Lauri’s Blog:

Last week was a blur: I spent it at the Interior Refiners Network annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel with IRN members from all over North America. What a smart, dynamic group!  A full roster of nationally-recognized experts presented timely seminars and, coincidentally, reiterated the same theme: affordable one day decorating - the IRN’s  business model - is an ideal service for homeowners and renters in this economy since most people are finding they are spending more time at home (as well as working there) and, as a result, are seeking more comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and functional spaces. We knew that!

The desire for better organization and storage and an even more tranquil environment has never been greater. Many want to enjoy their homes and, at the same time, make changes that will increase the value of their places so that they are well-positioned when the real estate market starts to improve. They can then amortize the cost of their improvements over a longer period of time.

Another hot topic of discussion at the conference was downsizing, and with good reason: Not only are baby boomers looking for smaller homes, younger singles, couples and families are also keen on moving to smaller quarters that cost less, require less energy consumption and less maintenance. In addition, lots of people are downsizing in place, both to declutter their existing homes and in preparation for a future move.

There are endless stories in the media, literally every day, covering the latest ideas in downsizing. Last week, at the High Point Furniture Market, manufacturers unveiled new lines that offer all sorts of multi-purpose, small-scale pieces, with the overriding message: “small is the new black.” How simple. How smart.

A client was helping her parents prepare to sell their family home when she called me to assist her with redesigning her own smaller house and incorporating as many of her mother and father’s mid-century furnishings as possible. We met in the morning and, by dinnertime, we’d successful figured out where almost every piece she liked could be used and enjoyed in her 1920s house.  I gave the woman a plan for redecorating every room in her home and she was thrilled, yet the thought of her childhood place being sold was upsetting to her.

In Downsizing Your Home With Style I suggest that readers take a special photo of their home to preserve a memory of the house that is being left behind. Yesterday, I went a step further and recommended that my client take photos of every room in her family’s homestead, as soon as possible, while the decor is still intact, so that she can create a special album to look at whenever she misses her old place. The idea made her happy - she plans to go through the whole house and take lots of digital photos that she can download and also email to the rest of her family.

If you are downsizing or moving and are feeling sad about leaving your present home, consider taking photos of every room, and remember to shoot the small details, too. In the future, you and your children - and grandchildren - will enjoy being able to look at and share your sweet memories.

The days are getting cooler and life is feeling a bit more chaotic, therefore, it is important that our homes serve not only as shelters but also as havens of tranquility.

Here are several ways to make your house or apartment feel cozy and more peaceful without spending a lot of money:

Use CFL bulbs that provide good, bright reading light and general illumination yet conserve energy and the contents of your wallet.

Put snuggly velvet or chenille decorative pillows and a warm matching afghan on your sofa and chairs to cuddle with when you are reading, watching the presidential debates or are viewing a movie.

Use lined or heavyweight fabric curtains to keep out drafts.

Switch to soft and warm flannel or comfortable bamboo bed linens.

Collect colorful autumn leaves, river rocks, and branches to display on tabletops and in vases and bowls, to bring the elements of nature and the season, indoors.

Paint one room a warm neutral hue such as toast, umber, camel or persimmon and display a few small decorative accents that match or compliment that wall color.

Create a seasonal centerpiece with a bowl of mini-apples or by placing a scented beeswax candle (in a candle holder) in the middle of a platter and surrounding it with mini-pumpkins or assorted gourds.

And, finally, treat yourself to a nice cup of tea or a mug of hot chocolate… with soy whipped cream (available at health food stores). You deserve it!

One of the most important elements of a well designed home is flexibility. The more options a room and its furnishings offer, the more useful, and even comfortable, it is.

Think about your own place: Do you have any rooms that can be converted in minutes? Is there a den that can be switched into a guest room or a dining room that can be turned into a home office? Creating as many multi-functional places as possible in your home is a good move because it optimizes the functionality of every square foot of space and, at the same time, gives you more for your money.

Furnishings that have casters make life easier, too, and allow pieces to be moved from one room to another without a lot of effort. A trunk on wheels can store out-of-season clothing and, at the same time, serve as a coffee table in front of a sleep-sofa. An extra bureau that holds linens inside and a flat panel television on top saves space and eliminates the need for an additional TV cabinet.

Take a look around your house or apartment and check to see if any of your rooms can be converted to offer dual purposes. If every inch of space earns its keep, your home will serve you better and provide you with greater value.

Whenever people are asked, “If your house was on fire, what would be the one thing you would take with you, aside from your pets?” many, if not most, answer, “my family photos.”

Whether framed and on display in our homes or stored in albums, those of us who treasure our connection to our relatives and ancestors usually have photographs of them scattered around our houses and apartments. We cherish these tangible historic records because they allow us to see our loved ones whenever we choose and they also provide our children with the opportunity to view long-gone family members, who they never met, and learn what they looked like, perhaps, more than a century ago.

And because old photographs are so vulnerable, they are even more priceless. Digital photography has enabled us to preserve our newer pictures in our computers or on discs but what can we do about  ensuring that our older images will remain intact for future generations? We can scan them, if we have time, or we can have them professionally scanned for us.

ScanMyPhotos.com will do them on the same day they receive the photos for only $50, putting 1000 photos on a DVD (other companies charge a lot more for the service). This is a great value if we are, first, willing to take the time to group our photos according to size; place rubber bands around each bunch and then send them off in a tightly packed box.

I don’t know about you but I’m off to get some rubber bands.

The weather is starting to get cooler and ABC’s television ads are promoting “National Stay-At-Home Week:” save gas by staying in and watching the new shows. If you are beginning to spend more time indoors now that fall is here, you may want to make some adjustments to ensure that your space feels as tranquil as possible, whether you work from home or just want your place to look better.

Several years ago, when my daughter was a freshman in college, she telephoned to say she was having difficulty concentrating as she tried to study for her fall mid-term exams. She was upset because she usually was very focused when it came to her schoolwork. So, I asked her, “Is your dorm room messy?” “Yes,” she responded. “How did you know?”  Although not blessed with x-ray vision, I suspected that ‘visual chaos’ might be the culprit. Any room – especially a small space - that suffers from this problem is difficult to relax in and is certainly not conducive to studying in either: hence her problem.

So I suggested that she simply clear her floor of anything that was not furniture. “You mean I don’t have to clean up the whole room?” she asked. ”No, just remove any extraneous things from the floor” I explained. She could do more when she finished taking her exams. By removing all the clutter from the floor, her space would feel more open and airy and less disorderly. We hung up and she got to work putting away paperwork, shoes, etc. A couple of hours later I called to see how she was doing and as soon as she answered the phone I could hear that she was more relaxed. She said, “Mommy, my room feels a lot better - I can concentrate now!”

If your place has lots of extraneous things scattered on the floor, take a few minutes to pick up everything that is not a permanent furnishing. Like my daughter, you’ll find that your space feels better, instantly. And, since you’ll be staying at home more, this will help you enjoy your apartment or house and your favorite new television shows without being distracted.

Last Wednesday I attended two seminars conducted in New York for members of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). What a paradox:

At the first, the speaker, a successful marketing professional, discussed the original model of the interior design business and, although he stated that the industry has changed and designers must now adapt, he recommended that everyone in attendance seek to establish themselves as “exclusive.” He went on to say that there are a growing number of billionaires around the globe and those very rich people will provide the interior design market with lots of business.  As I listened I felt like Valentine in “Stranger in A Strange Land.” Wasn’t the speaker aware that the old business model has more than changed? That it has become completely outdated? In fact, over the last decade, society has demanded that interior designers adapt to the new paradigm: accessibility.

Conversely, the second speaker, an editor of a design magazine, spoke about the importance of interior design going green and of Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller, the great American inventor, visionary and multi-disciplined designer whose credo was doing “more with less,” in order to benefit the greatest number of people, and by using natural materials. Now, that was more like it!

I suppose there will always be a demand for exclusive interior design for billionaires. Hopefully, it will be tasteful and not just over-the-top-look-at-what-I-have impressive. But the other 95% of the population needs advice about how to design and decorate too, so, hands down, I’m with Bucky Fuller: Helping more people create beautiful homes with natural materials, and without spending a lot of money, is the conscious way to go.

Washington D.C. feels so civilized, and not only because of its impressive limestone government buildings or its diverse architectural delights. It looks as though it has been planned most thoughtfully for the 21st century  (I guess if they were going to get it right, the nation’s capitol would be the most appropriate place to do it).

As a professional, I was struck by how consciously, carefully and considerately everything has been designed: The streets are wide and open, even in busy areas; there are majestic trees lining the streets as well as landscaped gardens all over. Stop signs have digital displays so that pedestrians know how many seconds they have left to cross safely; the Metro stations also have electronic boards informing passengers of when the next subway trains will be arriving, not to mention beautifully designed stations – if a subway station could be beautiful - with rows of lights next to each track that turn red and caution passengers to step back when a train is coming (are you listening, Mayor Bloomberg?)

And when I saw this sign, I knew why this particular metropolis made me feel right at home.

Many moons ago, when my husband and I were getting married and merging households, I was the one who hesitated when it came time to clean things out and get rid of stuff: Old birthday cards, handbags, and books were kept instead of being sold, tossed or donated. Not Joe. His philosophy was, and is, “when in doubt, throw it out.” (His mom is like that, too, so I know where he gets it from.) But, not me. I’d ponder every piece: Should I or shouldn’t I? Will I or won’t I use it? But, thanks to hubby, over the years I’ve reformed and now that it’s fall and time to jump in and clear out clothing, shoes, paperwork, and even a few pieces of furniture, I have a much better attitude about living with less.

Two other occurrences strongly influenced my inclination to let go of things: 1) Seeing some of my clients’ homes that had unbelievable clutter - like the people you’ve seen on Oprah who have stuff that goes from floor to ceiling, with a narrow path across the room - jeepers! 2) Working with so many people who downsized and then I, literally, wrote the book, Downsizing Your Home With Style: Living Well In A Smaller Space. How could I possibly be a hypocrite and not take my own advice? Plus, it is very bad Feng Shui to have a lot of clutter, and who wants that?

So, I am actually looking forward to cleaning out, then donating, selling and giving away the things that I haven’t been using, over the next few weeks. It will feel great and, hopefully, other people will enjoy and make good use of the stuff. But they are not getting my old birthday cards.

Last week I had dinner with my aunt and uncle. She is a PhD, who retired from teaching at a major university two years ago and he is an executive who still travels around the world for business meetings, hesitant to give up his work. After speaking with them that evening, it seemed apparent that gender might be affecting their view of retirement.

My aunt is writing her memoir, volunteering as docent at a museum and taking courses that interest her. She has a positive perspective on retirement and welcomes the free time she has now, to explore new paths.  Conversely, my uncle is only focused on his work; he finds it hard to imagine himself without a schedule that is packed with meetings and negotiations. Although he goes to the opera regularly with my aunt, and has other interests, to him retirement doesn’t seem to have much allure.

Do men place so much emphasis on work, throughout their lives, that they feel their careers define them? Are their identities completely entwined in their professional life, making it more difficult to relinquish their careers when it’s time to consider retirement? Are women better able to break free of their work life when they get older because most are accustomed to having dual occupations, as mothers and career women? Or are women simply more flexible than men? What is your opinion?