During this challenging time, we are experiencing many changes to the way we live, work and interact with others. For most of us, our days are spent quarantined in our home and work is done remotely via videoconferencing or FaceTime.   These are difficult adjustments and in the spirit of being #alonetogether, we wanted to share some ideas to help you adjust, and perhaps embrace, some of the changes

Being home all the time has a silver lining; it gives us a chance to tackle some of those nagging chores on our “to do” list that we never seem to get around to.  I myself have tackled organizing the family photos, cleaned out our storage closet (aka Satan’s Closet, because it is so scary), painted the porch furniture and did a deep clean of my refrigerator.

The “not so silver” lining is, I keep finding more things to do!  Like me, I am sure many of you have started to look around your home and are not always happy with what you see.  Are you getting the itch to redecorate or refresh?

If so, now might be the time for little DIY makeover project, especially one that does not require a lot of time or a big budget.  You can easily make a few simple adjustments with accessories that will completely refresh your space.  Most of us bring an accessory into the house, place it on a table or bookshelf and it stays there for 10 years…or until it is time to paint again.

At SCL, when we help a client “refresh” their home, we call it The Blitz.  We follow our creed of “use what you’ve got” and showcase the client’s accessories in a new way.  We move things around, rehang artwork and repurpose small furnishings before adding anything new.  It is instant gratification and clients love it!

Here a few tips to help you do your own Blitz at home:

*  Clear everything off the bookshelves, tables and counters and start with a clean canvas.

*   Retire the outdated, the faded and the threadbare and free yourself from the guilt of displaying every gift or trinket that you every received.

*   Resist falling back into old patterns. Think fresh and move things around.  Don’t be afraid to rethink your space and how you use it.

*   One good statement piece is better than 5 little things on a table.

*   If your lamp is too short, stack it on books.

*   When accessorizing a bookcase or cabinets, keep like things together.  For example, if you are displaying a collection of heirloom teacups in a bookcase, group several teacups together on alternating shelves.  Your collection should tell a story.  It is less meaningful and busy if a collection is scattered about.

*   It seems like people have their best stuff in the basement!  I have found really awesome accessories, especially artwork that clients had forgotten about, hidden away in the basement.  Head downstairs and do some shopping there.

Here is a great article to help you refresh your space.  Have fun–and please share your Blitz pictures with us on Facebook!

As we all adjust to the new world of social distancing, it is more important than ever to stay connected!  Thankfully through technology, we don’t have to feel so isolated and we can still be productive at work.  Reaching out to family, friends and business associates with video conferencing, FaceTime and Slack is the new norm.  But even though we are not face to face, we still want to present ourselves in the best possible light.  Here are a few tips for videoconferencing–and doing it in style.