This was the question my sister-in-law, Marie, casually asked me at her son’s high school graduation party last week. “Let’s go take a quick look at it”, I replied. Being a decorator is sort of like being a doctor, although thankfully I am not asked to look at people’s bunions. When I am at a party people show me all sorts of problem parts of their homes for quick fire suggestions. So, in this instance, half the party trooped up to her tiny little bathroom to take a look.
The party guests were yelling over each other to add their suggestion to the chorus of what to do about her pink bathroom but I realized it wasn’t about her bathroom at all. It really wasn’t that bad a pink, she was just not a pink person. I knew that a coordinating paint color and a streamlined window treatment would do a quick fix. Looking around I reminded her that she had decided to sell the house now that her son was leaving for college, so shouldn’t we be talking about how to make the home as attractive as possible for potential home buyers.
My sister-in-law was at one of those crossroads of life, when a dramatic change is about to happen to a family and the needs of a home change with it. At this moment conflicting thoughts were surfacing for her -- the practical, logical reasons for making the change and the fact that she raised her son in the home and it held so many wonderful memories. She explained that downsizing felt like a process of shedding one layer of her life – the mother role and trying out some other role – although right now she is not sure what that will be.
We walked through the house together the next day and discussed the best way to stage the home for the best sale possible. I gave her homework to begin the process of de-cluttering. After that we can paint the dated avocado green kitchen cabinets white and change the hardware – a quick fix that gives a lot of bang for the buck. Then we can rearrange the furniture and maybe paint a room or two.
At these bittersweet crossroads it is good to acknowledge the mixed feelings and then take practical actions so that your home will fit your needs in the present moment. Think of it as packing up all of your memories and bringing them along with you into the future.
