Cleaning for the Cleaning Lady
There were times in my childhood when we were able to afford a person to clean our house (I know – no real problems, right?) and the weird thing was that my mom always went around cleaning before the cleaning lady came so that the house was “presentable”. I always thought that was weird because isn’t the reason we hired a cleaning person was so they would clean? My mom grew up in the fifties when her image as a housekeeper was very important, so I guess that was her reasoning for it. But even today I will visit clients homes and they are always apologizing for the condition of the room that they need help with. And, believe me, I have seen some serious nearly hoarder situations, but I am here to tell you that you DO NOT – wait, I have to repeat that – you DO NOT need to be embarrassed by any room that you need design help with!! Because seriously, I don’t care if you are messy or outdated – everyone is (even if some are better at hiding it than others).
It’s just too cluttered and ugly right now…
I have had people say they would love to get some design help, but they really need to “fix” the space first. “It’s just too cluttered and ugly right now. I would be embarrassed for you to even see it so once I get it picked up, I’ll call you.” If you are thinking that about some room in your home, that is a sure sign that you need to contact me, or any good designer you know, now, not when you think the room looks good enough for me to see it. If the room looks good, why would you need a designer? We all have crap that we need to get rid of. We all have piles in our bedrooms or offices that have been there for years. And, we all have some ugly furniture or lamps or art we really need to do something with, but just haven’t gotten around to yet. I personally have had paint swatches on my dining room wall for over a year because I want to change the color but have been too busy to paint. I basically don’t even see them anymore and only realize I need to do something about it when I’m going to have strangers over (luckily, they don’t know how long those swatches have been there – lol!).
Stop Waiting & Start Doing
Long story short, if you have been hankering for some design help with a room and can afford it but are just too embarrassed to ask for help because the room is messy or ugly or whatever, please know that any interior designer worth their fee, isn’t going to hold that against you AT ALL. Good designers know that their job is about a room’s function and aesthetics, but there is almost always a dose of organization and encouragement involved as well (sometimes even marriage counseling, but I digress…). Plus, how much more accomplished will you and your designer feel if the room is a disaster in the beginning and a masterpiece in the end? It’s a total win-win. Please let your shame go and reach out for that design help you have been dreaming of from whatever great designer you can find. I promise you, you won’t regret it and in all likelihood, after the first room, you will be inspired to fix up every disastrous space you have. Just go for it!!
Featured Photo by Onur Bahçıvancılar on Unsplash
Kitchen Photo by: Jason Leung on Unsplash
