Transitions: Creating the home you love with his stuff

The wedding bells have rung and the honeymoon is done
Now you need to transition your life with his,
to create a blended house hold.
Goldie is ready to hang her hat!

The man cave is moving. That mountain of inherited comfy couch, that has taken your beloved's shape, is big. So big that it fills the room and renders you speechless.

couch found at Kijiji


Perhaps he has holdovers from a past marriage, or relics from hanging out at the local watering hole, or visiting Hawaii.

found at Hawaiian Gifts



Perhaps she is awash in doilies & a collection of porcelain pieces.
check out this cool doily from Best Doilies Shop


You did say for better or worse, and suddenly your place is looking a whole lot worse.

How can you find a meeting place.
A way to meld the good(your stuff) the bad (his stuff) and the ugly (definitely his stuff)?

There is a way, and it need not mean starting over with all new furniture and knicknacks.



First determine the use of your room.
What are you planning on doing in there ?




Check out the dance cards at BettysShopORama's Shop




this dancing couple found at Kitschandcurious's Shop





Next figure out what items of furniture you need
Then the fun begins.

What sofa will work in the space ?
Perhaps you can take turns to pick items.

That way you both get to choose and loose.

Transitioning well involves displine and a sense of humor.
Remember this is only furniture.

The most important items to consider are size, color & function.

If the table is ugly but the right size perhaps paint will be your friend.

check out these fun painted pieces from Bradshaw Kirchofer

Accessories do not only make the woman, they also make the room.
check out BeeLine Mid Century



Below, a fabulous interior in home of Barbo Grandelius (Antiquarian and Decoratrice)
and her husband Göran Peterson. taken from the blog
Euroantique Market
amazing stuff



Be focused and brutal in weeding out things you hate.
Art work placement and choice is key


Janey Garnet Collage from her Etsy Shop




Make sure you can achieve all your objectives.

remember to leave room to walk

and let the room reflect the best of both of you.



If all else fails, hire a Redesigner to do it for you - it takes away the stress!

call me - I would love to help you set the stage for your new life and love.

Happy creating in your new home.

May all the furniture and decorative bits be pieces you both love.


below french couple from Noodle and Lou fun and colorful artwork with heart.



Celebrate your marriage by co-mingling with style.

Making an Entrance

Summer Joy captured in Kalk Bay, South Africa, looking up to the hills or down to the ocean.

We are almost into April. 2009
and spring has sprung, the grass is riz.


Goldie has been out in the yard, digging, rolling and keeping her eye out for other furry folk.
as you can see in this photo, Goldie is all about enjoying life, and wearing hats, or eating hats.

Since she is outdoors, and the sun is shinning, I decided to move on out and mow the lawn. It was getting pretty wild out there. So I was out cutting and mowing, and thinking about how lovely it is to entertain when the weather smiles.

Entertaining at home is the new IN place to be for meals. I read all about it, all over the big wide web. So I decided to explore ways to go about making an Entrance.

First impressions count, or so the cliche goes. and Cliche or not, its all true.
What better way to get people to sit up and notice your style, but with a brightly painted door,
a cool seat, or some wild art. Or all three.

None of these changes need to cost. Sometimes you just need to move things around.
A bit of paint can do wonders, and it is a cheap fix.
Fabric strips can make a colorful door curtain, old plaques or mirrors on the wall add interest.

And a couple of stylish items I ran into on my trip, down south, got me thinking.

Its all about the details.



How about fabulous eye candy for the soles ?
A new door mat - I spotted this one at Cost Plus Website.

and look what else there is to capture the imagination before crossing the Threshold :


another key element in making a statement is Numbering with style,

I spotted this on my way to the airport in my home town Pretoria:

make a statement by creating a colorful pathway, this one spotted in Kalk Bay, Cape Town

If you have gates, or if you have a place to hang gates,
look what fabulous things you can do with these:
a gate in Kalk Bay, captures my heart



and here is one that is pretty and functional in Fresnaye, Cape Town

a chair or some plants add whimsy and color, this one below I spotted in Del Mar, CA
what a clever way to repurpose a broken chair!

the simple folding chair below spotted in Mountain View, Pretoria

add some color with plants, spotted in Del Mar, California


or some fabulous art like these painted ostrich eggs

add some seating like this amazing grouping spotted in Johannesburg Airport, on my way out,
too bad I couldn't fit it on the plane, in my hand luggage:

There is a simple way to make your doorway charming and inviting:
Add some color and some items you love.
Group for effect.
Leave some empty spaces
Create a meandering path to wander down.
Add seating, lights, texture and art.
Then invite some friends over for fresh lemonade & cookies, or cocktails and nibbles, to admire your handiwork.


Below is an example from a client :

The before shows Safe & BORING

THE AFTER :
The front door is painted green to match the letters
The bench has acquired Red and green cushions (OSH), above the postbox we place a metal plant container with fake ivy (TJ Max)
The client; wrote to tell us how some blue birds had made a nest and were coming back and forth to feed their babies.
To break the window, a lovely white std Gardenia(OSH) in a red pot,(Target) with an inviting red green and orange mat(Target) to add some zing:

Write and tell me all about how you make an entrance and enjoy that wonderful moment when you step into your own oasis!

Sheer Simplicity

Valentines day has come and gone.
I wanted to share my sweet dog Goldie's valentine look - she is ready for LOVE. She is singing the blues cos she has nowhere to hang her bag of bones, love is thataway.

and when I think about Love, I think about what is truly essential in life -its all about keeping things simple and focusing on friendships and feeling good.

Organizing your closets - giving away the excess for another person to enjoy.
Good vibrations all around when you shed the weight of all those possessions.
The unbearable LIGHTNESS of being.

Living clutter free and loving it Having space in the closet where nothing hangs, having drawers that are empty.
Space on the bookshelf and room in your garage to park a car.

a space in the garage to use with impunity.
a camping shelf or a ski area.
Perhaps creating a fantasy room within the garage for the family to play in.
an Art center at the ready.
A stage for shows. or a craft center.

Make room for life, and letting go of all those darn things.

When I was young I constantly foraged for items, longing to pack my life full, with the debris of living and shopping and collecting.

Now, now I long for peace. Expanses of empty spaces. Clean living. Bare cupboards.
I am loving that empty feeling now its gone, gone, gone.

Imagine a closet where you use everything at least once. Once a day, once a week once a year.
Buying a few good bold pieces you love.
Buying what you love, loving what you buy, and asking yourself - can I do be do without all this dough bought stuff.
What could I do with my time, if I didn't have to buy, clean, care, for all my things?

I would have time to create living moments. Moving memories.
I could write a song about being free - having nothing left to lose:
the blues that left me cos I went and threw it all out .....
dont need no more magic tools that dices and slices- just a good bed, a candle and a book.
Ok maybe a couple candles and a good light. The sweet luxuries that are fabulous.

If you had to make a list of what you couldn't live without, what would that list contain?

after all this rain is done I will head for the hills in my head.