From the Studio

It's been an interesting week in the studio. My assistant and I have been organizing folders, calling vendors for updated catalogs, reviewing the new shipment of fabric samples.

We're doing what needs to be done to create a peaceful space here in the studio. You know ... that word I use so often ... "sanctuary."

But seriously, it's gotta happen. As I said last time, things are dire out there. Can't have them dire in here, regardless of how often the phone doesn't ring. As a friend told me years ago, "Honey, the phone rings when it wants to."

In the middle of our organizing frenzy, a call came in from a woman ... really more like an S.O.S. She said she had this week off, had been shoving furniture around, lugging upstairs and down, and she was about to have a meltdown, could I possibly come help her? She sounded breathless and desperate. I quickly moved a couple of things on my calendar, and scheduled a meeting with her the next afternoon.

When I got to her door, she was there to greet me. "I hope you're not easily overwhelmed," she panted. I said no, entered the cluttered hallway sideways and kept my eye focused so I wouldn't trip over the treasures stacked everywhere and break my leg.

Long story short:

She had become completely overwhelmed by several things:

1. The furniture she had (lots ... and LOTS of furniture).
   
2. The spaces she was putting them in (not huge. A lovely house, but no mansion).
3. How to actually "see" new ways of utilizing the pieces.
4. How to let go of some things in order to create the spaces she really wanted.
5. Which pieces to let go of in the first place.
6. Oh, did I mention she was having house guests ... the next day?

She took me on a tour, and we ended up back in the living room. After a complete review of what was before us, and taking a breath, I suggested we use the time to create sanctuary (there's that word again, but what can I say? it's what I mean!) in the living room and dining room. Currently she had "sanctuary" only on her bed. Literally. Every other space in the house was in the kind of turmoil that's born of being unsure which direction you're heading, of not having a plan, and in trying to get "something" done, you end up going too many directions at once. Result: bedlam.

So we began. We shoved sofas, we rolled up rugs, we stood back and considered end tables, console tables, we broke down a large Queen Anne dining room table and hauled it to the garage. We began talking as if joined at the creative lobes: "Do we like this in the corner, or over here?" "No, I think we want that in the dining room against the far wall." "Oh, right!" More moving.

In the end, two and a half hours later, my client had an organized, peaceful space, fresh and airy. We'd moved the tall back sofa so now the large cathedral window offered an unobstructed view of the lake beyond.

She plopped down on the sofa and said,"Wow, this looks and feels great!" I asked her if she'd had the furniture in this configuration before. "No, I thought I'd had it in every conceivable arrangement. But never like this."

She said that it was well worth the cost to have me come and work through the process with her. I was pleased that she felt that way, and I have to agree. Her home was filled to the brim with beautiful furniture and accessories, to the point that every room just felt crowded. But she couldn't see past her memories in the pieces to figure out how to select just the right ones and make them shine.

So today, back in the studio, I'm sorting fabric samples, jazz music is playing, and I have a revelation. We're going to continue to work on making a great space here in the studio ... but wait. There's more! We're going to send out invites to clients, friends, and all their friends to come in for a morning of coffee and brainstorming right here in the studio. You can bring in your projects, spread them out on the work table. You'll have all the fabric samples to look at, all the catalogs to look through, a complete selection of paint samples from every possible paint company, and we'll be here to brainstorm with you. If the budget allows, we'll be happy to order anything you need. If it doesn't we'll assist you in getting the "look" you want, no matter what's in your wallet.

So keep your chin up, and keep your wheels turning. And if you need help, have no fear.

That's why I'm here.

Create!

Cece D for DDG