To Be Determined

“TBD is an abbreviation often meaning in ordinary writing "to be discussed" "to be done", "to be defined", "to be decided", "to be determined", "to be declared", "to be deleted", “to be denounced”, etc.”

TBD, a term used quite often in Interior Design.  Vendor: TBD.  Ship To Address: TBD  and on it goes.  Placeholders for future plans.

Lately it has taken on a new meaning for me  Our Future: TBD….  

I’m a planner so most of the time I feel a sense of control by planning my calendar, where I will go, what I will do.  With SIP  I can still plan but with a few limitations…today I will go to the Kitchen, the Bathroom, maybe walk in the Garden.  If sunny it will definitely  a walk at the coast with Oliver.  What I really want to do is take a drive, to get out of here, to go to Big Sur, anywhere I don’t care just to go.

It is such a reminder to me that even though I feel in my daily life I have a sense of control it is an illusion.  Yes, I can make choices of what I do but there are always limitations, some small and some very big like the effects of COVID.  I pretend I’m in control, it makes me feel better.

One of my greatest values is Faith which leads to Hope. People are survivors and creatives in so many capacities, not just the arts.  I know that we will come out the other side and will have grown from our experiences, that blessings will come out of ashes.   I’ve been making the best of my time at home; working on refining my business, Zooming, Webinaring, generally increasing my knowledge, and gardening my creative joy… 

For me there is a Ying and a Yang for all of this, there are the blessings of having the time to reflect and readjust what I hold dear. At the same time looking and trying to stay casual about it all l can feel the ache in my jaw from the tension of resentment for the isolation and lack of freedom to go and do outside of the home, to be with friends.  It’s important to me to acknowledge my feelings as they are real and I’m thinking others may share similar emotions.

When the gates open we really don’t know what the world will look like economically, socially, and emotionally.  Being sequestered has to have taken an emotional toll on all of us, more I think more than we can imagine.  Don’t they put prisoner’s in isolation for punishment when they misbehave ?  Doesn’t that experience subdue them?  I am also concerned for those of us who live paycheck to paycheck, how are they surviving when out of work.

Hopefully by next month’s newsletter, we will be free to go back to work, to travel, and to roam about as we like, to share a handshake or a long-needed hug.  For me, I hope that the important things I learned during this crisis will stay with me as I re-enter my former life in a brand new way!

It’s June already! Yikes almighty, Jiminy Cricket...where does the time go when you are sheltering in place?  What day is today?

If you were mindful you would know. Have you ever driven somewhere and not remembered how you got there?   Not likely lately, if you are like me you are getting about two months to the gallon…I digress as my mind wanders.  Driving somewhere without a clue as to how you arrived is being mindless, you know when you walk into a room and forget what you came to do or get?  I do this all the time, getting distracted from what I am doing by focusing on what’s next or regurgitating a conversation of the past, multitasking…we all do it, mindlessness. 

Being on auto pilot is all well and good when we need to get things done but too often it is the rule instead of the exception and the months days years keep slipping away without us noticing.

Mindfulness is just the opposite, it is being present in the moment, noticing inner thoughts without judgement, registering details others just pass by, listening to and hearing what your friend is saying rather than thinking of what you will say next.  Ugh, that can be so hard to do.

Early on in the Sheltering in Place order I would frequent Next Door to see what’s going on in the Neighborhood and I came across this story:

Hi Neighbors and beyond!  I just want to tell you how much I am enjoying the waves and “hello” from the people I see on my morning dog walks! We are usually across the street or you might be in your garage while we walk by! So we are keeping our distance. But it reminds me of when I was a child and you knew all your neighbors or at least they knew you! That contact would be so great if we could keep this up after the self isolation is over! It makes me feel like we are a community. It’s nice to see the smiles and the friendliness! We are not going to be best friends but at least we are looking at each other and recognizing each other and being friendly! My wish is we keep doing that. It’s good for the heart and the safety of our community!

From Next Door.

This gesture was so sweet and very mindful.  It is worthwhile to be aware of our surroundings, the people around us and to not be staring at our phones or to be thinking of what is next on our to do list.  I hope that after we are released from our homes that I continue to be mindful of the life that happens around me, the people I encounter each day.  I have missed it more than I ever could have imagined...the slight nod of the head, the little smiles and acknowledgement, even the meaningless “hi how are you?”.  I could use a few of these right about now. 

A big adventure for me has been my trips to the nursery, sometimes I don’t even need anything yet there I was ogling new plants for the garden.

While sheltering I have allowed myself to take more time with things, enjoying a walk through the garden noticing new little flowers or leaflets, savoring  a little bite of chocolate as it melts in my mouth, sipping my tea.  My son visited us for several weeks and it was such a treasure to spend so much time with him, to have long walks on the beach noticing the shells and creatures in the tide pools. I had been so overwhelmed by grocery shopping, wearing the mask, feeling anonymous, making sure I stay my distance.  On one such trip my son made conversation with the grocery clerk, reminding me that there was a person, probably an overworked person, behind that cash register and their mask having to face everyday, all day, what I dread once or twice a week.

I’m crossing my fingers that June will be different than March, April & May.  That the doors will open wide. I’m excited to work (not from home) again, to be around people, to notice the details…but I ask myself this question “How do I keep treasuring the little things and noticing the details, the neighbors, savoring conversations when life swirls around me once again? “  How will you? 

Life has a way of throwing a curve ball now and again...of being unpredictable. Paying attention to the slight movements or drastic changes can enriched our life experiences. I have heard testimony of what seemed like a devastating end of a career flower into something new...maybe even something that would not have been tried unless desperate or fired from a job.

The old adage when a door closes another one opens. Sometimes that door doesn’t open so easily or within the timing we had hoped for. Sometimes we need a pry bar to get it to open. But I have never seen it not open if you work hard enough at it.

Transformation is an overused word these days, a catch all. But it is one that describes the process in each of us, in our work life, in our living spaces. What once was helpful to us years ago may not be now and needs to be shed, gotten rid of as it prevents us from further growth.

During this chaotic time of coping with the COVID outbreak many have talked of having the time to stop and smell the roses-so to speak. Time to reflect. For myself it has given me time to reflect, to refine, to pay attention. Many, as myself, have been on the hamster wheel going...going,...going, in circles of course! Many a friend of mine have felt and proclaimed that they don’t want to get back on the wheel. For me I am with them. I want to work more efficiently and effectively but when I don’t to say “Oh well, tomorrow is another day”. I refine as I go.

I love to transform homes for my clients. Gosh darn there is that word again...ugh! It’s kinda like the F word (excuse my French) as it is the only one at times that can describe what you are trying to say perfectly. When a client and I have worked together and finally install everything we have dreamed and planned together there is a sense of calm that ensues. There is a weight off the shoulders, a chaos that has turned to order. A place to live, to rest, to be.

COVID has certainly disrupted our lives and more, for some in very devastating ways. Personally I’m starting to be thankful for the time to reset, to do many things I said I would do when I have more time, to elevate what’s important and slough off what is

not. I continue to ask myself this question “What have I learned about myself and where do I want to go from here, what endeavor is valuable to me that I want to commit my time to accomplish. It could be as easy as desiring to spend more quality time with friends (no little accomplishment in this hectic world) or a much bigger plan. Where do you want to transform your life?

“What about negative space?”  my husband proclaims after reading my newsletter on the Elements of Design.  He and I have had multiple conversations on decorating our home and negative space always comes up in the conversation.  So he wonders why I didn’t write about it in the newsletter.   Truth be told, I think Negative Space and Proportion are probably the two most import elements of design.

What is negative space, you might ask as my husband did the first time that I mentioned it.  I must have drummed it into his head so many times that now when we discuss a home project guess what the first words that come out of his mouth “What about negative space?”

It is the space between, the space that allows your eye to flow around a room rather than jump from here to here to there, it allows your eye to rest.  Negative space provides the opportunity to focus on something rather than wandering.  It helps us to see things without distraction, to really see things.

How do you create Negative Space?  

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”  

                                                                                             ~CHANEL~

Chanel knew what she was talking about for fashion…same for the home, negative space is the art of editing, sometimes mercilessly!  Rather than marching a collection in a line across a shelf combine them together and leave space between the collection and other objects on the shelf.  Unless you are hanging art “salon style”, select a significant piece and let the negative space around the piece draw you towards it.

It is not necessary to have great expanses of white walls and minimal decorative items to create negative space.  Maximalist design achieves it in spades through the use of proportion. Working with different sizes or combining dissimilar textures.

Sometimes I play a game when I am styling either my home or a client’s.  First I place the objects I think will work together, say on a bookshelf or a fireplace mantel.  I step back to take a long look at them, if my gut says something is off I change it up.  Could it be the proportion or the placement.  Sometimes one of the objects just has to go and be replaced by another.  This does take time and your fears have to put away of doing it wrong…remember you can always change it up later if you really don’t like the way it makes you feel.

During this time of emotional distress and lack of human connection we all have been relying on our homes to provide safety and comfort.  So it is important to take the time to make your home a place you want to be.

Working from home? Me too! 

Since working from home was going to be a short 4 week stint until we flattened the curve I decided to work from the Dining Room table.  As the Shelter in Place continues maybe you find yourself trying to adapt one of your spaces as a home office.  Since I had worked from home for a short while between offices I had developed some ways to make it work.  Here are a few things learned along the way that might help you.

Tip 1: Define your work day

Now that the edges between home and work are blurred a primary concern for me was how to define my work day. A valuable piece of advice received early on was to start and end my workday consistently as if going to or leaving the office. This meant at the end of the day I put away my work things and in the morning I put them out again. I’m a bit obsessed with order so this was a true life saver for me.  My work papers fit in a basket that sits neatly on a closet shelf so it was easy to make this adaptation.

If you have a designated office in your home and don’t have to put away your things at the end of the day make sure to leave the office and close the door.

Tip 2: Get Dressed

It is tempting when working from home to stay in your jammies, since no one on Zoom will see your bottom half…don’t give in to the temptation, take a shower and dress for work.  You can still wear comfortable clothes that maybe you wouldn’t for the office but make sure it’s not your jammies! This tip will also help you with Tip 1.

Tip 3: Change of venue

When at the office most of us are up and down with trips to a co-worker’s office for a quick chat, to the conference room for group meetings, or the iconic water cooler. So part of managing work at home is to take breaks and change where work is done throughout the day.

If I have heavy work on my laptop, I work from the Dining table (my designated office for now).  If it is reading a document or writing a blog, as I am doing now, I sit on the sofa with the I Pad.   Having a change in venue and shift in technology has really helped my psyche and my focus...for some reason the I Pad doesn’t distract me the way the lap top does.  This has been such a helpful tip for me that when things open up again my first purchase will be a chaise lounge or comfy lounge chair for the office.

Tip 4: No Space for a Big Office create a little one.

If you don’t have the room for a separate office create a little office in a closet, nook, or cranny. Recently when designing a client’s home with 3 growing boy’s they requested designated homework spaces in each boy’s room.  Two of the boy’s rooms had ample space for a full desk but the little one’s did not.  We were able to design a floating desk in a 36 x 24 recess in his room, it’s the perfect size for him.

Another option is to purchase several tall open bookshelves to separate your work space from your living space or just add a desk to the Living Room or Bedroom. Don’t forget to put away your work things at the end of the day or they will haunt you and lure you back to work.

Tip 5: Designated Rooms

It may be that you like to work at home on occasion or most of the time and want to designate a specific room just for that. For a client we renovated and repurposed an underused small room, being tucked away from the rest of the home it was the perfect space for an office. Another wanted one designed to house his extensive comic collection and as respite from a long work day, for this we were able to utilize space in an oversized garage.

Whether a permanent home office or temporary and you are dedicating one of the rooms in your home as office space  built-in custom bookshelves may be out of the question. Be creative purchase some open shelves online and have them delivered to your home.  An armoire would also work as well to hide the papers and office supplies. or a low cabinet can work to store documents and supplies and is a perfect spot to set office equipment on top.   

Also add a comfortable chair or chaise lounge for more comfortable seating and that change of venue as discussed in Tip 3.  Add in a throw rug for sound absorption and warmth,  personal items or artwork to personalize the room, and paint the walls to make it yours.

Tip 6:  Reward Yourself

Always reward your self at the end of the day, whether you’ve accomplished a lot or just a little.  My reward is a trip around my garden, a walk on the beach with my dog, Oliver, and a nice glass of wine to signify the work day is over!

Now that we have a little more time on our hands you may be looking at that closet and wonder what is to be done to with it, to clean it up, to make more efficient storage - to rescue you from an all day endeavor to find that item you are looking for. . . you know what I mean!

It may be your desire to create some order in your house, to organize some things that have been on the back burner, there is no time like the present. I love order, almost to distraction, if things are not in their place I cannot rest or work until it is put back to order.  Maybe I need to see a therapist for this, hmm. . .  

Never actually realizing that this was so important to me my hubby clued me in after he ranked this as one of my highest values…wait one minute I thought it was just a thing but a value? One of my highest?  Steve and I had been working on the value exercise from Brene Brown’s book “Dare to Lead”.  We approached this in a creative way, we ranked our own and then we ranked what we thought was each other’s …very enlightening indeed.

I am such an organizational nut that I could spend a day in The Container Store and not know anytime had passed in anticipation of the perfect product that will cure my organizational woes.  Since I am an order nut and browse the storage aisles in Target for fun I thought I would share some super helpful recent treasures.

For the Kitchen

OXO GOOD GRIPS CANISTERS

What I store:  I use this for my baking needs-flour, cane sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar (that’s a lot of sugar!).

Why I love this product: The pop top is cool, they stack and fit neatly together and keep my stuff fresh.

Where I have found them: Ace Hardware (use your reward coupon to justify the cost), The Container Store and I’m sure Amazon has it.

RUBBERMAID BRILLIANCE FOOD STORAGE

What I store: Smaller storage items-nuts, chocolate (more sugar), TJ’s Biscotti, Rustic Bakery Mini OliveOil/Gris Flatbreads, and leftovers.

Why I love this product: I love the gasket for freshness, the click of the lid when fastened.  I also love, love, love the way they stack and store.  I had a drawer full of mismatched food storage containers and had a hard time convincing myself that the cost of these new ones was warranted…no regrets and I have never looked back. My local resale shop got the mix and match ones!

Where I have found them: Target, The Container Store and I’m sure Amazon has it too.

OXO STAINLESS STEEL BOTTLE BRUSH

What I store: Very useful tool, worth a million.

Why I love this product: I love love love this brush just like I love love love almost anything OXO produces.  It works great in my big water bottle, reaches all the way to the bottom, also works great on glassware as well.  The bristles are soft not stiff so they can squeeze through small openings and be gentle but clean the heck out of my wine glasses.

Where I have found them: Discovered at The Container Store, and Amazon has it too.

OXO GOOD GRIPS STAINLESS STEEL SINKWARE CADDY

What I store: My OXO Stainless Steel Bottle Brush and more, a sponge and another stiff brush for the tough stuff.

Why I love this product: It stores all those wet kitchen brushes and sponges so neatly and it has a perforated shelf so the water can drain into the removable plastic bottom. Doesn’t tip over and easy to clean.

Where I have found them: Discovered at the Container Store (told you I spend a lot of time there), and I’m sure Amazon has them too.

For Anywhere

MADESMART 2-TIER DIVIDED CABINET ORGANIZER

What I store: Pesky little supplies that I keep in the linen closet; medicines, nail tools, cotton balls, Q-tips, toothbrushes and toothpaste…on it goes.  Also have one under my kitchen sink for kitchen garbage bags, dishwashing gloves, TJ’s dishwashing cloths.

Why I love this product: Oh this one is a big love, a very big love.  I spent quite a bit of time, at The Container store of course, researching each storage bin for the perfect one for all mentioned above.  I used to store this stuff in plastic shoe boxes stacked on top of each other.  I hated having to pull out 3 boxes just to get the one I wanted.  The organizer bins can slide out, or you can take them all the way out-say you want to clip your toenails in bed while watching TWD.  They are open top so easy to reach in and grab what you want.

Where I have found them: Discovered at the Container Store and I love them for it.

SILICON STRONG MAGNETIC CABLE TIES

NITE IZE 6” GEAR TIE TWIST TIE

What I store: Electric cords, my Dot cord that is way too long, I use the magnetic ones to keep all the stuff I keep on the refrigerator door, you know invitations and cards and stuff.

Why I love this product: I love the way the two magnets are so attracted to each other and click when they kiss. They are reusable and strong, and certainly help corral unsightly cords (the bane of my existence).

Where I have found them: Amazon!

HUG-A-PLUG OUTLET EXTENDER

What I store: Hmmm….I plug things into them.

Why I love this product: So much smaller than those those power strips (an less unsightly).

Where I have found them: The Container Store and I’m sure Amazon has it too.

GOO GONE

What I store: No storage here but helpful in the kitchen or garage.

Why I love this product: Removes those sticky labels they put on all the stuff you buy and don’t want your friends to know how much you paid.

Where I have found them: Ace Hardware, Home Depot, some grocery stores and  I’m sure Amazon has it too.

POTTY MINTS

What I store: Hmmm…no storage here either!  Just a helpful hint.

Why I love this product: Say for instance you are at a friends house and you have just used the Powder Room Bath, which is right next to the Family Room where everyone is congregated, and you had to do some necessary business that you just don’t want anyone else knowing about…just imagine it.  Wouldn’t you want one of these in your purse or pocket at this very moment?  Beats a lighted match, since that kinda gives the secret away!

Where I have found them: The Container Store (while I was writing this blog researching the names of all the wonderful other products I had found before).

I end with the Potty Mints and I ponder whether I should go to storage AA….as I was researching these products and screenshooting images I invested a couple hundred dollars with a boat load more organizational product…. it’s on it’s way and I tingle with anticipation!

In the Winter of 2020 I attended many conferences on Interior Design, with the changes in our world it seems so long ago now . Most of the guest speakers, who are Design Influencer’s or Design Icon’s, all spoke of the importance of travel as the number one influencer for their design inspiration.

What is it about travel that so inspires us I wonder? Can it be that travel to foreign places, where they don’t speak our language, get’s us out of our comfort zone and opens us to new experiences? Could it be the colors, the exposure to different plants, food, the habitat?

What I do know about travel, other than new visual imagery, it that it stirs my soul. The experience of being somewhere completely different, being exposed to living in a totally different way. To take note of how differently the people express themselves, through their art, clothing, festivals.

In my blog, Seashells by the Seashore, I briefly discuss collections and what they mean to us. I find when I travel I collect things that stir me, that attract my attention, that will remind me of my time away. This is true of my clients and friends as well. Each piece brought back from traveling has a story attached whether it be a a reminder of an exquisite little town, a new interaction…

Recently, before the restrictions on travel, my husband and I visited my brother and sis-in-law in Mexico. They live in a sweet place where their culture is still untouched by foreign tourism. . . although that is changing rapidly. Each time I visit I am exposed to different aspects of the culture and life there.

My sis-in-law is a creative like me...she is a beautiful painter with a bohemian style, an avid gardener, and a chef extraordinaire. I marvel how quickly and decisively she puts a gastronomic delight together. It had been 7 years since my last visit to their home and I noticed some differences in their decor.

On our last days together I asked her about some of the interesting sculptures and pieces in her home that were new to me. Each item was special and collected from their travels throughout Mexico. Each had a story and it was a delight to hear her speak of the adventures, mishaps’ and sometimes mayhem that surrounded the items.

For the next few weeks, hopefully weeks and not months, we will be in our homes and unable to travel...this will not stop us from dreaming and planning our next adventures and the excitement and anticipation of when we can seek out the treasures we will find there and bring back home, adding to our life stories. What is your next adventure?

Seashells down by the Seashore

In my home there are several bowls full of seashells that I have collected over the years, many collected with my daughter on our annual mother daughter trips to Carmel before I moved here. The little tiny ones really intrigue me. . . the intricate design in such a small object is unbelievable. Some of these shells carry extraordinary value of our family adventures.

Seashells in a bowl sits alongside books on a family room coffee table.

In coastal homes, especially, people like to decorate with seashells. Makes sense, however, sometimes it can just be overdone. A key to displaying collections is to group them together rather than scatter them about, but at times it can be way too much if not properly edited. A home I visited years ago had one room decorated with seashell memorabilia everywhere. . . seashell prints on the wall, seashell wallpaper borders, and seashells in bowls and baskets, on the console. . . on and on. and on, it was almost frightening

A collection of creamware displayed in a niche and the Dining Room console table.

Displaying one’s collections, whether it is seashells or some other valued treasure, adds a wonderful personal element to your home but the key is to carefully edit and curate the collection. Combining a collection with other objects or displaying them in unique places adds variety, texture, and highlights the elements of your collection.

Vintage French Green Bottles displayed on an Entry buffet with an antique tapestry as the back drop.

When I am working with a client or visiting a friend’s home I love to hear the stories behind the collections, they are always personal and very intriguing. What is it that you collect?

I love books, I love to hold them, to flip page after page, to stare with awestruck wonder at the beauty depicted on each page, and occasionally I read them. I certainly buy them, lots of them as my ever-burgeoning library will attest. They inspire and provide for me as a designer a wealth of ideas to bounce off of for my projects. They are super to decorate with, stacked on top of each other, side by side with found objects, leaning this way and that.

Decorating tip alert-consider books as an accessory that brings life and soul to your home and also informs others as to what is important to you. I always find out what captivates my client’s interest whether it is a hobby or something else and place books in their home that speak to this interest. Always investing in hardback never paperback! Today I want to share my most recent discovery and the most precious experience of meeting the man behind this amazing book, A Wandering Eye by Miguel Flores-Vianna.

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A Wandering Eye...travels with my Phone by Miguel Flores-Vianna

I am mesmerized, not only by the breathtaking photography but also the enchanting stories entwined with the images in this enthralling monograph.

Miguel Flores-Vianna speaks the following of his first view of the Tj Mahal:

“I walked the short distance to the gates in foul spirits. I had woken long before the sun that morning and was in no mood to see the “sights” yet there I was ready to go through the motions...we entered a dark cavernous space from which I caught my first glimpse, bathed in the soft, early morning light...The Taj...I felt humble-and humbled...”

Felicity Irons Rush Barn. Miguel relays the story of spending the day with Felicity gathering rush for her beautiful baskets and other creative enterprises.

I was fascinated by his ability to capture beauty in both insignificant and grand sites, his exceptional eye for the composition, and the thread weave of the stories he told of how he came to these places was captivating.

While visiting John Stefanidis in Patmos - Miguel captures John’s home near the sea, yet never actually makes it to the azure seas during his visit.

After an hour of intently listening to Miguel’s humble tales, taking in the images that chronicled his stories, I was hooked lock stock and barrel and about to stow away in his suitcase just so I could come along for the ride. Now I travel with him vicariously through his book and dream of my own adventures to come. If you love travel, photography, or beauty this book should be in your library or on your coffee table.

All photos depicted here were taken with my iPhone of pages from Miguel’s book.

Oh I have some very exciting news…Hockney’s Yosemite is up at the Monterey Museum of Art.  The show officially opens on April 25th and runs through August 4th! You have time but run don’t walk to this amazing little museum and the fascinating Hockney exhibit.

Here are some cool links that will feed your Hockney soul.

https://thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/chronology Check out 2010 when Hockney creates Yosemite on his iPad.

http://badatsports.com/?s=652 An interview with Hockney

And if the exhibit isn’t exciting enough our annual Diamond Jubilee Gala is on April 27th @ the Monterey Peninsula Country Club.  An event not to miss and a wonderful way to support MMA in our 60th year, we are growing strong and better than ever!

Click HERE for more info.

Make a weekend of it enjoying the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula and attend our Diamond Jubilee Gala too!  Hope to see you there.