Apartment Therapy Update - Week One

My daughter's Spring Vacation somehow demotivated me from moving forward on my project to "cure" my apartment. If you are new to the site, look for earlier pre-work assignments. The "cure" is based on Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's book Apartment Therapy.

Let's face it, I have the time, while I search for a job. It would drive me bananas if I went back to work and my home was still a mess.

Week One Assignment - Deep Treatment
Bones - Make a complete list of repairs and solutions (see list below)
- Vacuum and mop the floors (done but wood floors need to be rejunvenated)

Breath - Remove one item from the apartment and put it outside (did more than asked for, dropped 5 bags at the salvation army, still have more to do)

Heart - buy fresh flowers (I am going to wait until Friday to do this. Yes, I agree flowers are nice, affordable, weekly luxury to lighten up your home while employed but unemployed, I will agree to do this 1x month)

Head
Sit for 10 minutes in part of your home that you never sit in and figure out what doesn't work for you. Imagine what the space/room would look like empty. (sat on my bed looking at the space at the end of the bed. Space is not being properly used, vertical dresser needs to be replaced with a horizontal one, daughter's kitchen needs to be given away, pictures need to be moved and replaced)

Look into earth-friendly products (going to try ecostore products and Bon Ami which is biodegradeable and non toxic).

Repair Worksheet
1. Put back bulletin boards that fell down
2. Replace all light switch covers
3. Rejuvenate all the wood floors
4. Unclog bathroom drain

Apartment Therapy Update

Sorry that I haven't posted on my 8 week Apartment Therapy makeover but my daughter's spring break derailed my journey. 

Journey begins again tomorrow. 

Stay tuned.

Apartment Therapy - Home Cure Quiz 2

Here is a 16 question quiz to assess how dramatic your home cure needs to be. 

Head

1. Does your home support everything you want to do?  No

2. Do you use your home often? No

3. Is there room for everything you want to do @home? No

4. Is there a good space for what is most important to you? Yes

Heart

5. Do you consider your home beautiful? No

6. Do you feel you have a sense of style? No

7.  Does your clothing express your style? Yes

8. Doe your home express your style? No

Breath

9. Do you consider your home comfortable? Yes

10. Do you sleep well at night? No

11. Is your apartment organized? NO

12. Is it easy to clean and declutter? NO

Bones

13. Do you consider your home to be in good shape? Yes

14. Is everything in working order? No

15. Do you take of repairs quickly? No

16. Do you clean your home often? Yes

Counting the number of yes and no's, the result is...

0-3 Very ill, depressing. Serious problems that are helpful to your health.

FYI, here are the other scores if you are following along.

4-8 Weak. Energy drain. Visible problems in need of work have probably been put off for some time.

9-11 Healthy. Comfortable. Could use improvement in at least in at least one are and toning all around.

12-14 Excellent health. Invigorating. Occasional updating and ongoing maintenance are all that is needed.

Obviously, I have a lot of work to do to get home in order and only 8 weeks to do it. 

Apartment Therapy - Home Cure Deep Treatment

Based on the questionnaires I answered, my home is in need of the 8 week deep treatment cure. 

The 8 weeks are laid out as follows:

Week 1 - Entire apartment: list repairs and clean

Week 2 - Kitchen: clean, declutter and cook

Week 3 - Front hall: clean, declutter and plan a landing strip

Week 4 - Living room: clean, declutter, arrange color

Week 5 - Office:  organize off (I don't have an office now so I only need to organize how/where my home office will be situated)

Week 6 - Bathroom: clean, declutter, arrange light

Week 7 - Bedroom: clean, declutter, arrange art

Week 8 - Whole apartment: get ready for housewarming

Apartment Therapy - The Interview

Step one of the Apartment Therapy cure is to answer a 30 minute questionnaire so you can begin repairing your body; bones = repairs, breath = rearrangement, heart = redecorate and head (move your space around). 

How you answer the questions also seems to tell a lot about your personality and style. 

• Answering too quickly = quick decision maker (you need to be directed)
  
• Answering too slowly = extremely careful decision maker (you need to be pushed)
• Leaving blanks = no sense of style (need to imitate)
• Too many answers = want to fit in, have trouble with clutter (need to edit)
• Answers are eclectic = style may not be focused or you may be conflicted about how you want to be perceived ( need to be clarified)
• Difficulty naming a designer or clothing = more analytic and less visually oriented (need to look a lot of pictures to improve visual knowledge)

The Apartment Therapy Questionnaire: 

Favorites:

List a favorite in each category:

Actress: Helen Mirren, Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy years), Angelina Jolie

Actor: Paul Newman, Hugh Grant (i know), Daniel Craig

Artist: Claude Monet (only because water lilies at the MOMA have a special place in my heart and brings me peace of mind)

Writer: JK Rowling (this is all I can think because I never read anymore)

Music: New Order, Pearl Jam, Club music

Restaurant: The Modern

Automobile: Hunter Green Jaguar

Television Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars

Clothing (designer or store): H&M, Uniqlo, Ann Taylor

How would you describe your style:

1. Casual

2. Consistent

3. Lacking color

Personal History:

Where have you lived?

Where were you born? Tokyo

Where you grew up? Japan, California, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia

As a adult:  New York City, Arizona, Virginia, France, Japan, Italy

Whom would you consider a role model? My father and mother

What three adjectives describe the qualities that you admire in a person.

1. Loyalty

2. Committment

3. Truthful 

Apartment

What is the problem with your apartment? (3 words)

Cluttered, dull, colorless

If your apartment could speak, what would it say is the problem. 

Why do I have all this stuff? This place is dreary and is really boring. Where is the color? Why are the walls so bare. Where is the character?

What one thing would lyou like to do or do more of in your apartment?

Entertain 

Eight weeks from now, when this project is done, if friends came to visit, how would you like them to describe your home?

1. Colorful

2. Warm

3. Fun 

Looking at the guide for how one answers the question.

I am quick decision maker because I answered the questionnaire in 15 minutes. I gave a lot of different answers and eclectic ones at that so I need to be guided and edited. Finally,  I don't have a sense of style.  

I would agree with this assessment, especially the sense of style or lack thereof. Most people can say they like modern or French provincial but I could not tell you what style I want. 

Aspiration is clear since I do want to get my house in order so I can move forward in my life. Defining my style needs help (lots of help). 

Apartment Therapy - My 8 week journey to a healthier home and (hopefully) a healthier me

Years ago, I bought the book, Apartment Therapy, written by Maxwell Gillingham- Ryan. The book is an offshoot of his website, www.apartmenttherapy.com. 

The premise of the book is that your home is made up of body parts, bones, heart, breath and head. Once you buy into this concept, the book lays out an 8 step cure to treat your "body" aka your "home". Once you have completed the cure, you are left with only a happy and  decluttered home  which enables you to move on from whatever ails you, job loss, love loss, bad job.... 

In a nutshell, it's a detox for your home and (you). 

The benefit to being unemployed (and there aren't too many) is that you have the time to get your "house" in order, so I have decided to commit to a healthier home and hopefully, a healthier me and let's cross our fingers a new job. 

Over the course of the next 8 weeks, I will provide updates on curing my home. 

Stay tuned.