Transitions

Where is life taking you?

We all go through transitions in our lives, some are for good reasons, some aren't, but there are ways to make the most out of these transitions and prepare ourselves for great futures. One of the ways to do that is to create an environment in which we can thrive. Something I like about the work I've done is that I get to help people go through these transitions in their lives and be a part of their path.

I had the pleasure, when I lived in Alabama, to be part of helping folks transition their houses into homes. I'd like to share one their stories and some tips for how we got great results. (I'll be sharing more of these stories in upcoming posts.)

Dr. Chuck writes:

Months after I had moved into my new house following a divorce, I needed some help arranging furniture, getting my artwork out of my closets and the attic and onto the walls, updating my school aged daughter's "baby furniture", adding some plants to the decor, and most importantly, doing all of this on a very tight budget! Ginny stepped in and helped give me direction and the motivation I needed to transform my house into something I could be proud of.

I have always been afraid of and resistant to change, so I feared that having a decorator help me would be a stressful thing for me. With Ginny the process was anything but stressful! Not only did she understand my situation and my fears, she worked around my eccentricities and made me completely comfortable with the process. She intrinsically knew what I needed and where to find quality materials for bargain prices in order to easily stay within my budget. Not only did she make recommendations and suggestions, she did all the shopping for me, grabbed a hammer and the hardware to hang my artwork, and went straight to work. Simply put, Ginny helped me transform my house into a home.

Ginny is a wonderful person with a pleasant and infectious positive "can do" attitude. She is very easy to work with and simply has a knack for doing what she does. She works hard and does excellent work for a very reasonable price. I can fully recommend her to anyone without reservation.

Thanks Chuck! I thoroughly enjoyed working with you! 


One of the main things I remember is Chuck's daughter's room. The furniture was painted white and had colorful knobs, perfect for a baby or even a little girl, but she was ready for a more grown-up space and some place that was going to function throughout her teenage years. The pieces were in great shape, very functional and even the finish was great; we just changed the knobs. We opted for brushed nickel knobs and a matching mirror (much the same thing that I did in my room) and completely changed the feeling of the furnishings. This would also have been great with glass knobs and a mirror-framed mirror for a little more glamour. There are so many options in decorative hardware, I recently found a website that has literally hundreds of different kinds of knobs, pulls and hardware for any style, theme or budget! (I've contacted the company and will post the link as soon as I get the permission to do so.)


One other thing that I remember was that Chuck didn't have an end table in his den, but he had a great little dinette table he wasn't using and the size and scale were great, but the legs were just a bit too long for an end table. We decided to cut the legs off at just the right height to meet the arms of his sofas and it worked great! This is a great way to get a piece you need and use a piece you no longer need. I love the idea of repurposing! It is budget friendly, but it is also ecologically responsible. Before you throw out old and get new look carefully at the items you have and see if you can refinish, recover or repurpose. 


Sometimes the best thing I can do for a client is inspire them. I'm so happy to read that Chuck was able to feel at home and feel proud of his home. Chuck has a beautiful house, it just didn't "feel" like home to him at the time. By using what he had, rearranging his beloved objects and collections, we made the space personal, warm and nurturing (much like Chuck, himself) and we did it on a budget he could be comfortable with. That is my whole purpose, to help others love their spaces! If you are in a transition of any kind be it moving, empty nesting or downsizing, think about how updating your home (even just one little space) can help improve your state of mind!