the end of a circular driveway, delivering visitors right to where they should enter the house. 

Author and architect Sarah Susanka, in her book Not So Big Solutions for Your Home, states it so well:

"The Key is to think of entry as a process, not a thing. A good entry is a sequence of places, not simply a door...A well-designed entry provides a gradual transition from the outdoors to the indoors, with attention paid to visitors at every turn...is there a place for them to stand, to take off their coats, and to adjust to being inside before they step into the living spaces of the house?"

So, here are a few things for all of us to think about as we consider the entrances to our homes:

As the person who comes through that door every day, it is most important that the entrance is welcoming and functional for YOU, not just impressive for guests. Do you have a place for all of those things that are dumped upon entry? A table for mail, a hook or dish for keys, a hanging spot for your coat? Do not take up precious storage space here for things that aren't used frequently or needed as you walk out the door.

Take a few minutes and think through what you want guests to experience when they come to visit. How do you want them to feel as they enter your home? Cut flowers and/or a special piece of art can be a welcoming addition to the space that also shows a bit of your family's personality. Outside it is easy to overlook leaning brooms, piles of leaves, dead flowers, cobwebs, and tattered welcome mats as we walk past them each day. Look at the approach to your house with fresh eyes and see what might need to be spiffied up, making things look better for you and your guests. 

AND ANOTHER THING: If you own a business, creating a warm welcome can directly impact your bottom line--when people can graciously transition from outside to in and feel good about what they expect once inside, they will feel comfortable. When they feel comfortable and welcomed, they will trust you and the service you provide and want to come back again and again.

Visiting Old Friends

We walked along in the cold morning air-- George the dog needed to stretch his legs and take care of a few things before all of us were to start our busy day.

My cousin took a route along the streets of her hometown that George was certainly familiar with, but one that was totally new and full of wonder for me. 

I had a long drive ahead of me that day (returning home to Philadelphia), and starting my morning taking in so many beautiful houses--some in good condition, some under construction, some in complete disrepair, but all retaining most of the original architectural detail from the Victorian Era--was such an inspiration. 

You see, historic buildings are often the victim of updates over the years that are less than sensitive to their original design aesthetic. Many well-meaning people renovate these old structures, removing elements that are of higher quality than you could get today (unless you are willing to have something custom-made by a craftsman) and replacing them with inferior components that are mass-produced using lesser materials. 

Sadly, in this process, the character of the house is altered or lost entirely. 

This pox that has marred many a quaint old building is known as remuddling.

Remuddling is defined as misguided remodeling-that is, an alteration that is insensitive to the architecture or character of the house. (Image and definition compliments of Old House Journal.)

When a city or town understands and honors the history of its buildings, stunning, one-of-a-kind neighborhoods rich with character are the result--as is the case, thankfully, in Providence, Rhode Island, where we were enjoying our morning walk with George the bulldog. 

This building below, even though it has stood vacant for some time, was saved by the city which recognized its architectural value. 

I am so happy to say that this structure is in the process of being renovated and will be put to innovative new use. 

Turns out this house, originally built in 1875 & known to locals as Barnaby Castle, has quite the history--even including a murder! You can read more about it here.  :)

These buildings feel like old friends to me, and I am so grateful to all those whom have taken the time and effort to preserve them so that we all can enjoy them for years to come.