Reining In The Soft Light of Autumn

By: Karen Pfeiffer Bush, CEO

Fall is collection time. It’s when we evaluate the nest to determine its stores and condition before we settle in for Winter. We collect and compile the flashes of ideas and dreams sprouted during the invigorating summer. It’s time to gather supplies needed for the new school year and embark on new systems, new ventures, new roles. Board meetings start up again after a summer break. Sports teams and clubs distribute calendars and phone lists. Like busy squirrels collecting nuts to store for Winter, we scurry around collecting schedules, supplies, and hopefully our thoughts and goals.

For many it’s a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s also a time to regain balance. Around the autumnal equinox, when the day and nighttime hours are equal, many people, consciously or not, assess and seek balance in their homes and lives.

Interior designers and professional organizers receive many calls from prospective new clients in the Fall. The chaos of Summer has passed and suddenly people look around their homes at the things they’ve avoided by remaining outside and on the go for much of the summer.

The Autumn light is softer and gentler but allows us to see a little better than in the bright hot light of Summer. I am a Summer girl, but I can definitely see more clearly in the Fall. I’ve never lost the student mind-set that Fall is an exciting time filled with new things: a time to regroup and “rein it all in.”

The above excerpt was adapted from The Imperfect Perfectionist, Seasonal Secrets for a Happy Balanced Life, by Michelle Babb, Wendy Lomme, Karen Pfeiffer Bush and Chieko Watanabe.

Some favorite things for Fall Nesting:

Apps and tools for organizing and displaying those summer photos:

I created a family photo wall in our stairwell using Mixtiles.

 

I love my Meural digital wall art. I curate it with a combination of revolving family photos and interesting artwork from Netgear’s huge collection.

Apps and tools for organizing and sharing family schedules:

When my kids were younger, Cozi.com was a great tool for organizing their busy schedules and sharing it with other family members and caregivers. Shared grocery lists and calendars make it easy to keep the family organized and in the loop.

Even in this digital world, some people prefer a tactile calendar. It can be a fun tool for family discussions around upcoming schedules and responsibilities.

Check out this great calendar from Wayfair!

Create storage and catch-all spaces that are fun AND functional.

Check out this in our curated collection!

 

Here are some fun storage solutions for storing your winter blankets for cozy winter nights with loved ones.

Baskets are always an easy solution that look great in any room and can fit just about anywhere!

If you have a tight room, but have a bit of wall space you can utilize, go vertical with a unique decorative ladder that you can drape your blankets on. Bonus, it also acts as an art piece!

Camping: A Lesson in The Beauty of Minimalism

By: Karen Pfeiffer Bush, CEO of Housewarming

My family and I love to take off in our little 16-foot camper and find new and exciting destinations throughout Washington State. There are so many beautiful places and amazing campgrounds in our beautiful corner of the country.

We crossed almost all of the main Washington mountain passes over the past year as we took to the great outdoors in lieu of airline travel due to….well, you know. After each trip, we took stock of which items we used that were packed into our little camper and those that we just never removed from the valuable storage spaces. After each adventure, we removed a few items from the camper. It is so nice to be dialed in so that we only have to pack our food and clothes for each of us and we’re ready to roll. Having only the items that we use in the camper makes set up and clean up super easy too.

Everyone’s got a beach towel and a shower towel, bedding and basic toiletries clean and stocked in the camper at all times. We’ve downsized our pots and pans to have only just what we regularly use for food prep and serving. We’ve got a hot cup, a cold cup and water bottle for each one of us and one extra of each in case we bring a guest along. We’ve got just the right amount of plates and silverware so we’re forced to fully wash and put everything away after each meal.  It’s a tight operation!

Over the many years of helping people downsize and prepare themselves for a move and/or for selling their homes, I have preached the message over and over again: Only keep what you use, love and need! I admit that my home does not fully reflect this philosophy but I remind myself to think that way when I’m organizing spaces and evaluating what we’ve got and how to keep it orderly.

If you’d like your home to be a “tight operation” where you’ve got what you use, love and need and you know just where to go to find it: think like you’re camping. Whether it be display spaces, storage areas or floor space, each piece of your home is valuable real estate. Focus on having only those things that you use and things that make you feel happy when you see them, and you will have a peaceful and visually pleasing home.

For more inspiration for downsizing and organizing, please see these past blog posts:

Aging in Style | Sorting Out Our Stuff
Ten Tips to Cut the Clutter and Calm the Chaos This Fall

 

Shaking the House and Burning the Devil; Simplifying Spring Cleaning

By: Karen Pfeiffer Bush, CEO

Spring cleaning is an age-old tradition worldwide. Modern Americans are not unique in the practice of airing out their homes and scouring and scrubbing the nooks and crannies neglected over Winter. Our Spring-cleaning is typically a practical effort rather than the ritual and spiritual tradition celebrated in many cultures.

Many Chinese people mark the New Year—the symbolic end of Winter with a cleaning ritual. Their homes are refreshed with a deep clean prior to the first day of the Lunar New Year. Not only is it an exercise in cleaning the physical environment but it’s also a symbolic and spiritual practice to eliminate the old and tired to make room for the new and fresh. It has as much to do with clearing as it does with cleaning.

In Iranian culture, there’s a tradition called khaneh takani, translated as “shaking the house.” For two weeks, the entire family works together to clean and clear the home in preparation for the emergence of Spring, a time of regeneration.

Some Guatemalans partake in a tradition which has much in common with our Spring cleaning, with an interesting twist. It’s called quama del diablo, “burning the devil.” They believe the devil resides in the dust and dirt, in corners and in closets. He is energized by garbage, junk and unused household items. Garbage is swept outside into a huge pile, sometimes shared by an entire town. A papier-mache Satan is placed on top of the heap. In grand form, the pile is set ablaze, burning the devil in effigy. While the environmental ramifications of this practice are suspect, the clearing of dirt and debris from the home is believed to purify the space, soul and spirit.

 

 

 

The above excerpt was taken from The Imperfect Perfectionist, Seasonal Secrets for a Happy Balanced Life by Michelle Babb, Wendy Lomme, Karen Pfeiffer Bush and Chieko Watanabe.

 

 

 

So, how do we clean and clear our homes in Spring without having to convince family to shake the house for two straight weeks or rally neighbors to torch our unused household items? The key is to work geographically and not try to tackle our entire home in one work session. Block out time over the course of a month—maybe three or four work sessions around two or three hours each. Start in a space that will have the greatest impact—maybe your kitchen or your bedroom. When your efforts make a difference in a high impact space, you will be motivated to keep going. Tackle each space by working geographically throughout it. Pick a corner, sorting, clearing and cleaning—shelf by shelf—drawer by drawer– until you gradually make your way through the whole room. Don’t move on to other areas until each section of a room and eventually the entire room is complete. Celebrate as you make your way through each room by allowing yourself to feel the peace that can come in a clear, clean, rejuvenated space. Happy Spring!

 

Design Style: Coastal Boho

It’s the final week of our Design Style series! We had fun interviewing the Housewarming team and sharing with you various fun and unique aesthetics. As we conclude this series, we want to stress the idea of design being a personal thing. It should take aspects of YOUR personality and how YOU need it to function into account and be defined by those traits, have fun coming up with your own creative title!

For our final week, we interviewed our sister company’s, S|365 Consulting and Design, director and lead design consultant Jacquelyn Rardin. Who described her personal style as Coastal Boho.

Jacquelyn is a strategic thinker, visionary interior designer, and collaborative leader with S|365. As Director & Lead Design Consultant, she oversees our commercial development & interior design division, supporting Senior Living and Multi-Family solutions. She proudly serves as mom, partner, weekend artist & D.I.Yer, and is a self-proclaimed bookworm nerd who dreams of someday owning a tiny home by the sea.

When asked to explain how she defines her personal style this is what she said.

“Eclectic. Colorful. Fun. Comfortable. I truly love surrounding myself with art, books, and found objects turned projects, especially from my travels, far or near. My environment takes on a somewhat bohemian aesthetic that seamlessly works, mainly because it just feels good and it embodies my treasured memories from over the years—from my grandmother’s antique coffee table where I used to play card games as a child to a playful figurine I picked up with my daughter at a Paris thrift shop to creatively displayed books I’ve collected and read throughout my life to pleasing textures, patterns, and materials that evoke my favorite place, the beach.”

Design Style: Modern Contemporary

It’s week four of our Design Style Series, we began by exploring the ways in which you can identify your own aesthetic, and how coming up with your own original label is completely acceptable. Need a refresher? read our blog here! “Identifying Your Design Style: It’s Not All in The Name

This week we interviewed chief executive assistant Tylor Reighard, he described his personal design style as Modern Contemporary.

Tylor serves as Executive Assistant to CEO, Karen Pfeiffer Bush, coordinating speaking engagements & appearances, as well as managing client meetings and related activities. He plays a key role in coordinating on-site consultations, scheduling staging appointments, and lending insights to process & system development.

He describes himself as a simple person with a very extra personality. Tylor enjoys the simple things in life like wine and walks with his partner and adorable dog. He also enjoys summer hikes, cozy afternoons reading a good book or watching a short docuseries, cooking and traveling the world.

When asked to describe his personal style, this is what he had to say.

“My style is quite basic, I love clean lines and neutral soft colors. I would describe it as transitional/modern. My décor go-to’s are plants and simple framed images. I am a sucker for a succulent plant. I believe they can dress up any simple table or shelves. I also enjoy Scandinavian inspired fabrics. My style is a living room where you can feel comfortable sitting in, until you poor a glass of red wine and then you may fear staining the white couch (at least I do, even after its treated) Speaking of wine, the main reason I chose my first winery (Novelty Hill- Januik Winery) had nothing to do with the wine… I love the design and how comfortable I felt and wanted to bring that home and into my own living room (see right top corner of photo) I’ve since realized the wine is delicious and am still a member.”