The amazing Bryn shares a little bit about her summer and the way it served as a metaphor for the design process. We love you, Bryn.
August always conjures up a feeling of excitement, anticipation, nervousness … .for the start of something new. New school year, new teachers, new friends … but also the unknown and potentially something difficult ahead.
The friendship and camaraderie we have amongst our Two Hands team facilitates many “around the table” (many of us do our daily work around a communal conference table) discussion of life’s hurdles, peaks and valleys. This fall, we have four kids of team members starting college. We have team members caring for aging parents. We had (me!) a move from one house to another.
My summer involved a lot of house packing.
As I was packing this summer, my mantra became “the only way though it is through it.” This certainly has relevance to the projects our clients embark upon. While acknowledging that renovating or building a home is a privilege and a blessing, it can also feel like A LOT. Getting to the other side is not dissimilar to other big things in life.
Here’s my ample donation pile from the move
Nearly all of our clients come to us with great excitement about the project they are engaging us in. They bring Pinterest boards, photos from friends’ homes, hotels they’ve been to and occasionally an old-school tear-out of a magazine (my personal favorite!). The sky’s the limit until the nitty gritty of renovation/construction hits. We like to think we can help both practically (think: renderings, design boards) and psychologically (“it’s normal for this to be this stressful and trust us; it will all work out”).
Reassurance needed ….
In the beginning phase, we also work with our clients in trying to identify goals, must-haves and hopes-and-dreams, which usually involve compromise. One spouse loves blue, and the other has a negative association with the color blue. One spouse is a spender, and one is a saver. Most clients are surprised at how detailed the planning phase must be. It takes the longest, but if done thoroughly, it can net you the biggest benefits.
The middle phase of a project is when the doubt *undoubtedly* creeps in. This is when we love to use the “messy middle” or “adolescent phase” of the job speech to our clients. For example, you know when a preteen has their adult teeth, but their face and body hasn’t caught-up yet? Eeek! Something doesn’t look quite right! This is also true for the middle of a design project. Maybe the paint has to go up early, and it just doesn’t look right, yet. But that could be because the floors haven’t been refinished with their new color or you don’t have the new furniture in place to see how it will all come together.
Dogs did not appreciate the chaos ... "Where did my big rug go?"
In the final phase of a project there is usually fatigue. Fatigue from all the decisions. Fatigue from living in your basement with three kids and a dog and cooking from a toaster oven for three months. Fatigue from spending more money than you thought you’d have to in order to get to the finish line and check all your design dream boxes. These are all real and common for this type of work. What we would tell you to do is remember, at this point “the only way through it, is through it.” You will get to the finish line and there we hope (we know!) you will be thrilled with the result.
Sitting down … finally. At the beach.
Just keep swimming. And as with life’s peaks and valleys, you will come out the other side. And at least with a newly designed and constructed home you have a lovely place to crash on the sofa/bed/floor and sleep. (And if you are like us, it’s for like ten minutes.:)).
Me celebrating with an end-of-summer ice cream cone after completing the move.
Happy August readers! You’ve got this!
Want more on planning a smooth process? Read more here.