Thursday, July 13, 2017

Thinking about Downsizing?




My top tips for simplifying and streamlining the process to make a CHANGE right from the start!

Change is never an easy thing to embrace, it always seems to come with a little bit of fear.
In honor of Father's Day, I would like to send a big shout out to my dad Mario who was fearless in his decision 50 years ago to immigrate to the United States with my mom and five children. On June 17th our family will be celebrating a decision that changed our life for ever.


We all don't need to immigrate to make life changing decisions but deciding to embrace a remodel or deciding to downsize are overwhelming decisions that require courage and patience. This is totally understandable and why calling a professional will help simplify and streamline the process.

Recently I started working with a lady who is soon to be 81 and she is making the big transition from her forever home to a smaller place. This transition comes with a lot of emotions and anxiety and my job is not only to help her create a comfortable and beautiful home that will meet her needs, but most importantly to help her make the transition on time and on budget.


Have a Plan
Deciding what downsizing looks like is key to making it happen. Consider the following questions: Where am I going to go? When is this going to happen? How is this going to happen? What does the new place need? Which of my pieces will fit into the new place? What is my budget?
These are all questions to consider when creating your plan and it is the beginning of making the change happen for you.
A good professional will be able to help you resolve the concerns you have.


1. Your potential budget
Having a good idea of what your potential budget  is critical to knowing exactly what you can do. It also gives the professionals involved a clear understanding of your expectations and gives us direction as to how to best guide you.

2. Begin by purging
This is a dreaded task, but actually a very important one in bringing clarity and helping you downsize without the baggage we all collect over our lifetimes.

A. I recommend making three piles-
    1. The Love, got to have pile.
    2. The Maybe my kids will want this pile. (they won't)
    3. The Oh My Gosh, I can't believe I still have this and it's got  to go pile.

B. Revisit #2 and #3 and break those piles down into do I love or need these, if you don't, immediately proceed C.

C. Call Habitat, Good Will, the Veterans and get rid of it!

3. Make a List
Make a list of everything you are going to need in your new home.
Make another list of your furniture pieces that you would like to take with you and please make a list of the ones you think you would like to take, but not sure if they will fit before you give meaningful and valuable pieces away.

Here again, hiring a professional who can guide you with scale, size and creative ways to use your furniture is extremely valuable.

4. Inspirational images
This is a new beginning so make it special...dream. Begin collecting inspirational images and save them to Pinterest boards or Houzz idea books , so you can share them easily.


5. Architect,Designer,General Contractor
Depending on your project and your needs you will most likely want to begin with the right team to begin making changes.
At Rosa Dest Interiors, we love to be the very first professionals you call, whether you are ready for a designer or not. We can guide you with trades, make recommendations and point you in the right direction.

 I'd like to encourage those considering a change to embrace it, get the right help and enjoy the ride.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Celebrating 50 years of living in the USA

Happy Birthday America!

In celebration of our country's birthday and the 50th anniversary of my family coming to America, I wanted to follow up on last months newsletter on 'Change' and share my family's story.

On June 17th I posted a picture on Facebook of our family taken by the Rock Hill Herald upon our arrival to the United States. I received so many questions and comments that I decided to share my story with all of you. I know this is not design related but it will give an indication of where I came from
My dad studied at the University of Illinois and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1957. After finishing his studies he went back to Colombia, married my mother and started a family. He worked in Colombia for several years and knew he wanted to eventually work in the states. When an opportunity to interview for a position with Bowaters Paper Mill in Lancaster was presented. He flew to SC, interviewed for the position, was offered a job and immediately took it.
Over the course of the next 12 years we moved quite a bit until finally settling in Charlotte in 1978.
My family moved to Rock Hill, SC in 1967 leaving behind their family and friends, their language and their culture.  They were the first in their families to move away.  My mother spoke absolutely NO English and came to the states with five young children and expecting number six. Needless to say we were an anomaly in Rock Hill, with such a large family and speaking a different language. I can't even begin to imagine the challenges and heart aches they faced. 

The people of Rock Hill embraced our family and were so accommodating and helpful to all of us especially to my mom as she adjusted to her new life. Neighbors helping her learn a new  language and a new way of living. The sisters at St. Annes school providing transportation for us kids and my dads colleagues providing support to all of us.
Fortunately, a few of us kids knew English as we had studied in an American school in Cali.
We grew up in two worlds; American by day (at school) and Colombian after 3pm (at home). This was not always easy as we got older but somehow it worked.
I admire my parents courage to leave their family and friends in search of better opportunities. They instilled a love of family and culture in all of us and we have maintained strong family ties in Colombia throughout our lives. I am so fortunate to have been exposed to two cultures, two languages and two countries I love.

So as you think about change regardless of how it applies to you, let me leave you with a quote from Nelson Mandela
"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears"





Plaza family 1967 featured in the Rock Hill Herald


























              Celebrating my dad's 80th birthday in 2015. He is dressed in a traditional Colombian garb.

Happy Birthday America!