BEFORE
You might have a spot like this in your own home. Horizontal surfaces beg for clutter, and a kitchen “desk” area like this is especially prone to becoming a dumping ground for keys, mail, and endless clutter! In a busy family, the only solution was to find permanent homes for these items by analyzing the way they go about their day. Finally, we needed to find a way to prevent this spot from becoming cluttered again.
AFTER
My client and I created a beautiful place to display her mother’s vintage tea set, flowers, a candle, and her favorite books. She now feels surrounded by beauty throughout her day. I was overjoyed to hear her reflect on our work together:
“I feel so good – I have a plan! My space already feels so much better. Thank you so much! I really love what you do, you’re making a difference with the talent and purpose God gifted ya with! “
From one of my favorite clients. She was so ready for a transformation in her life. The work we did in her space created the motivation and belief in herself to make huge changes in the rest of her life, including doing a half-marathon and going after a new job! “I want to emphasize that my life has changed after hiring Erica to help me makeover and organize a room that had become so consumed with clutter it haunted me daily. I was so overwhelmed by the thought of tackling that room for the hundredth time only to have my bad habits cause it to go right back to the same mess, so I avoided it at all cost. The stress that it caused me was unbelievable. It became a room that piled up with literal piles of junk and papers. Every inch, every drawer, was filled to capacity with stuff. One day I finally hit rock bottom and called her for help. It was the best thing I ever did for myself and my family. I would like to convey that if you think it will be embarrassing to have someone come into your home and see your strange habits, IT IS NOT. Erica has SEEN IT ALL, and without judgement gently teaches you how you ended up in the position you are in. I was not only at ease with how down to earth she is, but you will be shocked at how efficiently and quickly she can get through what might feel like mountains of “stuff” in your mind. When I felt the weight lifted of years of stress and looked at the finished room and new procedures in place it was a “zen” that I knew I could have never experienced or accomplished on my own. I can’t thank her enough for really teaching me how to change my bad habits and how easy it is to “maintain” my new and fabulous room. I took a little piece of her with me that has helped me tremendously. If I feel myself about to shove a piece of paper or anything for that matter just anywhere in my rushed daily state, I now freeze and literally say to myself “Wait, what would Erica do with this?”, and I stop in my tracks and put it where it should go, i.e.: file, trash or memorabilia! These simple steps are really a life saver for me to prevent my “piles” from coming back to haunt me. After my huge project was finished, I felt I had now acquired the skills to tackle other areas of my home. I was so motivated that I started organizing closet after closet, drawer after drawer because it’s addicting!! I am so much happier and really feel free of all the junk I was holding on to. It is an amazing feeling to have her by your side giving you all her attention and invaluable tips and advice. I can’t recommend her enough to anyone who has a project no matter how big or small. She will change your life! My only regret is waiting so long to ask her for help!
From one of my first clients: Reasons to consider having Erica come into your life:
1. Sometimes you just need a clear, unbiased, un-opinionated outlook to get the ball rolling. She is all business and efficient.
2. Once she shares with you her organizational mind set, you realize it all makes sense and from that moment forward it is easy to follow through with the basic concepts on your own. (You may even smile every time you put something back to the sensible spot!)
3. She takes great care to focus and adjust to your individual needs. (She realizes when you need a moment, too.)
4. It is amazingly special to have someone give you their undivided attention for a span of time. When was the last time someone gave you their undivided attention for 30 minutes, an hour or more – imagine having someone focus on you with care and love to help you declutter and organize your mind, your life, your space. (She is an angel of hope when you are feeling overwhelmed!)
BEFORE
Closets! They can be such a challenge. This closet needed both organization and decluttering. My client rose to the challenge and gladly let go of anything that didn’t make her feel FABULOUS!
AFTER
We discovered great pieces my client had forgotten about and the new set-up made it much easier for her to put her clean clothes away.
From a client who worked with me in her late mother’s home: “Erica has offered me her guiding strength and sympathetic heart through the difficult organization of my mother’s belongings. Working with her has helped me move into and through my grief as well as bring clarity to ways I can honor my mother. It has been amazing to have her on my team and I am very grateful to have worked with her.”
From a client who lives in a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone. The rooms needed to be reassigned in order to accommodate her growing family: “Erica came to help me shortly after moving into a new home, which also happened to coincide with preparing for a new baby. Even a year after moving in, nothing really felt organized still and it certainly didn’t feel like “home”. But with the coming baby, I felt I finally needed to ask for help to get things together. As hoped for, Erica offered guidance and clarity during a time of my life when I felt overwhelmed and unable to find the starting point. Although she comes to every task with empathy and compassion, she pushed me to make decisions and really get the job done. She truly helped me figure out how I really want to live in my space. To give someone the gift of feeling relaxed and happy in their home has effects that carry over into so many other parts of my life. It is absolutely a form of therapy. She made such a positive difference in my life.”
From a client who wanted help with the overwhelming task of going through paperwork and mail that had piled up for months: “Hallelujah, I can see the top of my desk again!”
BEFORE
A typical basement project. This space was used as a dumping ground for anything and everything. It was difficult to access belongings and even harder to put them away. The client had many things that were no longer wanted or needed and were just taking up space.
AFTER
An organized area where my client knows what she has and where it is.
From a client who wanted to create uncluttered bedrooms for her teenage daughters and make room for new clothes by clearing out items and clothes no longer wanted or needed: “Cleaning up/out my daughters’ rooms was a long-running mother-daughter battle. It was HUGE task, so they didn’t mind getting help to make it easier, as long as it wasn’t ME (i.e. Mom). Erica and the girls achieved more in just a few hours than we had on our own for weeks! Best of all, it was conflict & stress-free!”
A text received from a client when we were halfway through her project: “By the way even though we are not done…I am already breathing easier! It’s so beautiful! I love it! My “To Do” basket is empty! My paperwork is filed, too. All the laundry baskets that I used to pile the stuff I didn’t want to deal with are finally empty! I can’t remember when that ever was!? You are amazing and I feel so much happier! I know I can keep this up. Bad news is…I just found more things I don’t need in my garage. Good news is…I know right where to put them! And I’m going to do it now! You would be proud of me making huge changes already in thinking before I shove anything just anywhere! People NEED to see how good you are! xoxo In the spring I am calling you in for some garage 911 help, too. I’m feeling ambitious. You really rubbed off on me. Yay! Woo hoo!”
From a reluctant client who ended up really seeing his space differently after our work together: “Thank You! I am still celebrating the experience and each time I walk about my home I am inspired to continue growing, letting go and prioritizing my life. You led me with spirit and body to a safe and trusting place, encouraging me to let go of material stuff that filled my closets, drawers, and cabinets, making room for the stuff that really matters to me… people that I love and the space to actually enjoy them. At the same time my attachments to “things and stuff” was respected and supported in such a manner that I could let go of all the extra extraneous baggage with joy. With these shifts I am able to go forward with a new belief system that goes miles past cleaner, more organized living quarters…And that would be sensational in itself, but I am so happy in so many more exciting ways experiencing progress in my relationships and the ways I live MY LIFE! As Lou Bega sings in “Mambo Number 5”, I am so grateful for “A little bit of Erica by my side”.”