"Is Your House Haunted??"

Because my house is so old (its original foundation dates back to 1778),
one of the most frequent things visitors say when they first see our house is: 

"Your house is over 200 years old?! You've gotta have some ghosts, right? Is your house haunted??"

Well sure, I love to tell the stories of the weird things we have seen and heard around our old farmhouse over the years. Ooooh! Like the night we arrived home to find the garage door fitfully going up and down and up and down all on its own, the overhead light flickering in the darkness! (Never mind that I was unknowingly sitting on the remote)... 

There are also all the creepy legends we heard from the neighborhood kids when we first moved in--like bright orbs floating in from the woods outback in the dead of night and menacingly hovering right outside the kitchen door! (If you come over for one of our bonfires, those stories are a must!)...

However, one of my favorite ones is The Tale of the Day That We First Toured the House  (insert evil laugh here).

Once Upon a Time, back in 1996, a young, innocent (ha!) couple came across the listing for an old house that had been on the market a few months--a fixer upper a little down on her luck. 

Nestled amongst a development built in the early 1980's, it was an unexpected find. And after they came across it, they drove past it frequently--mysteriously drawn to its seductive charms buried under gross siding painted three different colors.

It seems they were powerless to resist...so they ventured inside (well, with their realtor, on a scheduled showing. But still...details, details). 

It was dark inside. The bathrooms and kitchens were from a bygone era. Two of the three bedrooms were mysteriously cold (well, mostly because they didn't have any heat yet, but nevertheless....).

After they had cautiously walked through the rooms and examined every inch of the old structure, the most unexpected thing happened:

(haunting organ music swells)

They found themselves sitting in the living room, completely relaxed, visiting, talking, dreaming of their future there, and feeling as if they were already at home.

That's right. My favorite ghost story about our home is about its true "spirit:" --we instantly felt so welcomed and at ease inside of these old plaster walls, that we decided to make an offer on the place...and the rest is history. :)

I love to share this story because it shows how important it is to pay attention to your gut--our instincts are rarely wrong when it comes to finding our way home. 

Happy Halloween, dear friends! May your spirits be high and your home be welcoming! 🎃

Falling in love again...

A few weeks ago, as a last-minute surprise for my son's birthday, my cousin and her family piled into their car to come and stay with us for a fun overnight...

As they were driving south from Brooklyn, my husband and I quickly and quietly prepared for their arrival, trying not to give the secret away as we straightened up, filled the fridge, and got things in order. Our neglected house was showing the symptoms related to hectic work schedules, back to school demands, general exhaustion--and there were lots of loose ends that needed tending to.

A couple of hours later, as I stood downstairs, all dressed for our celebratory dinner out (the cousins waiting at the restaurant for the big surprise), I glanced around from room to room, making sure everything was in place for when we would arrive home later with the extended family.

With slanted evening light pouring through the windows, I admired the fresh flowers on the washstand, smiled to notice the few fun Halloween decorations here and there, and loved that each room looked welcoming and pulled together. It felt settled and balanced. 

These are the times when I fall in love with my house all over again. 

As I took it all in and felt how different each space felt from how it did a few short hours before, I realized how I had just been living in these rooms for weeks without really letting the rooms have any life to them--EVEN THOUGH THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING, PEOPLE. 

Sheesh. Since I so needed the reminder to slow down and savor my home, I thought you might need it, too. 

Taking the time to savor and care for the blessing that is our homes is something that can nourish us deeply. 

Be sure to take just a little time and treat yourself to some simplicity and beauty this weekend:
Put a few things away.

Throw out some things that have been bugging you.

Buy yourself some flowers. I MEAN IT. 

Surrounding ourselves with order, beauty, and peace is a nurturing and kind thing to do, both for ourselves and those we love--some pretty important stuff, I think. 

AND you might just fall in love with your house all over again. :)

Revealing Redesign in San Francisco?!? YUP.

Yes, some pretty exciting stuff...

This week I am in San Francisco redesigning a room for a long-time client. WOW.

When I started Revealing Redesign 10 years ago, I had no idea that not only would it bring me so many amazing clients, but also afford me so many amazing experiences. Can't wait to tell you all about it!

In the meantime, I wanted to share an article with you that I came across this past week & have been thinking about ever since. Our lives and our homes really reflect what we pay attention to...and all too often we give our attention away (myself included) without realizing what it is costing us. 

Take a look at this piece written for Apartment Therapy by Alison Gerber. I know you will be glad you did!

My Cozy Little Home Office

I don't know if you remember me talking about this before, but last year, due to some upheaval in our family we almost put our old farmhouse on the market, and walked away from this home we have loved for 20 years. 

BUT then we didn't. 

We instead reworked spaces in our house so that they work better for our family as it is now-- something we all need to do from time to time-- and we are so glad we stayed. 

One room that took on a new identity was the third floor attic space--a room that is much like a treehouse with its small footprint, high perch, lofty views of the landscape, and sloping ceiling. 

The space has been many things over the past two decades- a bedroom, a guest room, a hang-out for kids... but NOW it is the world headquarters of Revealing Redesign. :)

Thought you might like to see what this space where I work each day looks like:

Because things were already in upheaval at the Cochran's when this room changed its identity, and it was pretty much in good shape with neutral paint, I streamlined the redesign and worked around the existing paint colors and area rug. 

Adding all the funky touches that make it feel like ERIN COCHRAN'S space made all the difference...like lots of green plants, vintage original artwork, architectural salvage window sashes, a repurposed and repainted dresser from the 1940's...

and of course, personal photos. :)

It is a lovely place to spend my time doing the work I love to do! 

I hope you, too, have a space of your own where you are able to be creative, dream, and work on what matters to you!

How To Keep The Stuff You Love, Love The Stuff You Keep, & Love The House You're In

If you are a person who has followed my blog or worked with me for any length of time, then you know that I am definitely NOT a fan of keeping a lot of STUFF around in our houses. (If you want to read more about that you can do so here and here )

HOWEVER, of course, there are things that we do need to keep! Things that we love, things that we use all of the time, some things that we only use once or twice a year, and things that we want to hold on to because they are special to us or because we aren't quite ready to part with them just yet--although hopefully this category is very, very small. :)

How we store these things has a big impact on how we feel about our houses and how well the spaces we live in function for us. We often muddle all of our belongings together in one confused category, and then jumble them together in all of our drawers, cabinets and closets that we need to use every day. Out of the resulting feelings of frustration and claustrophobia we blame our house (how unfair!) and say it is too small and not up to the task!  We do have a lot of nerve...

Instead of seeing this as a storage problem, we see it as a house problem. 

However, if we divide our STUFF into three simple categories, our house can suddenly seem so much bigger and more livable. Really. :)  

What are these categories? Here they are:

1. STUFF to keep close-- these are the things we use all of the time. 
2. STUFF to keep convenient--these are things we use somewhat frequently--maybe a couple of times a week or once a month. 
3. STUFF for far, far away-- these are things that we use very infrequently, or family heirlooms, special keepsakes, or other things we are storing long-term. 

If you feel quarters are cramped in your kitchen, bedroom or another room you use each and every day, look at the items that are in the space and see if you are asking the room to hold things it doesn't need to hold all the time.

A good rule of thumb is:

Rooms that we use all of the time should only hold/store things we use all of the time. 

Rooms we seldom use should hold the things we seldomly use. 

To give you an example, if we look at the kitchen,  things could fall into our three categories like this:

1. STUFF to keep close--I use my colander almost every day. I definitely should keep this right on hand and store it right where I use it. 
2. STUFF to keep convenient--My blender gets used maybe once a quarter? (I clearly am not drinking enough Margaritas!), so this appliance is stored in the back corner of one of the least convenient cabinets in my kitchen. It takes some work to get it out, but that is okay, since I don't do it very often.
3. STUFF for far, far away-- My huge roasting pan is only used for special family dinners, mostly on the holidays. That sucker is stored in the basement around the corner under the stairs. 

We could do this same exercise in our bedroom closet:

1. STUFF to keep close--clothes that are our favorites for the current season. Have them right up front where you can see them so you will remember them and wear them all the time.
2. STUFF to keep convenient--accessories or jackets that we don't wear all of the time, but can totally make an outfit. Nearby or at the back of the closet, we can access them easily to try them on as we put ourselves together for the day. 
3. STUFF for far, far away--clothing for very specific or special occasions. My cocktail dresses that I only wear once a year, if that, are stored in a special place up in the attic. Also, clothes that are out of season can be moved out of the way and put in a more remote location so they aren't clogging the works for the half of the year they aren't in use. 

I hope that these three categories helps you to see the stuff you manage all the time--the STUFF of daily life-- a little more clearly, and I hope it helps you to make the most of the square footage you live in each day. 

Go forth and sort! :)