Expecting the unexpected

I was moving along pretty well with getting the "excess" moved from my apartment into storage when I received a call letting me know my mother had been taken to the hospital. So let's just say my focus has been else where for a bit. Happy to report she is out of the hospital and doing some rehabilitation in a nearby nursing facility for a few weeks and if all goes well she should be back in her home before Christmas.
Now it is time to re-focus and "enjoy", yes, I said, enjoy the process of purging the past! After going back and forth on whether to let go of everything from my past and begin all brand new or to hold on to some of my items... I've chosen to hold on to certain pieces and work around them. Most of the pieces I have purchased through the years, whether they were traditional or modern itmes, are classics and as we all know, "Classic is forever......Trendy is a thing of the past, tomorrow!" I urge my clients to make their purchases based on this philosophy, as well. There is nothing more repulsive than to walk into someone's home and see all of those "Post-modern" design elements that were so BIG a few years ago! Remember when every new home being built had badly proportioned columns everywhere? What in the world were builders thinking?

Trip to the Storage Unit

It's Saturday morning and the back of my car has become a moving van! I have packed as much into it as physically possible and still be able to get the doors shut! A lot of my accessories, etc. I have no place for at the present time are going into storage. Maybe I will test the suggestions from so many "organize yourself" books and "rotate" my accessories...... Between you and me, I tend to be the type, "out of sight, out of mind" and have been known to buy a duplicate item, only to find the original in the back of a closet when I "rotate my accessories"! :-)
I've decided to try to add photographs of my experiences and hopefully, soon to be accomplishements as I journey through my new down-sized lifestyle and maybe, just maybe you might feel like sharing your own experiences and accomplishments during a move from one home to another. Believe me, I am in the business and I can totally understand why it is always suggested to hire a professional to help you with your interior design challenges!!!!
Got to hit the road for now and journey to my storage unit..... it has been quite awhile since I have been there; wonder what treasures I will find behind that door? STOP!!!!!! What am I thinking, I am putting things into storage today, not taking things out! I guess for a minute there, I must have thought I was on a "rotate my accessories" mission!
Have a good Saturday and try "rotating" those accessories!

Good things come in small packages. I have to apologize to my followers for not updating my blog in more of a timely fashion. The truth being is my partner and I recently parted ways and it came as a complete shock to me and I must admit, I haven't bounced back as quickly as I thought I would! Now that some months have gone by I have accepted my life is heading in new directions and for now it is just Isabelle, Jake and me! (Isabelle and Jake are my two wirehair fox terriers and without them and my friends and family this journey would have been so much more difficult)
A new direction is not a bad thing at all; it's quite exciting and certainly makes a person realize what truly is important....... as Blanche so profoundly put it, "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers"! And initially when I meet new clients, we are "strangers", but very quickly become wonderful friends and eventually after working with them over long periods of time on their homes some of them become extended family!
I've moved back into a rather small (approx. 1000 sq. ft.) apt and am beginning to re-think what possessions I have collected along the years are really important to me. Who would have thought at this point and time in my life I would be starting over? Certainly, I didn't! Now that this portion of my life's journey has begun I have been amazed how many of my peers have gone through or are going through similar changes....... do you think the stress of the economy has caused more of us to become single? Remember the good old days, when stress and hardship brought couples closer together and made them stronger as a unit..... I guess those days must have been before therapy became so chic and people actually worked through whatever the obstacle might be and grew stronger together because of it, instead of walking away. Of course, all of these separations and divorces might be helping to stimulate the economy..... think of it; with more separations and divorces there comes more of a need for interior design. OMG there is a bright spot in relationships ending.........
I must say one thing I have realized is: I really do not need as much space or grandeur as I thought I did! Moving from a 3 floor, rather large townhouse, here in DC back to my small intimate abode has been not only humbling, but I can tell I am going to have to be extremely creative and make myself edit, edit, edit!
Well, time to get to work and I promise I will update "Your Own Interior Designer" on a much more regular basis. Out of my own separation I have also begun developing a new business, which I will reveal more about later!!!! I will tell you this, it will be called, "Your Own Interior Designer" and will enable everyone access to good quality design, no matter how large or small their project might be........stay tuned!

I have been wanting to create this blog for a very long time. I remember growing up in a rural area and being infatuated by wonderful interior design via our TV or in a magazine and wondering where you could purchase some of the items and/or how you could purchase them? Visiting the local furniture retailers (the few that were in existence in a small town) just didn't compare to what I had been exposed to on the cover of Architectural Digest. (or as I referred to it, "BID", the Bible of Interior Design!)

Were these items only available to the 'Super Rich and Famous" ?

If so, that certainly didn't seem fair to me?

Whenever AD published photos of the people who lived in these homes, they didn't look a lot different than my family or our neighbors......well maybe, a little different, because they did look picture perfect, just like those gorgeous interiors!

I've often thought there are probably a lot of other people out there from shore to shore, over the hills and through the woods, searching from mountain top to mountain top for some of these interesting and beautiful items they too have seen in a magazine. I would like to become of some assistance in helping you find these items and to acquire them. I may not be able to find the exact item, because some of the incredible ones are one of a kind antiques or custom pieces, but after many years of being in the business at least I can guide you toward resources that will have similar looks and can produce similar items for you.

Nothing is more satisfying than coming home to a beautiful environment; whether it is filled with possessions, if that is your style; or a more minimal look which houses only a few select pieces.

It is finally time for everyone to have available "your own interior designer". If you agree, please let me hear from you with questions and comments on interior designer and living your life with items you would like to have, not items that you have because you cannot find the right item!

I hope there are others out there who have experienced some of the above thoughts and feelings and I cannot wait to hear from you!

Live with what you love and smile!