In the shop.....

Check out this great nailhead chair and French pillow we have on display. 2 chairs in stock.

My New Difficult Client... Me!

There has been an unspoken problem around here for a while.  A sort of white elephant in the middle of the proverbial room. This place needs my attention.  You've heard the saying that the shoemakers children have no shoes.  Well, that is often true for those of us who work in the decorating and design field.  We are often so busy with the homes of our clients, that our homes are last on the list.  Plus, it's not as much fun when you are spending money instead of making it.  So.  It is time.  Time to bite the bullet, be hard on myself, and get busy.  The first thing I have done is have a consultation with myself, and I was brutal with me.  I told myself things I didn't want to hear.  I did not sugarcoat the facts at all.  I walked the house with clipboard in hand and this is what I came back with.

Consultation with Myself

1. I need to seriously de-clutter!!  When did all this crap creep into my rooms, onto my countertops, into my closets?  Where was I when this was happening?
2. I have too much brown going on in here.  Brown wood floors, brown wood furniture, brown wood cabinets, muddy colors abounding.  Brown is doing nothing for me lately.
3. I need to mix it up.  I tend to think more is more if I'm not careful.  Then I acquire too much of a look that I love.  Definitely need to mix some cleaner lines with my more traditional pieces.
4. Electronics.  Got to get a handle on this one.  I have allowed the husband to run amok with these big TVs.  That is going to have to change.
5. I hate my palette.  Six years ago I was not in touch my own true color-self.  I have realized that I love soft, quiet, pastel colors.  Now I just feel suffocated by the ochre scheme that I live with.  I need to breathe.
6. New living room furniture will need to happen.  Like I tell my clients, if you're not using a room, more than likely it has the wrong furniture.  Mine is frankly not comfortable.
7. Artwork and accessories need attention.  Some of it will stay, much of it will go.  Nice stuff, just needs editing and refreshing.
8. There is a floorcovering conundrum in the master bedroom.  It is carpeted.  I wish in hindsight we had run the hardwood into there when we built the house, but we didn't.  Now the wood is no longer available.  Must decide whether to leave the carpet or replace with a different flooring.  If so, what?
9. The kitchen is driving me crazy.  Again, stained cabinets.  Now I realize that every kitchen on my Pinterest board is white or off-white.  This will be a huge DIY project, as a new kitchen it most definitely not in the budget.
10. The dining room furniture will also be on the chopping block.  It's too matchy and too.....yes, too brown!!

Now that the problems have been identified in a general way, my next step will be to take the advice I give all my clients.  Prioritize the problems in order of importance and what the budget will allow, then move into the design phase.  Hang with me on this. I'm rolling up my sleeves.  I'll share the journey with you.