MAP IT OUT

A close friend came to me overwhelmed by the mountains of junk piled as high as the Rockies scattered throughout her house, ignored for years because life got in the way. Necessity trumped organization; she needed to get the kids off to school, plan play dates, organize summer vacations, zip the kids off to soccer practice and have dinner waiting for them when they got home. Where to put Grandma's wedding dress lost to how to remove crayon from the brand new oak dining table. This tough chic, after the kids flew the coop, decided it was time to build a new nest... or, at the very least, clean this one. But where to start? Like approaching any project I told her we had to map out a plan and just dive in. So, we did... into the deep blue sea of her 2,000 square foot basement filled with everything from the kids baby teeth to stuffed owls and wedding dresses. As we started the sorting process (trash, keep, donate) I discovered many hidden treasures beneath the sea of crap. I love what I do for many reasons. Sure, I love color, furniture, textures, architecture, the history of art... but, I also love the history of families. As much as I love telling stories, I love hearing them even more and in every design I work diligently, not to find the perfect chair, but to tell the story of the person who's going to be sitting in it. Instead of throwing out Grandma's writing desk, for example, we gave it a face lift by painting it, draping it with an antique table cloth and hanging an old school map above it. Now when she walks down her hall she's reminded of her Grandmother, her mothers love of antique table cloths and the fun times she had in elementary school. Everyone has a story... shouldn't your home reflect yours?

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: One hour to paint table and hang map. 1 week to clear basement.

COST: $0. One of my favorite things I found in the basement..and have since discovered in several antique stores...is the old school map. For under $20 you can have instant, interesting artwork. Buy two hooks and hang it from the handles.

STRESS LEVEL:Listening to the road map of someones life and designing a room around it: LOW