‘Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
~Judy Garland

Iconic Photographer Bill Cunningham's film on stylish New Yorkers

To me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of being in New York City is having the opportunity to people-watch. I love that I never know who or what I’ll see and I can always count on finding unique-looking people walking down the street. New York peeps are proud of their originality and seem to have no qualms about strutting their stuff.

Instead of having a high school mentality where everyone tries to fit in and dress alike, Big Apple residents seem to be a one-of-a-kind, confident bunch. A jaunty tilt of hat, an unusual combination of patterns or colors; they would no sooner dream of dressing like their companions than they would wish to assume another person’s identity. Taking risks and trying new things come easy to New Yorkers who embrace Popeye’s philosophy: “I yam what I yam and that’s what I yam!” No Bobbsey Twins, here.

The same attitude seems to carry over to their homes. After working with thousands of Manhattan clients, it’s clear to me that most NYC folks are interested in having their apartments and houses reflect their unique personalities and not their friends’ design style.

Of course original people can be found everywhere, yet several years ago I worked with a woman in Florida who’d previously hired her friend’s designer because she loved the way her pal’s home had turned out. Six months later, her house looked like a carbon copy of her lady friend’s and she and her buddy realized they were both unhappy with the outcome.

In fact, my client was surprised to find her home was actually uncomfortable to her, which is why she called me in to help redesign it. Fortunately, it took us only 6 weeks to make adjustments in each room so her place could reflect her taste and lifestyle (and her husband’s) and not her friend’s.

How do you feel about individuality versus conformity? Is having your own unique look important to you? Do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable showing the world who you really are?

Recently, I bought my husband an espresso/ cappuccino machine and the purchase made the two of us reevaluate what we have on our kitchen counter tops. Were we using the small appliances that were taking up space?

Are you using all of the small appliances on your counters, daily?

Our toaster, coffee maker and blender certainly have been earning their keep. But our food processor, juicer and waffle maker, which are used infrequently, were not worthy of our precious counter top real estate and had already been stored away. Since the new machine would not be used daily, we decided it, too, would grace a shelf on our kitchen island where it would be accessible yet out of the way – I get urges for frothy soy hot chocolates with cinnamon sticks!

Frothy hot chocolate - yum!

Do you feel you could use more counter space?

An appliance garage

Unless you have an appliance garage or a very big kitchen, why not take a minute to reevaluate which machines you use a lot and which might be put away? If you do, you may be surprised to find you can create more workroom and, at the same time, make your kitchen look a lot more spacious, too.

There are so many great new outdoor decorative accessories and furnishings coming onto the market today; it’s fun creating/redesigning fresh air “rooms” where clients can read, relax, entertain and eat. One of the benefits of having a well-utilized outdoor space is that it really does make a house seem quite a bit bigger than it actually is.

Time to light up!

This year, two of my favorite things are Restoration Hardware’s Laguna Fire Tables and Fire Columns. These modern concrete pieces are stylish and can add drama to an outdoor room at night, throughout the year. The compact Fire Columns can also work well on smaller patios and terraces where space is limited (they come in various sizes, shapes and finishes).

Now, my husband can have the fireplace he loves…  outside of our Florida house! Hot, indeed.

Wait! I just read that Octavia Spencer is planning to redecorate her home in order to find the perfect place to display her well-deserved Oscar, Golden Globe award and other trophies for The Help. She wants to use what she has to redecorate!

2012 Best Supporting Actress

So, may I ask a favor? If you know Octavia, please give her this message:

“Congratulations, Octavia!
If you need ‘help’ redecorating and displaying your new Oscar along with your other awards, feel free to call me at 1-800-We-Use-It (800-938-7348)! We’ll talk.”

Just as the Best Supporting Actress said in her acceptance speech, “Thank you world” for passing this along.