Check out this issue of Bellingham Alive, Best of the Northwest. Lot's of amazing folks in our community are getting recognized for all the incredible things they are doing. I love this town. And thank you to everyone who voted!!

​I came upon this darling little book at the public library while I was waiting for a meeting. I have read several books about the topic of clearing and de-cluttering as I use these techniques a lot in my practice, and this looked like a fun read.
 
After blasting through the book, what followed was an entire weekend spent going through every single drawer, cabinet, shelf, nook, and cranny in the house. In the end we donated boxes and boxes of clothes, books, random knick-knacks, gear, and all sorts of things we didn’t realize we had or had never used. And all this from two people who already consider themselves tidy!
 
What I loved about Marie Kondo’s reminder to us all, is that we should only be surrounding ourselves with things that we love. Otherwise, why do we have it? It is difficult for our home to be a sanctuary if it is stuffed to the brim with useless items, or objects that hold no joy. She reminds us that it is okay to give these away. They have served their purpose in our lives, and they are free to go. We free ourselves in the process.
 
Our home has never felt so good. We know where everything is, so we know where things get put away, and we have created so much more space for the things we do love and that do bring us joy.  
 
It is worth the time and energy it takes. De-cluttering and clearing your house will reset your tolerance for clutter and chaos. In the frenetic craziness of our lives, coming home to a house that feels calm and peaceful, that is not yet-another-chore, is such a treat. And one we all deserve.

In design and construction, we often talk about additions and creating space for more. But I have found oftentimes the best projects come from the selective edits rather than haphazard additions. Most often, it's the removal of a wall that gives our space a whole new sensation and a connection to another part of the house we hadn't experienced before. Or eliminating the half forgotten nick-nacks rather than adding a shelf on which to place them.

In kitchens, this is often the case with how we use our cabinetry. Is that lazy susan in the corner really offering something besides clutter? Or would it make more sense to blank that corner and extend the very useful drawer bank? 

In our hectic and over-scheduled lives, our homes can often best serve us if the space itself can remain calm. One way we can successfully achieve this is deliberatly editing the spaces that often invite chaos and clutter. 

So, in any construction project, from a simple bathroom makeover to adding new dormers for extra bedrooms, consider the idea of editing. How might this tool change the way we approach our next home project? 

A lovely light-filled, classic kitchen remodel. The fir cabinets are from Smith and Vallee Woodworks.

Parking my car in the alley as I arrived home from work the other day, I made my way past the aromatic garbages, up the first of four flights of stairs to my third floor apartment. My hands full of bags from the day and my empty coffee cup, I pushed past the swinging door that always hits me on my way in. That’s when I stopped, mid-stair, suddenly extremely aware of my psychological experience of coming home. 

Even as a designer, formally trained and intuitively keen on our interactions with our built environment, it took almost two years before the physical action of coming home made its way to my consciousness.

And that’s exactly what good design is about; being aware of how our automatic daily movements play into our experiences, even when they’re operating at a subconscious level. 
 
I hate that door. And by the time I’ve reached my front door, shuffling to get my keys, I feel more tired than I was 5 minutes ago. 

The good news is, I woke up to that experience. The bad news is, there’s not much I can do about it. But what I am doing is making the transition through the front door more thoughtful. Creating a space for shoes and a small surface for which to set down my keys and bag, I have given myself a psychological transition from the outside world to my home haven.

I would encourage you to also look at your homecoming. Does it invite slower breaths the minute you step on your path? Or is it more like a battle zone you have to fight to get from your garage to your mudroom? Whatever your entry experience is, finding ways to make it more of an appropriate transition space is important for those subtle yet powerful shifts in our day.  

Sustainable Connections 12th annual Imagine This! Home and Landscape Tour is this coming weekend, June 21-22, and there is a lot to be excited about! I will be hanging out with the Chuckanut Builder crew at the Birthroot Center, which opened this Spring. It's located at 1600 Broadway Ave. There will be lots of fabulous and knowledgeable folks there to talk about all the cool things that were done to renovate the historical building. Look forward to seeing you there!

Spring is here, the dark days of winter are fading behind us, and the extra light provides the opportunity to shed the stiffness of hibernation and awaken to our surroundings with new perspective. This always gets me in the mood to clean, re-organize, and refresh my living space. 

William Morris's words "have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" is a perfect mantra during this time. Be bold. Get rid of stuff you don't use, don't like looking at, or don't know what to do with.  Especially target corners, backs of shelves and closets, and under the bed. This will immediately free your home and your psyche of heavy and sluggish clutter. And what an amazing feeling that is. 

Happy Spring!