There is so much goodness to share so I’ll just dive right in! A month or so ago I was selected to be among a group of awesome and talented designers who will be donating their time and vision to help decorate rooms in the new wing of the Ronald McDonald House, Stanford. Conceived in conjunction with the San Francisco Design Center (SFDC), and titled, “Where Hope has a Home,” this amazingly worthwhile project will provide a safe, comfortable and beautiful space for families with critically ill children to be together and heal. The current RMH has had to turn away families for lack of space and this new building will enable many more to benefit from the loving environment that the home provides. My own daughter was treated at Lucile Packard for a rare heart condition. Though it was the most terrifying experience of my life, the staff and doctors at Stanford were outstanding and provided the care needed to save her life. I am so honored and humbled to be able to give back in one of the biggest ways – by providing a space in which those on a stressful journey may find a moment of peace.
As the rooms are being “donated” by the designers, I have sought out sponsors to assist with the large costs of purchasing materials. I am thrilled that Build.com, Houzz, Land of Nod and Loloi rugs have all signed on to help! In addition I have a fundraising page on the RMH Stanford web site that will help purchase items for the rooms such as art, bedding, and finishing touches. If you have arrived on this post I ask that you consider donating. I’ll be posting the progress and the end results as the rooms are built and the design begins. Here’s the page link, pass it on!
In Early March our shop was featured in the Chairish newsletter highlighting San Francisco design spots. I’m excited to say we have a national feature coming up April 9 so stay tuned for that! Selling online has enabled Apartment 46 to reach more people than we ever could have done from our little location in sleepy San Mateo, CA. I’m always happy to see something I’ve chosen heading off to a new home as far away as New York or South Carolina. We want to be a secret source but not so secret that no one knows we’re here! So yeah, pass that on too!
It’s been a bit of a blessed whirlwind of projects ranging from a small condo redo in Mountain View to full-on e-consulting with a fantastic new client in Orlando, Florida. Using Houzz ideabooks, email, text and phone calls, we’re putting together a glamorous new master bedroom and a cozy, sweet and stylish room for my client’s two twin girls. Can’t wait to see the outcome!
As we’ve headed into Spring I’ve hopped back on my bandwagon preaching about clearing your clutter and redesigning your space to better suit your life, style, and dreams. It’s a lot easier to get started than you may think. Choose one room and within that room choose one area to tackle. If that feels too overwhelming, start with a drawer. I am constantly purging my makeup drawer of all sorts of freakish colors and products I was positive I needed. You will be making three piles – Keep, donate and discard. In sorting, your items must fall into three categories – Love it, need it, use it. That’s it. There aren’t subcategories when we’re clearing clutter. You have to be disciplined. If you are trying to sort your clothes and it’s 70 degrees out and you’re dealing with sweaters, well, you probably do need them in the winter so package them up in clear zipper bags (available at Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond) and store them in what organizers
term “deep storage” – such as a self in the garage or in a plastic bin under the bed where you don’t need to access them frequently.
The word “need” is actually really subjective so for the purposes of creating a clutter-free space the word need means that your functioning will be impaired without it. A good example would be a wine bottle opener. I NEED my wine bottle opener but I don’t NEED my melon ball maker because I hate melons and I have zero occasion in which to serve them (mostly because I hate them). You get the drift. The other trap to avoid is the “I might need it” syndrome. There’s a difference between preparing for a disaster and hoarding. Keeping 700 twist-ties because you might need to use them someday to build a zombie-proof fence is hoarding. Keeping 5 is reasonable.
Of course as you can see my blog still looks basically the same, although I have stripped out a lot of redundant info and am adding a press page to highlight who has written about us (THANK YOU FOR THAT!). Hoping to get my butt in gear and get a new look by summer – both personally and professionally!
Last but not least, yesterday was my birthday and I’m so SO ready for the second half of my life to be full of love, joy and laughter. xx
Have a great week!
Melisa
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