Remodel Musings aka What Color Will You Paint Your Life?

by Kayce Stevens Hughlett

We’ve been in the midst of a remodel at our house and it’s quite a fascinating process. Stirring up old dirt and buried stories. We’ve been in our house for over 25 years. That’s the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, which means a lot of history and a lot of dirt. Even though I’m a relatively tidy housekeeper, there are places I just can’t get to without a burly furniture mover. It’s kind of like life, you know? … Those places we can’t quite reach until it’s time to move.  

Our project consists of a facelift for the upstairs: my hubby’s office, my studio, and our bedroom. It required moving everything out to make way for the new. Now that the paint is dry, the fresh carpet is in, and the sun is shining through our crystal clear windows, I wonder how we lived with the clutter for so long. Our friend who practices feng shui introduced us to the concept of chatter. She pointed it out as we stood in our small hallway and counted four different flooring materials coming together in one spot. Chatter. Lots of chatter.

When she walked into my husband’s office, she asked him how he felt when he’s in that room. “Chaotic” was his reply. It was clearly time for a change. My studio was painted a high-energy red/pink and did its job of motivating and charging me up on most days. Now, as I stand at the doorway of the freshly painted French lilac room, I feel the combination of spirit and creativity. I am grounded and open to what will come. It both calms and inspires me.

The project is at the place where the contractor’s work is done.  We've moved most of the furniture back in and now it's time to bring in the art and bookshelves, and I'm stalling.

This surprises me, because I’ve been out of sorts since we moved everything out. Things are not in their usual places. They’re scattered throughout the rest of the house and stuffed into closets. But as I imagine moving it all back into the rooms, I hesitate. I love the clean, fresh, open space. It is simple and refreshing.

I love standing in the hallway where we first identified the "chatter." Now there is one clean line connecting our three main areas. From this vantage point, I see French lilac, pale avocado, and cottontail-colored rooms. They are united with the hallway tint: handmade paper.

Art? Yes? No? You get to choose. (Paris 2008)Handmade paper. What will we write in these rooms? How will we create? What will we add or decide we no longer need? We’re going to take it slowly. Adding a piece here and there and carefully placing art back on the walls. Neither my husband nor I want to put things back exactly as they were. It feels like a fresh start. With new windows comes new vision. We have an open canvas.

The blank canvas reminds me of each new day. I believe that being alive is an art form. We get to choose what we’ll create with the materials we are given. We have the choice as to what we add and subtract from our lives or what we bury inside our closets.

Ponder this:

• Where do you notice ‘chatter’ in your world? Get literal or be metaphorical, it’s all part of the creative process.
• If you were to paint your life today, what colors would you select?
• What’s cluttering your life?
• Where or how are you ready for movement?

I invite you to take one tiny step today to enhance your surroundings. Toss out the junk mail stacked on your counter, give away three items of clothing you no longer wear, buy fresh flowers just because, or move your body off the couch. It’s time to create your beautiful life!

Want to revamp your life? Then consider visiting Paris, the land of artists, with Sharon Richards and me! Limited space available for May 2015 Click here to learn more.