How To Take Charge of Every Space
Does anyone else have an inside voice? You know – that inside voice that you find either listening to or having a conversation with? The one that might say,
“You don’t really want to exercise, so don’t. Take the day off.”
“Go ahead. Have that piece of chocolate. You worked hard today. You deserve it.”
“You can put that stuff away tomorrow. “
I know my inner voice comes out loud and strong when it comes to exercising. The funny thing is, I actually enjoy exercising. This winter my husband and I are taking a Fusion class (mixture of Pilates and Yoga) and we both love it. We exercise with 6 wonderful, dear friends and have a great time. I also do Zumba once a week (when my son doesn’t have a hockey game) with a great group of girlfriends. I love it! As much as I love it, I often will say to them,
“If you would have said you were not coming, I would have happily stayed home.”
Anyone else relate?Many of my clients have shared their inner voice that has stopped them right in their tracks. The voice that says,
“I don’t know where to begin, so why bother.”
“I know this room needs some serious attention, but… “
“I know that things need to change, but do I start with new paint, do I start with new flooring, do I start with the furniture….”
When we work together, I often walk them through three steps that enable us to take charge of every space.
VISION
I ask my clients the following:“What does the picture in your head look like of this space? “I either get my clients to describe to me or show me picture(s) of what they’d like it to look like.
FUNCTION
I ask my clients the following:“What will you be doing in this room? Sleeping? Working? Writing? Playing? Relaxing?
DESIGN
Once the vision and function are clear, then we look at the existing space and evaluate what is working and what isn’t.Here’s one scenario: The Master Bedroom
Vision
- To be able to come and relax, read a book, go to sleep, and have a relationship with significant other.
Function
- To sleep, to be able to read at night, to have a relationship with significant other (no additional specific details needed here ;)
Current Design
1. Clothes are all over the floor.Problem: Not enough space for clothes? Too many clothes? No system for putting away clean laundry? Can’t part with clothes? Bargain shopper?2. Night stand is full of ‘clutter’.Problem: Read magazines are left on the table, no books are put away, Kleenex has not been thrown out, and medication has not been put away.3. No reading light.Problem: There is only 1 night stand at it is on the side of the person who does not read.4. Can only get out from one side of the bed.Problem: The bed is placed against the wall to make room for the dresser, armoire, and computer desk.Once the vision and function are discussed, we can then start working on the design:Some design solutions:
- Purge through clothes. Give away clothes that are either too big, too small or items you no longer wear.
- Formulate a system for putting away clothes after laundry.
- Formulate a system for bringing in new clothes (one new item in, one old item out)
- Either move the nightstand to the other side of the bedroom OR purchase an additional nightstand for the other side of the bed.
- Purchase a good reading light that works with the vision of the bedroom but that is also great for reading. It’s a bedroom afterall – it shouldn’t look like an office.
- Formulate a system for clearing off the nightstand (once a magazine has been ready, recycle it or give it away).
- There is too much furniture in this space. Remove the computer desk (as it does not match the vision for this room).
Once the ‘problems’ have been addressed, we can then look at any design changes that could enhance the room and its vision. Possible ideas are:
- New bedding
- New wall color
- New furniture
Although this last step typically involves shopping, it is not a necessary step to totally change a space. What is necessary is to identify the vision and function for each space! Here's to taking charge of every space!