​Ask most busy people today, “What is your biggest challenge?” and it always seems to come down to not having enough time to get things done.  Whether it is work related or home project related, we seem to run out of time while the “to-do” list gets longer and longer.
            It is the beginning of October and we’re already seeing “Christmas” in all the stores.  What happened to all the time we had to get the house ready for the holidays? But don’t dwell on yesterday – it’s gone and tomorrow isn’t quite here, which leaves us with TODAY.
            So here’s a suggested TODAY “to-do” list to help you keep time with the time you have left:

1. If you are considering renovations such as kitchen, bath or any major construction, and you have not begun, don’t expect to be finished for this holiday season.  Get started, but aim for spring completion so you can prepare appropriately.
2. Experienced professionals (designers, architects, licensed contractors) can help you expedite your project as well as offer options you not have known existed.
3. Make sure all contracted sources put in writing the expected time frame for completion or delivery. Start now interviewing the team and shop for items needed, but be flexible (remember the cheapest price may not be the best). 
4. Establish realistic budget parameters and if it’s a big project, explore avenues for financing, allowing time for approvals.  If you’re planning to “do it yourself”, make a realistic schedule for your smaller projects, and then add for contingencies. 
5. Make time to clean up the clutter, throw out stuff, and organize your space before you begin. It will go faster during the completion phase. (If there’s a dumpster on site, use it, or if need be, get one!)

 
Some more tips to save time and money:

1. When decorating public spaces, (living room, dining room, den and foyer) start with area rugs to help you define space, pattern, and color. Create a new look, even if you’re keeping “oldies but goodies.”
2. When decorating bedrooms, start with the bedding (often sold with coordinating draperies) to establish wall and carpet color.  Try to stay monochromatic (1 color family) on walls and floors, especially if you like to change from winter velvet to summer patchwork.  New furniture may or may not be in the immediate plan, but make sure your new purchases will stand the test of time.
3. When decorating rooms for kids, remember, they grow and their rooms should grow with them.  Make major purchases carefully and with an eye to tomorrow so you won’t have to spend time and money looking for new furniture in a few years. 
4. Make your choices in a timely manner – but don’t be an impulse shopper.  Choose carefully since what’s “in” today may be “out” tomorrow.  If you want to be a little funky, do it with accessories that can be easily or inexpensively changed if you grow tired of them.

 
Enjoy the process of decorating.  It really can be fun, enriching and a worthwhile use of your time.  You’ll be less stressed if you make a plan and a budget and you have the years ahead to recoup the rewards of your efforts.

In the over four decades of my design career and as a master teacher and director of an institute for  interior design, I’ve often been asked, “What is the best and easiest way to begin a design project?” My answer came to me one day, early on, while I was preparing a basic strategy for my beginning design students.

If you start by selecting an area rug in any public space such as living room, dining room, den or entry foyer,  you’ve created the color palette that will help you choose fabrics, paint colors, etc. because they are in or blend with the rug(s) you have chosen. Area rugs, which come in many sizes, shapes, and colors, also become the islands on which furniture is placed. They can be traditional, contemporary, or somewhere in between and the furniture you choose does not necessarily have to “match” the style. Area rugs also help create the flow between rooms, for while they should not be the same, they have the common thread of color and style from which to make various selections.

Over the years , rugs of choice have changed, but the “classics” are just that - classic and timeless. In the photos following, chosen because some of these rooms were designed over the last decades as well as recently, it is clear to see how area rugs can be a focal point, a color catalyst, and a timeless addition to any home. 

I’ll never forget my first college dorm experience. I had read the brochure. I was smart. I was organized. I was ready to take my first-born to the nether-land of higher learning in style.  Was I ever clueless!  Today, I look back and chuckle. But no one, absolutely no one, designer included, can imagine how small a dorm room shared by two students, two beds, two desks, one infinitesimal closet, a refrigerator, a microwave (if allowed), mounds of books, luggage, computer equipment and sundry other clothing and necessities can be.  Maybe you can when you realize how unbelievably small they are with nothing in them!

So here are some tips (from someone who’s been there) to help the “getting ready and setting up a viable dorm room” stage of life for you and your college bound student.

• If you can, try to get the size of the assigned room in advance.  If by some good fortune you can get information on the size of the bed or other provided furniture, as well as closet space, you’re ahead of the game.  Lay out the room on graph paper and think vertically.  A clever arrangement we devised for David and later, Jason was to raise the bed (or mattress) above the dresser drawers and storage area to maximize floor space.
• Next, find inexpensive but workable organizers to utilize every area of closet space, including the back of the door.  Choose clothes carefully and make sure your college student gets a lesson in doing laundry as well as judiciously organizing drawer and hanging space.
• Desk and study areas are most important.  If sharing a room, back to back desks may provide more space for both students to work and allow for wall shelving for textbooks and other materials, while being a natural room divider.
• Before buying bed linens, remember to ask if the dorm mattress is “extra-long”.  You will need to buy sheets to fit.  Consider buying a “husband”-not the kind you marry, but the kind you lean back against on the floor or in bed for reading or studying.  
• Find a great toiletry organizer for your student to carry back and forth to their designated shower area, and if they are inclined, shower slippers, as well.
• When you arrive in town, locate the nearest hardware store for incidentals.  You may need to hang a fixture, buy a window treatment, or make repairs in a hurry.  Then kiss your grown-up college kids goodbye and wait for the dirty laundry to come home at first break.  Here’s the good news.  You won’t have to see what their dorm room became twenty-four hours after you headed home to clean up the room they left behind!
  

These past weeks, the pace has been extraordinarily hectic in our design firm. We’ve had a half dozen move-ins after renovation and more to come at the end of summer and early fall. Where once the majority of folks were set on moving to new or “new like” homes (and some still are), many more are opting for fixer-uppers to purchase and do with it exactly what they want, while others have decided to re-do and not move at all.

Since our firm does both renovating and decorating, we’re always asked what the best renovations are for improving the value of a home as well as the lifestyle of the owner. Of course, kitchen and bathroom updates are at the top of the list, but they tend to be the most costly. For homeowners whose mortgage is low or already paid off, a line of credit or home improvement loan may be a good way to fund these projects.

Older homes with broadloom carpet can have a hidden treasure underneath. Wood floors may be waiting to be uncovered. Sanded and stained, they are an easy and green way to update. Crown and base molding as well as other wood trim enhance homes, both traditional and modern.  A fresh coat of paint can do the same. If budget is tight for new window treatments, think less and remove the heavier draperies and just keep the sheers. It’s a great look for summer and beyond (but kill the verticals).

 Of course, the hidden plus for all renovation projects is that you are forced to organize and throw out or give away things you no longer want or forgot you had! While going through a paint job, for some, can be a near-death experience, most people are reluctant to put all their “stuff” back. That’s a good thing. If we remember the old adage – “less is more” – we can adapt a mindset that will allow us to get rid of grandma’s (and we forgot who else’s) stuff and keep a memory photo album or disc of these items instead.

Now let’s talk about that very special family member – your pet(s). I love the commercial for the deodorizer where the car owner doesn’t smell what everyone else does as the car turns into a giant smelly dog. One home we just completed was not only riddled with the stench of the current dog, but past dogs and cats. The odor was in the furniture and carpets and throughout the house, but the homeowner no longer smelled it. This lovely lady endured our carpet rip-ups, floor refinishing, old upholstered furniture “throw out to the curb” exercise, molding install, and paint job – all while holding “doggie” on a leash! As we replaced the remaining “good” furniture and put down the new area rugs, I reveled in the fact that the smell was gone – until I walked down the hall and there it was again! Where? In the vacuum cleaner! The bag was quickly replaced and ah – we could breathe! Yes, our pets are part of our family, but they need to be trained before they take over the house and cause damage that is costly, smelly, and unnecessary.

Even if there is very little money and your home is in serious need of a re-do, make a plan and a priority “to-do” list and start with clean up, throw out and organize. The not so lazy days of summer may be just your time to start.

When my team and I were called in to present an updated look for a new Bridal Suite at the iconic Westhampton Bath & Tennis Club, I thought about all the design work for clients on Dune Road our firm has done over the years. Somehow when you cross over that little bridge, you know you are entering a world of fun and relaxation and a most beautiful stretch of beach. In March 2015, when we began, it was cold, windy, and desolate. Dune Road was “sleeping”, but behind closed doors, the strip was getting ready for the summer season rapidly approaching.

The Board of Directors at Westhampton Bath & Tennis had decided to gut the two rooms at the far end of their lovely pool area to create a private beach front oasis for the brides and grooms who have chosen this location (at least 60 each season) for their destination wedding.

Their mandate – simple, elegant – beachy – but not too beachy – light colors but not too light – practical for cleaning – timeless – cozy – with amenities – all in less than 500’ – and of course, on a budget (piece of cake).  For this project, I chose Lisa Arrigo – one of my lead designers – to assist me because her eye for color and her ability to find the perfect item at the best price is matched only by her skill with a screwdriver and drapery hooks!

To their credit, the all-male team of decision makers, Hugh Mulligan, Recording Secretary for The Board of Directors and the Chairman in Charge of Room Renovations for The Facility, Carlos Vega, General Manager, and Craig Pessin, Operations Manager, trusted us. At the time we had not yet met Ralph Montefusco, a one man construction whiz, and Willie, an on-staff jack-of-all-trades who magically appeared when we needed him. Even with great deadline constraints our part was pleasurable and fun because of their assistance.

As we watched the preparations for summer 2015 unfold, we were asked to re-do a pair of rooms on the boat docking, tennis court side of Dune Road. These rooms were even smaller (and so was that budget), but they are now bright, light, airy, and functional. As the new microwaves and refrigerators were being delivered, the guests were signing in across the way to spend the weekend. Did I mention time constraints?

Our last visit to this famed Dune Road destination was just a few weeks before Memorial Day. It was cold and rainy (again) and our vehicles were laden with the finishing touches of the designer’s trade – pillows, art, and accessories. The “oohs and ahhs” of our all male audience, who prided themselves on letting us know that the rooms turned out exactly as they expected, warmed our hearts and gave us a good laugh. From Hugh Mulligan, Recording Secretary for The Board of Directors, the man who is credited with “discovering” us – “The Board of Directors and all associated with Westhampton Bath and Tennis are over the moon with the results and we look forward to a wonderful future association as we go forward with you on many exciting projects to make Westhampton Bath and Tennis “the” place on Dune Road.”

So - as that guy on the West Coast once said, “I’ll be back” – for more fun assignments and to re-do the cabanas (which, by the way, a very few are still available). As I look out, their location on that matchless stretch of beach prompts me to say something designers rarely do, “I wouldn’t touch a thing.”

I hope all of you had a great Memorial Day- perhaps celebrating with friends and family or just taking some well needed quiet time for yourself to relax and unwind. 

For the slow starters among us, it probably was a weekend of getting the pool ready, trying to organize outdoor play equipment, fixing bicycles so you can actually ride them, cleaning the outdoor furniture or buying new cushions, making the grill ready for use, hopefully checking hoses and tubes as well as cleaning the racks thoroughly.  And how is the yard looking?  There are many plants in pots that can decorate your porch and patios and still many in-the-ground plants to bring color to your garden.

In short are you getting ready for the shortest fun time, between the 4th of July and Labor Day, to enjoy the outdoors?  If the answer is yes, then you are all set to make the most of those lazy days of summer. (Who said that?).  So let’s all look forward to summer entertaining when the inside of your house gets to stay “company neat” because the major space used is the great outdoors.

Outdoor entertaining is far more relaxed, but once again, good planning can help you enjoy your guests, stress free.  So make your shopping list before you get to the super market to avoid run backs.  Find some “summer pretty” dishwasher safe plastic dishes and “go withs” so no one is worried about breakage, or great looking heavy duty paper goods that can just be trashed.  Set up your entertaining area in advance to make sure you have enough tables and seating.  Stock up on insect repellent, antihistamine for bug bites, and citronella pots.  And what about an ice chest?  While you’re out shopping – ask yourself if you need a few more fun games for kids as well as adults, like badminton or croquet?  Are there enough pool toys to go around?  And here’s a terrific crowd pleaser-a karaoke machine!  I found a great portable one two summers ago and it was the best party mixer when guests don’t know each other.  They instantly become new friends through music.  If you're worried about annoying the neighbors, just invite them!

Setting an outdoor table is fun and easy.  Just see what’s growing in your garden and fill some vases with fresh flowers for table dressing.  I like to place my tables for guests on the lawn and create shade over them with standing umbrellas.  I have a variety of colorful tablecloths that go together but aren’t matching, and plastic dishes that co-ordinate.  I set up the bar and main buffet table on the patio and have the barbeque off to the side – but not too far – so guests can visit with the chef and talk about the Yankees. 

I love it when people ask if they can bring something they like to cook.  It adds real flavor to the event in more ways than one.  My guest list is always varied and there’s a smorgasbord of people as well as food.  So if you’ve been meaning to return invitations all winter, use the summer as a happy time to entertain while keeping wear and tear on your home to a minimum.  Please e-mail some of your favorite summer entertaining tips to info@natalieweinstein.com.

I often feel the loss of my mom but especially on Mothers Day.   I recall what made my mom so special with mixed feelings of loss and love and why she is so dearly missed.

My dad would be the first to tell you that my mom was no great “bahlehboosteh” (homemaker). She went to work and ran a clothing manufacturing company for her boss while my grandmother, who lived with us, cooked the chicken soup and my Aunt Sylvia made the pot roast. She didn’t have a lot of time or money to entertain guests, either, but   my earliest recollections of our first apartment and subsequent homes were one of style, order, and beauty. My mother had a “knack,” as people would say, of putting things together. They were never really expensive things, except my Spinet piano which was the only new purchase in our first home in Queens. Perhaps that is why I always try to include, whenever possible, a piano in my design projects. I know how much music brings to a home, and today, pianos can play even if the people who own them can’t.  

So when Donna Reed and Beaver’s mom were the norm, my mother wasn’t there to give me milk and cookies after school, which is true of many working moms today. Yet, she set the tone and the routine, creating the backdrop for a well-run household with love and encouragement. Grandma was the disciplinarian, Aunt Sylvia was the big sister I never had, but MOM was the final word, always.    

So, what made our house a home?  What was the secret my mother knew that all moms seek to discover to bring love and beauty to their families?    How did she create order before Feng Shui, even if we think that living then was less hectic and complicated?  Her life wasn’t easy by any means – a child of the depression, along with my dad, responsible for a widowed mother, mother-in-law and much younger sister.  Perhaps it was old fashioned common sense mixed with a fierce determination that her family would live the American dream.  One thing for sure, her priorities never wavered in good times and bad – family & home – and my mother always kept her eye on the ball.  Until a year before she died, she was interested, involved and supportive of everything in the lives of her 4 generation brood.

As an interior designer, my mission and passion have been to bring these same values to those whose lives I touch. I have had the advantage of training and the blessing of being able to boast of years of experience, but I know, now, as never before, how much of my life and work have been influenced by the love, inspiration and encouragement of a truly wonderful mother.  Thank you, Mom. I hope you know how many people, whom you’ve never met, I have left with a little part of you.

What does “home” mean to us? We all take it for granted until we are forced to face life without it. This is a story dedicated to our fellow Long Islanders who suffered the devastating loss of their homes and possessions during Hurricane Sandy, who lived in hotels, in friend’s and family’s basements, whose lives and those of their children were severely disrupted and who decided to rebuild and reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

When an Amityville couple contacted our firm the day after Hurricane Sandy, I didn’t anticipate the journey we would be taking together. Their story is one of courage and determination to rebuild their home, a home they had just completed weeks before Hurricane Sandy hit. According to Bob, “It took 11 long months, with what seemed like an uphill battle with FEMA. We lived at a family member’s house, then a hotel that at first had no electric, then into an apartment in Amityville to be near our son’s elementary school and our home to watch the slow and painful process to get the structure restored to habitability, during which time we were trying to keep spirits up by planning and implementing the decorating phase.”

Now, finally back to life in the nurturing environment of their restored home, they have qualified for Governor Cuomo’s New York Rising program and have opted to leave their home again for the estimated four to five months it will take to raise it rather than live with the threat of another hurricane devastation that might occur.

But this time is different. They know they will return shortly to the home that means so much to them, assured of its safety and sustainability.

Here are some of their thoughts on how Hurricane Sandy affected their lives, how their new home makes them feel and why they chose to leave again.

“To say in the past two and a half years after Hurricane Sandy we have not had our share of ups and down, highs and lows would be an understatement. We went from the joyous feeling of getting our last two pieces of furniture a week before Hurricane Sandy, to the devastating morning after Hurricane Sandy when we rushed home only to wade through knee-high water from blocks away.  We found that our newly renovated dream home had been flooded with over three feet of what we later found out to be a mixture of sea water, sea mud, home heating oil from overturned heating oil tanks mixed with what else we’re still not sure.  

What we saw when we opened our new front doors was a shock.  We walked from room to room only to find what we worked so hard for was now basically a wet heap of garbage. Material things like furniture, flooring, toys, clothing etc. can be replaced; it was the family memories and mementos which were accumulated over a lifetime that were the hardest to see destroyed.

We had to make a decision as to what direction our future would go. We opted to stay in our home were we lived from the day we were married almost 16 years ago and the only home our son had ever known. We also had grown to love Amityville, “the friendly town by the bay”. It was an easy choice; the three of us built our dream home once. We could do it again. But this time, we would need a little help, not only with the Hurricane clean up and repairs, but with the process of making our house a home again.

This is when Natalie Weinstein came into our lives. After 11 long months, we finally moved back into a repaired house, but not a finished home. Natalie and her team of professionals stepped in and started to do what they are known for. The results are stunning and we couldn’t be happier. Our house is now a warm and inviting home.

While this was going on, an unbelievable program from New York State and Governor Cuomo was being offered.  We qualified for it because of the location of our home. This program has become known as New York Rising, giving homeowners a chance to raise their homes above the new FEMA 100 year flood height zone. We opted into this program. As of the writing of this article, even though we have been working with our New York Rising caseworker from the day the program was first offered, we are just in the infancy of the elevation process. Once we receive the final approval from New York Rising, we will have to leave our home once again while it is being lifted. When the house is elevated, we are hopeful that once and for all we will be done with the highs and lows of Hurricane Sandy and be able to live in our dream home as we initially hoped two and a half years ago.”

It’s going to be 4 degrees today with a wind chill factor that’s giving me frost bite just thinking about going out.  But work is calling and I’m putting on the layers. I know that by evening I’ll be happy to come home to my nice, warm house and a hot bowl of chicken soup. Not knowing which ground hog to believe, the thought of 6 more weeks of winter is seriously depressing.

But what if we put a spin on it and say “thank you” to our nice warm home and use this time to plan that design project you’ve been thinking about?

Spring is really not that far away in terms of putting a plan together. And that time to plan could actually save you time, money, and stress.

So take that mug of soup in hand and pick up that pad and pencil or head for the computer and start making some lists – your wish list, your needs list, your priority list and your budget (If the soup runs out before the lists are done, you can always switch to hot chocolate).

Now, begin to prioritize. Can you swing that new kitchen or is the deck falling apart? What about that unused bedroom? Will it become your office or exercise room? Is it time to finish the basement or do a paint job? Can you manage more than one project mentally, physically, and financially? Does it pay to renovate as opposed to face lift? How much will it cost and how will you pay for it? Does the end result warrant the cost and inconvenience?

Here are some tips that might help once you’ve zeroed in on your spring to-dos:

1. Lay out a floor plan for the rooms you wish to tackle. Less is better – then add. Minimize the space problems – small can be “cozy”, empty can be “spacious”. 
   
2. Use your own skills to save money. Can you paint, wallpaper, or sew? Consider bartering for services if you lack these skills.
   
3. Clean up the clutter. Start at the front door and look at your home from the point of view of a visitor. Don’t forget basements, attics, garages and especially closets.
   
4. Get rid of what’s dated and find inexpensive ways to replace them. Refresh what you already have. Think – slipcovers for tired sofas, or a “Bed in a Bag” for a quick bedroom makeover. Pick up that worn carpet if there’s wood flooring underneath.
   
5. Accessories make a big difference in a face lift – new area rugs, accent pillows and wall art can easily update a room.
   

Now, are we ready to tackle the big jobs – kitchens, baths, extensions, etc.? Attics, basements for more usable space without building out? Call in the specialists in the right order – designer, then architect if necessary, then banker ? if needed.

Once you’ve gotten professional help and information, you can make an intelligent discussion on what’s right for you and your family as well as your home. Remember – your home can be your best friend and “nurturing place” in winter, summer, and every day in between. Treat it well and you will receive unconditional love in return!

Since I have opened my consignment shop, Uniquely Natalie Quality Consignment, in what was my original office location in the old vaudeville theater on 2nd Street, I have met many smart Long Islanders.  They are a special breed of shoppers who know a bargain when they see one.  And what, my dear readers, is a bargain?  My definition is – “not something cheap, that you pay a little for, but something really good that you can buy for less.”  My design clients have the right idea.  They want me to decorate their homes to look like a million dollars, but cost as little as possible.  Question - How do we achieve that look? Answer - decorate smart.
 

So here are my rules of the game for smart decorating:

• Never compromise the floor plan.  Whether the sofa costs $500 or $5000, it should still go on the wall that’s right for the room.  Buying the first wrong sized piece of furniture upsets the floor plan and triggers the domino theory where nothing in the room works.  With poor placement, even the most beautiful furniture will not “feel” right (that’s a lesson in “Feng Shui”, the oriental practice of placement, order and good energy).
  
• Get rid of the clutter and start with a clean palette.  Use existing pieces temporarily as “place holders” if you can’t buy right away.
  
•  Start with neutrals that will be long lasting, but don’t be afraid of color for it can be your best friend and help create that “designer” look.  Add it in pillows, throws, accessories, an accent wall, small pieces of furniture and especially in area rugs which take a room to a whole other level.
  
•  Add architectural features like crown moldings, fireplaces, (today they have such great electric holograms that require no construction), columns and wall panels for an elegant finished look.
  
•  Use different forms of lighting collectively in one space to give your room a glow – ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, high hats, table lamps and torchieres ¢(standing lamps).
  
• Dress your windows.  Heavy drapery treatments are “out,” along with verticals, but there are lots to choose from.  Check out current magazines to get some “savvy.”
  
•  Accessories and art are the “must” finishing touches in your room.  Shop at home first.  There may be several things you can use to decorate your bookcases, cocktail table, and dining table.  Start with your own dishes and glassware and place them in your dining room breakfront displaying them artfully.  I always do and clients are amazed at how great their own things look.
  
•  Set a budget to enable you to complete your project, but leave a little cushion for when that unexpected special piece comes your way.  Then you won’t hesitate to make that purchase.  
  

That’s smart decorating.

On August 5, 2014, a very special man passed away.  He was my father and was buried exactly 100 years to the day from when he was born.

One might call Joe London an extraordinary ordinary man.  He was a product of parents who left Russia during the Pogroms to come to America fearlessly facing the unknown.  A breadwinner in his teens, he supported his widowed mother and later, additionally, his wife, her younger sister, his mother-in-law and then, yet another female – me!

He was tall, dark and handsome.  He looked like a movie star but could work like a longshoreman.  He joined the New York City police force during the early 1940’s to support his family and took his job seriously.  He was shot, knifed, and suffered sundry bruises over the years and was the last one to ever believe he would live a long life.  My mother hated his job and he never told her about his work when he came home.  He stood up to antisemitism on the force and bad guys on the streets in the same way.  He tolerated neither and the bullies soon backed down.

My father could weave a story or a joke like no other and he could master any trade he put his mind to.  He was never afraid of hard work, whether pulling a massive hose down a long driveway to fill an oil tank for my Aunt and Uncle’s new business, (he took a leave of absence to help them) or creating a new polling system for the City of New York’s voting machines, or speaking to kids groups at the Police Athletic League.

At 6’1”, he was a natural athlete and loved sports.  When he was a kid, he hid his football jersey in his cousin’s house so his mother wouldn’t find it, (whoever heard of a nice Jewish boy playing football?) He got caught, of course, and his 4’11” mother dragged him home by the ear.  He was tough but she was tougher!

He fell in love and stayed in love for almost 70 years.  My mother was his soul mate and despite adversity, loss, and hard times, their marriage was rock solid.  Even in their 80’s I would catch them “smooching” on the couch or holding hands.  He held doors for her, sent her flowers and candy (and me too!) and created a good life with the riches of family instead of money.

My father read everything and I mean everything.  His midnight to 8 A.M. shift allowed him to take me to the library during my summer vacations where he, in the adult section, and I in the children’s, would start with the A’s in June and wind up in the Z’s in September.  We shared this in common although I feared I disappointed him when I failed to ice skate, roller skate, ski, swim, hit a ball or make a basket as perhaps a male child would.

He started to smoke in his early teens and when we moved to our 2 family house in Queens where I grew up, he liked to sit in his chair in our living room and listen to me practice the piano.  He was probably in his early 30’s when he had a huge coughing attack.  He picked up his pack of cigarettes, threw them away and never smoked again.  Nothing stopped my father when he was determined.

In the early years of my marriage, he became a father to my husband, taught him how to drive, build things, fix things, and become a homeowner and a fixer upper.  I think he had much to do with Bernie becoming an exacting builder and cabinet maker.  He could figure anything out and taught me to never give up when things weren’t easy.  He did the same with his grandsons.  He told them as they grew up, “Remember, always be a man.  Whatever comes your way, face it and deal with it; be a man”. I know it made an impression for when David, in his first college English class, was given the assignment to write about the most memorable person in his life, he chose my father.  Poppy was no pushover but his boys were his world and his pride in them was boundless.  In 1984, when they were in their teens, he wrote a poem for them.  How prophetic those words are today:

Then came the blessing on blessings, Katrina and Neal - heaven and earth to Poppy.  I’m sorry his advanced years couldn’t really show them the Joe London we knew, but he was determined to interact with them.  Katrina’s puppet shows, with Neal as her assistant, gave him great joy at Passover and what a site to see, Katrina and Neal competing on the shuffleboard court with Poppy playing from his wheelchair.

My father loved many things besides his first love, his family.  He loved baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers.  When they left New York, he never forgave them and lost interest in the game, except when he himself played first base on a senior team until the pitcher went blind and the catcher died.

He loved music, especially the voice of Mario Lanza.  David searched high and low on the internet for me, and finally found, somewhere in South America, English speaking versions of all the famous tenor’s movies.  Poppy’s favorite was the life story of Enrico Caruso.  He would close his eyes and you could see and feel his pure joy.

He loved all books.  I found this an easy gift to bring happiness into his life after my mother died.  He especially loved the Horatio Hornblower epic stories by CS Forester about a fictitious British commander during the 19th century.  When I discovered a bound copy of the entire series and presented it to him, he was overjoyed.

My father had a way with words, the spoken and the written.  One could only imagine what path his life might of taken if he had the advantages he gave his daughter.  To keep his mind active, my dear Terry would send Poppy crossword puzzles to do.  After his vision failed, I would do them with him. I’d ask the questions, he’d give me the answer and I’d write it for him.  He always knew the answers.

Toward the end, his cataracts blocked his vision and his hearing loss made us all shout all the time.  He refused to acknowledge these infirmities.  Did I mention he was stubborn?  We feared when the time came for him to no longer drive, there would be a war.  Mercifully, he lost his driver’s license when he was about 95.  Jason found it in the crevices of his recliner and we never told him.  But he took it as a sign and decided not to drive anymore.  Thank you, God!  By that time, his car was only 5 years old with about 4000 miles on it.  At 90, he had decided to buy a new Saturn (of all things) and took Jason along to negotiate with him.  After about 6 hours we were all getting worried.  No car – no Dad – no Jason.  Finally, they arrived- victorious from the war.  Jason got him a 5 year lease (at age 90), and my father’s reply to the salesman?  “You’re a sharp guy, fella.  Now you have to bank on me living to 95!”  In February of my father’s 95th year, we celebrated his full ownership of the car I still drive when I come to Florida.  It died, briefly the day my father died, until I replaced the battery.  Interesting.

My father also relished food and was a good cook, unlike my mother, who had many other virtues.  (You can guess which one of my parents I take after).  But in his last years, he would love to go to the Festival Flea Market for his favorite – a hot dog,  potato knish, and a diet Dr. Brown’s cream soda. On this one day, when he was about 96, a T.V. crew spotted us at the food court and asked my father if he’d like to film a spot in a commercial for the mall.  His response, “Sure, if my daughter can be on T.V., I guess I can too”.  He was told if they chose his segment he would be paid $200 flea market dollars, but if not, he’d get 20.  It’s OK, son, he quipped to the director. It won’t put me in another tax bracket!  Of course, his segment was chosen and friends in Florida in the Boca area kept calling me to ask if that was my father on T.V.

Joe London was a “man’s man”, but he loved women.  He would say to my mother – isn’t it OK if I look as long as I don’t touch?  He especially loved blondes.  After my mother died, I made my father a yearly birthday party.  He’d open his presents. His favorite was always tee shirts with photos of the kids on them.  It got so, Jason bought a press on machine and made them by the dozens.  I’d ask, “Is there anything else I can get you, Daddy? “  And his reply was always the same – “A 35 year old blond!”  It became a standing joke in our family.  One time, after I’d done the Costco run, The Walgreens run, The Wal-Mart run and finally the Publix run for the tons of sugar free cookies my father consumed in his life, I asked him the usual question – “Anything else I can get you, Daddy?”  His reply was,” Did you bring me a 30 year old blond?”  When I asked him why 30, not 35 – his reply,” I’m feeling pretty good today!”

Being my father’s daughter,  while celebrating his birthday at one of his favorite haunts, Olive Garden, in the year Barbie turned 50, after he opened his presents I asked the, by now, famous question and he gave me his even more famous answer.  This time he got his wish.  I had provided every guest with a blond Barbie doll face on a stick.

In his final years, another person came into his life.  She cared for him like a father, a husband and a son.  She treated him with the respect he had earned all his life.  Her name is Dell.  For some reason, although he loved her very much, he changed her name to Bell. Perhaps it was his hearing. Perhaps he thought she was his” bell” of freedom from the indignities of his old age infirmities,  She never made him feel demeaned or helpless, and he loved her for that -  and so do I.

In the end, I feared for his death, not for him but for me, my family, and all those who knew him throughout his life.  When his friends passed on, he still had the friends he had made of my generation, who loved him, respected him, and truly enjoyed being with him. 

But - my father never feared death and I believe after my mother died, he lived for his family more than for himself.  He would walk by the little hallway leading to my parent’s bedroom and kiss my mother’s picture “good-night”.  Often I would hear him say,” I’ll be there soon, honey, but not yet.”

The “soon” has come and my father died peacefully in his own home as were his wishes.  I wasn’t there at the moment of his passing and perhaps he didn’t want me to be, but he did not die alone, His loving Dell and her partner Frieda were there. He died as he lived, without fanfare, but with dignity.

My father will be remembered by many who have “Joey” stories to tell, but most of all, he will live in the hearts of my children and theirs, my cousins who saw him as the handsome cohort of their colorful grandfather, by the women and children whose lives he saved in the projects of Brooklyn, by my friends whose lives he touched becoming part of their life tapestry, and by one loving daughter.  He told everyone, at the end, that he made only one child, but a good one.

Thank you Daddy for the legacy you have passed on to me and our family.  There will be Poppy stories as long as we all shall live.

While I was in my hospital room at Stony Brook Medical Center, after a significant car crash, immobilized by a fractured clavicle on my left shoulder and six fractured ribs on my right side, I am happy to be alive.  After 10 years of fighting for patients’ rights and improved conditions in hospitals in different parts of the country for my dear Bernie, I am truly grateful for the level of skill and caring right here in Suffolk County that I have experienced.  I know it has helped speed up my recovery and ameliorate my pain.

 I find it so interesting that our Home Decorating Club has so many members who are nurses and now I can clearly understand why.  The nurturing instinct clearly is the common denominator in both professions and brings people to a healthier state. 

 While designers don’t deal with life and death situations, (although some clients might disagree), they clearly affect the health and well-being of the people they serve.  The nursing profession helps heal the sick.  Designer’s help people stay well, organized, focused and empowered.  Nurses administer the “magic” pills that lessen pain and ward off prophylactically other potential complications.  Designers’ “magic” pills are space plans that provide for practical needs and an organized comfortable life – with color as its best friend, as well as an arsenal of other “tricks”.

  People say I work a long and hard week, but the joy I feel seeing a project come to fruition is a reward unto itself.  The 12 hour nursing care shifts I saw come and go on the 18th floor @ Stony Brook Hospital never ceased to amaze me.  They were unfailingly devoted at the start and at the finish even though they had to be dog tired.

 Living for a week in an environment that I curiously am working to improve through designs on fabrics with anti-microbial properties, opened my eyes to the great need and importance of the success of this project.  To think that I might in the near future help to save lives while providing design elements heretofore unexplored is quite something.

 For now I am looking forward to getting back to work even though I’m not physically able to get around.  The outpouring of love and concern from clients, sources, home decorating club members, friends and family has been truly humbling.

My amazing staff who has rallied in so many ways above and beyond their job descriptions has once again shown me how truly blessed I am, and my son Jason, who has lived a nightmare of a week along with my nephew, Alan, who has supported us emotionally and been there for me have proved once again how very special they are.  My son David, who has made Bangkok a telephone call away multiple times daily, will be arriving shortly.

 All in all, life is good and precious.  Our homes are our safe haven for our families whom we must treasure, even when they exasperate us, and the kindnesses large and small, we can and should do, dearly matter.  To Carmen, the good Samaritan who held my hand at the accident scene and told me I was going to be fine, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Although I don’t know who you are, I shall never forget you.

Are you ready for the shortest fun time between the 4th of July and Labor Day, to enjoy the outdoors?  If the answer is yes, then you are all set to make the most of those lazy days of summer. So let's all look forward to summer entertaining when the inside of your house gets to stay "company neat" because the major space used is the great outdoors.

Outdoor entertaining is far more relaxed, but once again, good planning can help you enjoy your guests, stress free.  So make your shopping list before you get to the super market to avoid run backs.  Find some "summer pretty" dishes or great looking heavy duty paper goods to keep things simple.  Set up your entertaining area in advance to make sure you have enough tables and seating.  Stock in some insect repellent ,  antihistamine for bug bites, and citronella pots.  And, what about an ice chest?  While you're out shopping - ask yourself if you need a few more fun games for kids as well as adults, like badminton or croquet?  Are there enough pool toys to go around?  And here's a terrific crowd pleaser-a karaoke machine!  I found a great portable one two summers ago and it was the best party mixer when guests don't know each other.  They instantly become new friends through music.  If you're worried about annoying the neighbors, just invite them!

Setting an outdoor table is fun and easy.  Just see what's growing in your garden and fill some vases with fresh flowers for table dressing.  I like to place my tables for guests on the lawn and create shade over them with standing umbrellas.  I have a variety of colorful tablecloths that go together but aren't matching, and dishes that co-ordinate.  I set up the bar and main buffet table on the patio and have the bar-b-que off to the side - but not too far - so guests can visit with the chef and talk about the Yankees. 

I love it when people ask if they can bring something they like to cook.  It adds real flavor to the event in more ways than one.  My guest list is always varied and there's a smorgasbord of people as well as food.  
 
So, if you've been meaning to return invitations all winter, use the summer as a happy time to entertain while keeping wear and tear on your home to a minimum.

Summer is finally upon us and outdoor entertaining can be fun and easy, but if the interior of your home is still in the winter “not ready for company” mode, here are some tips that can help.

• Since the entry foyer sets the tone of your home, make sure it’s free of clutter, including the front hall closet.  Feng Shui says your front door opens your home to good energy (chi) so don’t block it with unnecessary “stuff”.
• Getting rid of clutter in all areas is a good idea. Now you can really clean your home.  Open the windows, let the breezes in, and get everything smelling fresh and new.
• Replace burned out light bulbs, fix leaky faucets, repair or replace worn or torn items and give your carpets a good cleaning.
• Check out your floor plan.  Is there a better way for your room to work with your existing furniture?  Get rid of what doesn't work at all and pare down your room.  Less can be better and more spacious.
• Now, add some fun touches – accent pillows or a “throw” for your sofa or chair, a new summer table cloth for a less than new kitchen or dining table, candles for a great scent and fresh flowers for color, as well.
• Shop at home for accessories, first – picture frames with meaningful photos (not too many or no one appreciates them), hard covered books for library shelves, but don’t clutter.  Use your own dishes and glassware to create an artful display in your dining room breakfront.
• Set your dining room table.  It will look “company ready” and you will be less likely to put the mail and your computer there!  
• A quick and inexpensive guest bedroom (or any bedroom) re-do is a “bed in a bag”.  New bedding not only looks good, but feels good.
• What’s under your old broadloom?  If it’s a wood floor in good condition, now’s the time to show it.  It might be a small expense and will give your home a whole new look.
• Summer slip covers can help with tired old looking furniture and buy you some time to save up for a total re-do.
• Add a bit of whimsy – the bright and bold new color palette might not be for your whole house, but touches of color can be fun and inexpensive.
• How handy are you?  Can you paint, wallpaper, sew?  A fresh coat of paint and a simple new window treatment can transform a room.  Now you can ditch that 80’s wallpaper and verticals and come into the 21st century.
• Check out your dining room chairs.  If they’re looking sorry, they may easily and inexpensively be re-upholstered.  If they have slip seats (one’s that unscrew), you can do it yourself with some new fabric and a good staple gun!
  

Remember – your home should be fun and comfortable to live in and make you happy to have company to share it with.  It’s not only your castle, but an extension of yourself – your place to empower you and your family to a better life style.  So put some love and attention into it.  It will repay you tenfold.

Have a happy summer! 

I often feel the loss of my mom but especially on Mothers Day.   I recall what made my mom so special with mixed feelings of loss and love and why she is so dearly missed.

            My dad would be the first to tell you that my mom was no great “bahlehboosteh” (homemaker). She went to work and ran a clothing manufacturing company for her boss while my grandmother, who lived with us, cooked the chicken soup and my Aunt Sylvia made the pot roast. She didn’t have a lot of time or money to entertain guests, either, but   my earliest recollections of our first apartment and subsequent homes were one of style, order, and beauty. My mother had a “knack,” as people would say, of putting things together. They were never really expensive things, except my Spinet piano which was the only new purchase in our first home in Queens. Perhaps that is why I always try to include, whenever possible, a piano in my design projects. I know how much music brings to a home, and today, pianos can play even if the people who own them can’t.  

            So when Donna Reed and Beaver’s mom were the norm, my mother wasn’t there to give me milk and cookies after school, which is true of many working moms today. Yet, she set the tone and the routine, creating the backdrop for a well-run household with love and encouragement. Grandma was the disciplinarian, Aunt Sylvia was the big sister I never had, but MOM was the final word, always.

            So, what made our house a home?  What was the secret my mother knew that all moms seek to discover to bring love and beauty to their families?    How did she create order before Feng Shui, even if we think that living then was less hectic and complicated?  Her life wasn't easy by any means – a child of the depression, along with my dad, responsible for a widowed mother, mother-in-law and much younger sister.  Perhaps it was old fashioned common sense mixed with a fierce determination that her family would live the American dream.  One thing for sure, her priorities never wavered in good times and bad – family & home – and my mother always kept her eye on the ball.  Until a year before she died, she was interested, involved and supportive of everything in the lives of her 4 generation brood.

            As an interior designer, my mission and passion have been to bring these same values to those whose lives I touch. I have had the advantage of training and the blessing of being able to boast of years of experience, but I know, now, as never before, how much of my life and work have been influenced by the love, inspiration and encouragement of a truly wonderful mother.  Thank you, Mom. I hope you know how many people, whom you've never met, I have left with a little part of you.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Fondly,
Nat

When this Hampton Bays property came up for sale, these homeowners could not resist!  They purchased the view with its golden sunsets and the ordinary house that came with it.  Renovation proved cost ineffective so a majestic new home was conceived on this prime quarter acre.  I was chosen to decorate the house and coordinate the intricate design requirements from its inception working alongside their architect.  The first thing I always do is lay out the space to create a floor plan with area rugs serving as an island on which to position furniture.  Then I choose the fabrics for the seating and the window treatments.  Last is the paint color, although it is first to be applied.  Of course, along the way there are hundreds of decisions made before the plan is complete.

This home with light streaming through the huge windows and killer view, I chose the clients favorite colors - orange, cranberry, beiges and greens - warm, vibrant colors that they will enjoy living with for a long time, yet are pleasing contrast to the blue of the sea and sky outside.  Working with clients like these who trust you to guide them is a total pleasure.  All of us were on the same page.  We were a great combination.  The entry foyer dazzles.  Its dimensions, 23' x 23' allow for a trio of giant bronze cranes plus a baby grand piano with the unique ability to play itself as well as be played.  The piano invites guests to wander from the great room to cluster around it for a sing-a-long and with still more room for dancing, this area expands into a fun party space.

Much attention is given to scale since the great room spans 42 feet, from the custom wall unit and over-sized fireplace mantle guarded by dolphins to kitchen cabinetry cloaked in complementing wood paneling.  Area rugs from my favorite source prevail throughout the house creating rooms that resonate with ease.  The sofas covered in a variety of fabrics and flanked by a pair of leather chairs in caramel are warm and inviting, even in this room with a 24-foot ceiling.  Wall to wall window treatments with solar shades which remotely control the light is just one of the challenging window treatments that were artfully fabricated.  The kitchen and pantry boast everything from built-in coffee machine to two dishwashers, a wine cooler, an induction stove and spectacular island, its lower level curved to allow five to be seated in comfort at its granite expanse.

A step into the dining room area reveals a finely tooled leather top table with add-on wedges to seat twelve or more people.  Just as spectacular is the Tiffany inspired stained glass dome overhead, its circumference almost as large as the table with faux painting surrounding it.  This is but one example of the extraordinary contributions of my favorite artist who executed faux painting, mural and trompe l'oeil art throughout the house starting with the "wainscoting" in the entry, a trompe l'oeil triumph.

The tiling on walls and floors is extraordinary.  The solid honey onyx floor in the master bath is but one example of this.  The main area floor is covered with a porcelain tile that gives the effect of limestone but is more practical and durable.  The center mosaic and the border surrounding it and around the island done my master tile installer, who easily met the challenge of intricate layouts in a variety of tile products for six bathrooms.

The couple who own this house thrilled over every detail. It was up to me to find and bring sources with the unique talents to the table, for example, the shower doors in each bathroom are etched glass.  The result of this intensive two year collaboration is a 6000 sq. ft. five bedroom, six bathroom house to replete with custom details in all the decor and intricate high tech infrastructure.  This Smart House® with a central computer system, radiant heat flooring throughout and a salt-water pool that uses bromide instead of chlorine.  The outdoor spa has lights that change color and music (of course).  The windows are strong enough to resist a hurricane so that boarding up will never be necessary.  The three car heating garage has car lifts for stacking.

With all the bells and whistles from the dock with boats, kayaks and jet skis to the huge media room that boasts two televisions, one enclosed in a unique and spectacular wall unit and throughout this outstanding home, a timeless retreat for a truly appreciative couple.

“Budgets are necessary in decorating for the same reason they are necessary in life”

Budgets are necessary in decorating for the same reason they are necessary for life in general. If you want to know that you have enough money to complete the project, you need to know what each item of the project costs before you begin. This includes construction or renovation costs as well. Often that part of the project expends much more than anticipated, and too few funds are left for interior decorating. If you know in advance that you have exceeded your budget, you have an opportunity to make other choices to either balance your budget or agree to wait to complete your project when you can provide additional funds.

By making a list of the functional necessities, as well as a wish list, you can prioritize and realistically analyze your long and short-term needs. For example, if you are living in a rental apartment or home, or plan to reside where you are for less than five years, costly wall to wall carpeting, wall coverings and custom built-ins should not be a priority. Select major items that are basic and classic which will stand the test of time, style-wise as well as quality-wise.

Fads, or what’s “in” will soon be “out”. Don’t compromise quality. If you can’t afford to buy everything at once, think about buying less and adding more later, rather that settling for uncomfortable furniture or poor workmanship that won’t wear well. If you know that the funds you allotted must complete the entire project, leave some monies for accessories so that your home will look “finished.”

Set up a ledger sheet listing all the items you want and need, including a budget line for art and accessories. Start comparison shopping. Most large stores and specialty shops have sale times; many have outlet stores where there are great “mark down” items. Look carefully for damages or mismatches, however.

Don’t forget to add labor costs to your ledger sheet. Upholstery labor costs are usually separate from the fabrics you select for window treatments and seating. Wallpaper hanging and painting are separate from the actual cost of the wallpaper. The installation is separate from tile selection. Ask about delivery charges and other shipping fees. Don’t forget to include tax.

If you own your home, condo or co-op, improvements to permanent areas such as kitchens and baths can mean better resale value, as well as better living for you while you are there. Renovation or construction additions appreciate the value of your home while making it feasible to remain there, rather than moving to larger quarters and still having to decorate. If you don’t wish to relocate, change schools, churches, neighbors, etc. this is a viable and often cost effective option, often times funded by home improvement loans or second mortgages.

Your home decorating projects are calling. Make a plan. Count your dollars and go to it!  This was a small excerpt from Natalie Weinstein’s Design Pro On The Go, Do-it- Yourself- Workbook.   Can’t wait?  Click Here for all the learning tools you need to start your decorating project today!                   

Working in Florida over the winter has provided me with definite benefits.  I’ve kept warm during one snow storm (unfortunately I was also warming my seat at the airport during a several day delay getting home), and I began using consignment stores as a destination for my Florida clients.  Actually, it was one client who introduced me to some of the best ones around the Boca Raton area.  Consignment stores can look like a garage sale gone haywire or they can look like a designer showroom with everything including retro, antiques, and ultra-modern, side by side with classical styles.  The concept is simple.  A seller provides the approved merchandise and the store shares in the sale.

The seller may be someone who is moving or redecorating and wants to be done with the “old” and bring in the new.  Rather than donate or spend hours advertising on e-bay, they choose to make some money on something they no longer want to live with but someone else might.  Other sellers are people who’ve inherited items from family members, alive or deceased, and are looking to keep what they want and get rid of the rest.  Actually, the concept of consignment is also a very “green “one.  It’s recycling on many levels.  If the consignment store does not sell the merchandise, they often make arrangements to give it to charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity where a difference can really be made in someone’s life. 

It is the seller’s responsibility, most often, to get the merchandise into the store location in the best condition it can be.  Often stores offer a list of delivery services they may want to use if the furniture is too large for them to bring in.  It is the store’s responsibility to advertise for shoppers as well as position the merchandise in the most attractive way for a quick sale.  Obviously, if the sale is made quickly, both parties benefit from the transaction.  If the merchandise is on the floor for a while, shoppers who often frequent the store will not be coming back.  Obviously, quick turn over is the key and savvy shoppers will always find the best bargains.

Consignment shoppers don’t seem to have as large a choice of places to go on Long Island as they do in Florida (elderly, transients, snow birds, turnover) which is one of the reasons I decided to expand Uniquely Natalie into a quality consignment furniture and accessory outlet.  Since many of my clients and sources have furnishings they no longer want, I decided to make these items available to the shopper on a limited budget or one just looking for that great buy.

Some tips for consignment shoppers:

• Always bring your fabric swatches and paint colors with you.
  
• Carry a tape measure.
  
• Be prepared to “buy” because the next person coming into the store may grab your bargain.
  
• Look over the piece carefully.
  
• Shop the same location often to get the best as merchandise turns over.
  

I know what fun I had with my clients when that perfect piece popped up.  I want to translate that experience to Long Island homeowners and designers as well.  We now have two locations for twice the fun!  Uniquely Natalie is at 455 Lake Avenue St. James, open Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm and now also open with a large expanded consignment showroom at 176 Second Street, St. James open Thursday 11am - 7pm, Friday & Saturday 11am - 5pm and Sunday 12pm - 4pm.   Special Designer Hours available by appointment on Thursday's 9am - 11am. Email us info@natalieweinstein.com if you have good merchandise you want to sell. 

A "Game Plan" and a "Floor Plan" - that is!

Not only do designers begin with a plan in mind, they write it down - and you should too.  Perhaps your plan has several different elements: a kitchen or bath re-do, kids furniture to purchase, a new dining room, etc.

By listing your goals, rough budget and time frame, you can plan to do some things now and some things later.

Now comes the all important Needs List and Wish List!

• Needs are the important items we absolutely cannot do without.

• Wishes are the items we've dreamed of or seen or maybe things that may or may not be do-able because of space, size or budget.
  

The next step is making the floor plan.
This will determine whether you can get what you wish space-wise.  Then you can see if your budget will agree.  Think about what needs to be done, what can wait, what must go, and how you can split the project into phases, if necessary.

Next time learn "All About Floor Plans."

The above is an quick excerpt from Chapter 1 of Natalie Weinstein's Design Pro on the Go.  A step by step Do-It-Yourself Workbook.  Visit our SHOP page to check it out.

      On Jan. 19, I was in "almost-heaven." I had a microphone in my hand and over 200 people who were eager to learn about getting organized and controlling clutter, despite the economy and the cold weather. It is clear that more and more people understand the need to address this important topic.

      Designers know that no decorating can be accomplished until a home has a place for everything and everything is in its place. But designers are only a small portion of the population and the problem of "too much stuff" and the lack of ability to control or organize it has grown to epic proportions. There is now a huge national organization of professional organizers to help people solve this problem, as well as countless closet and garage organizers.

          What is it that makes us hold on to our things or buy more than we need? How can we change the way we view our things and for that matter, can we actually change? Clearly the problem lies beyond our stuff and with ourselves. Why do we keep things? What is our emotional attachment? Lots of questions — some hard to answer.

          It seems to me there are two categories of people who need help in this area. The first can be taught by example and a plan. Those are the ones designers and organizers can help in very little time. They are busy, overwhelmed, or just never got the organizing gene in their DNA. In other words, it doesn't come naturally. No worries, though. In a few short sessions, the plan is in place, the system starts to work and people learn to sort, purge and give away. If they stick with the program and don't go on unnecessary shopping sprees, they will conquer their problem and set a good example for other family members, especially children.  If they occasionally fall off the wagon, they don’t need too much time to get back on.

The second group of people have a tougher time changing. For whatever their reasons — usually deep-seated — they can't part with anything, saving everything from clothing to furniture to papers. They become defensive and generally inspire ill feelings in those around them. Oftentimes this problem spills over into every aspect of life and relationships. In its worst scenario, it creates homes such as those as seen on the TV show "The Hoarder."

          According to experts, this is a serious condition needing counseling, patience and understanding and not successfully accomplished by family members. Professional organizers have a better shot, but often professional counseling is needed where the person is guided and encouraged to change while respecting their dignity. Medication such as anti-depressants might be required or cognitive behavior therapy or group therapy may be suggested.

          It's clear by now that cluttering from its most extreme to various lower levels of disorganization is not healthy, causes time to be wasted finding things, and can promote safety issues.  It's early in 2014 and if you've dropped the ball, reconsider trying again, as hard as it may seem. Start with one small task — a drawer, one closet or a pantry shelf. Order is contagious. I know you'll keep going and the rewards will impel you to continue. Remember — one — just one.