 Many people feel their house is imperfect and hiring a designer to come in and find those “imperfections” is a big step, and one I don’t take lightly. I honor my client’s privacy so the photos you see below have a filter applied to intentionally blur the details. The reason I am sharing this with you is to explain why my House-coaching skills are needed in this particular situation.
I was called to this house for a color consultation in the master bedroom. My client recently removed the wallpaper border and just wanted to freshen things up with a new wall color. A couple of weeks ago, my dear clients moved into their new home at Lakeshore Senior Living. The service I provided for them is called A Delicate Move which I created a couple of years ago, specifically to help elderly people who are downsizing into a senior living apartment. Working with seniors in this manner has been deeply fulfilling to me but I now realize this service isn’t only helpful for seniors. Before I explain why, here is a testimony from my client’s wonderful daughter. She was so kind to write about the experience which gives you an idea of how it would be to work with me:
 As I have been refining my niche of creating a soul oasis, I discovered that a soul oasis really comes down to storytelling. The items we choose to display in our environments have stories to tell us. If we want to create a home that restores our soul, we need to be sure that it is telling us really good stories!
This is my dining room. From my perspective as an interior designer, I have a critical view because it is outdated and primarily unused during the spring and summer months. It is located in the center of our house which is not ideal and it has no windows. We are considering a renovation which could completely change the function of this room as it currently exists but that is still a year or two away. In the meantime and in the words of Byron Katie, I learned to “love what is.” From my perspective of creating a soul oasis, this room has deeply meaningful stories to tell! For instance, the beautiful (cough, cough) brass chandelier has been used by my husband's kids for nearly their entire life. Adding simple shades to each bulb made it more appealing to me and I fell in love with the history. The two sailboat pictures were a Christmas gift from when we were newly dating. The third picture (on the top shelf) is one that my husband loves. I have never been fond of it but adding it to this collection of other gold-tone items is visually appealing to me so we’re both happy!  Emotions, life experiences, pain, joy, vulnerability, beauty in ugliness, wonder, and hope. This is what Shari captured in this beautiful collage she created (by hand) many years ago. She has placed the collage in different areas of her house and now it hangs in an office, where she works outside of her home, where other people can appreciate her creation. Others may see the beauty and creativity but only Shari knows the stories behind each image she carefully selected. When time allows, she fits in a few minutes of meditation and she remembers each story that every image tells her.
 Have you ever heard of Mel Robbins? She’s a renowned motivational and keynote speaker, a CNN legal and social commentator, the creator of The 5 Second Rule, and a best-selling author. I have watched countless free videos and audios that she creates and I receive Mel’s “Take Five” every Thursday which is packed with helpful and inspiring content.
I love this five minute video where she talks about The Art of Savoring. It is filmed in her beautiful dining room during her favorite time of day. The best part (to me) is that she is describing a soul oasis!  Vulnerable. I had no idea I would feel this way when Max Wedge walked through my front door with his camera and various equipment needed for the day.
 I love synchronicity! When I submitted my first blog post about my vision board two weeks ago, my mentor, Kirsten Steno, posted the latest version of her Pathfinder Vision Board on Facebook! There was no way I could’ve known that would happen but it did. Kirsten said: “My latest Pathfinder Vision Board. Life priorities rated “10” on top, and work/purpose priorities underneath. I believe we can ask, pray and attract what we desire by having a vision and focusing our attention on it. By doing so, we ‘release’ the outcome, trusting it will all be good. Take a closer look at what came to life from my board in the next post!”
 Vision wall, vision board, prayer wall, mood board, photo collage...call it what you wish but this is a collection of images and quotes that reflect my soul...my dreams, deeply meaningful expressions, goals, and visions.
I light a candle most mornings as the sun is just beginning to rise and I let the emotions I feel from the images wash over me, filling me with hope, awe, inspiration, and motivation. The shape of the heart works perfectly for my collage because the foundation of everything in my life, personal and professional, begins with the idea that “House + Love = Home” and my heart expands from that specific point. Overall Kitchen Before  After many long hours reviewing and considering all of the different design solutions for this kitchen and dining room, I guided my clients to the design that created the most functional kitchen and flow from one room to another.
Previously, the homeowners had to walk through their kitchen and into the dining room to gain entry to the family room. With the new design, the family room now feels connected through the open concept design and relocation of the entryway. A new option for lounging was made possible with the addition of built-in banquette seating in the dining room and better visibility of the kitchen from the living room was created by enlarging the entryway. Granite counter tops, high-end appliances, and custom lighting are some of the highlights of this newly renovated area. |
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