One of the best things you can do for yourself is exercise your imagination. Stretch it daily. Take it for walks. Don’t forget to give it lots of good food to eat. A few of my favorite foods for thought come from Pinterest and Instagram! Those apps are chock full of inspiring designs and helpful tidbits to positively influence a vision for your space, regardless of whether it’s home or work.
You’ve come to our blog (and continue to read these words) because there is at least one space in your life that just isn’t the way you want it to be. You know you want something different, but you’re not sure exactly what. All you know is that you want something fresh, light, efficient, etc. You can determine what you want and hone your vision by asking yourself these three questions:
Be specific. Write your answers down. Imagine how your space will feel when it’s exactly like you want it. Bask in the awesomeness. You’ve just found your vision for that space.
The statement I most commonly hear from clients when asked what they want for their space is for it to look “put together like a normal office/house/bedroom/______.” This is a GREAT place to start! Developing your vision for a particular area will guide your decision making process as you evaluate each item currently in the space. If an item doesn’t HELP the space move toward your vision, then ultimately, it’s holding you back. The item could be relocated to another place in your home that might make more sense (like putting the extra toilet paper under your bathroom sink instead of in the corner of your dining room), or it could be removed (donated to a friend or mission, returned to its original owner, or tossed). If the item is holding you back, but it carries deep sentimental value, use your imagination to brainstorm ways to display or honor the object somewhere in your home or office. Don’t simply hide the item in your attic; doing that will add to clutter. If you truly love it, then you’ll want to display it. If you don’t want to display it, then you don’t love it as much as you say you do, in which case, it’s time to let it go.
You’ve come to our blog (and continue to read these words) because there is at least one space in your life that just isn’t the way you want it to be. You know you want something different, but you’re not sure exactly what. All you know is that you want something fresh, light, efficient, etc. You can determine what you want and hone your vision by asking yourself these three questions:
- What is the function of this space right now? If we’re talking about a spare bedroom, your answer may be “Storage Room”; if it’s a kitchen, your answer may be “Food Prep.”
- What do you want the function of this space to be? Your answers may alter slightly to “Home Office” or “Food Prep and Entertaining Areas.”
- How do I want the room to look when it’s functioning exactly the way I want it to? “Clean lines; uniform colors; clear desk with easy to access filing system; a place for every supply and document” or “Bright white upper cabinets with dark grey lower cabinets; large island with seating for 5 that branches out to the living room” will surely get you on your way with image searches!
Be specific. Write your answers down. Imagine how your space will feel when it’s exactly like you want it. Bask in the awesomeness. You’ve just found your vision for that space.
The statement I most commonly hear from clients when asked what they want for their space is for it to look “put together like a normal office/house/bedroom/______.” This is a GREAT place to start! Developing your vision for a particular area will guide your decision making process as you evaluate each item currently in the space. If an item doesn’t HELP the space move toward your vision, then ultimately, it’s holding you back. The item could be relocated to another place in your home that might make more sense (like putting the extra toilet paper under your bathroom sink instead of in the corner of your dining room), or it could be removed (donated to a friend or mission, returned to its original owner, or tossed). If the item is holding you back, but it carries deep sentimental value, use your imagination to brainstorm ways to display or honor the object somewhere in your home or office. Don’t simply hide the item in your attic; doing that will add to clutter. If you truly love it, then you’ll want to display it. If you don’t want to display it, then you don’t love it as much as you say you do, in which case, it’s time to let it go.
The value you say an item holds must be reflected in the place you give that item in your life, otherwise your words have no meaning and it’s all just clutter.
– Peter Walsh
So what happens when you give your vision the green light? This week, I had the privilege of working with a highly motivated apartment dweller. She knew what she wanted, but she wasn’t sure where to start. We began with the easy categories and it wasn’t long before she was firing decisions left and right for every item in her living room. Her vision motivated her work. It was tiring, but the result after just a few hours was amazing. The space she’d been dreaming about was starting to take shape!
Is there a space that just isn’t what you want it to be? Do you know what purpose you want that space to serve? Are you using your imagination to envision a changed space?
Give yourself permission to get working! Your vision awaits!
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