Yes!

The goal of this work is not to make your space a perfect gleaming storefront (unless that’s what you want, in which case: let’s do it!).

The purpose is to get to know how you like to use the space — or how you hope to use it, if it hasn’t worked for you in the past — and help you set that up. It’s a truly bespoke process. I’ve worked with clients whose spaces will always necessarily be a little chaotic, just due to the nature of their work and their personal aesthetic and workflow preferences. I’ve worked with clients who have babies and for whom it makes sense to keep certain disorderly-looking items out on the counter because they get used multiple times a day. These are all great and legitimate parameters! My goal is to help you carve out a setup that feels energizing and orderly to YOU. You shouldn’t have to change yourself as a person to feel good where you live and work.

You deserve to have a space that makes sense to you. And when you do, it will be easier for you to maintain that organization. Because it is yours.

It depends!

For most projects, you should plan on being around for most of the session (see the exception below). This is a collaboration in the sense that I'll be tailoring everything to you: my ultimate goal is to make your space work for you personally, so I'll be asking you lots of questions like:

• "How often do you use this chess set?"

• "When you work at your desk, do you like to have paper towels handy?"

I also might set you a task, like, "Go through these drawers and divide the contents into 'High,' 'Medium,' and 'Low Use.'" (While you're doing that, I'll be working on something else.)

The exception to this would be if you truly want little-to-no involvement and just want me to tackle the job solo — in that case, I would just make sure you've gotten rid of everything you want to and I've asked you some basic questions about your preferences before I get started. And, depending on the scope of the job, I might send you questions as they come up.

For an example of a project that was me working solo, see Shing’s Woodshop + Event Space. I worked on this space over the summer while Shing was out of town. Before their trip, we had a kick-off meeting together, and then I sent updates via text and email.

It's not possible to predict before we talk, largely because it depends on:

• what the general nature of the project is / how big the space is (obviously a whole house > a single room > a closet or pantry)

• how quickly you are able to make decisions

• whether we’ll need to purchase new furniture, bins, etc. after the first session

• how involved you want to be

If you have a set budget, let me know, and I’ll tailor our time together to make sure we hit the highest-priority aspects of the job in the time we have. I can also use some of our time to create a DIY plan for you to finish the job if it’s bigger than your budget!

I highly recommend knowing your purchasing budget ahead of time. Other than that, you don't have to prepare at all — unless you want to!

If you want to:

• Getting rid of stuff is a great place to start. It will shave off some time from our session together if you're able to get any of that out of the way beforehand. But again, if you want my help driving the getting-rid-of process, that's totally cool too!

• It’s also helpful to have containers ready for garbage, recycling, donations, etc. Setting this up before I arrive will save you time (and, therefore, money).

I won’t dispose of anything for you, but I will share a list of resources you can peruse for donating, selling, recycling, and otherwise disposing. This list is always in progress, so please feel free to suggest additions to me if you know of any!

First of all, just a reminder that each space is different and we can tailor this part of the process to you and your preferences! None of this is written in stone. That said:

If you have budget for this, I can:

• during our first session: offer recommendations for product and furniture ideas as we work (and, meanwhile, come up with temporary solutions)

• after our first session: find products for you to choose from that might be right for your space (I charge a separate hourly rate for online research and online or in-person shopping)

• you can either then buy the items yourself, or we can add the amount of your purchasing budget to your overall package with me, allowing me to make purchases on your behalf — with your approval for each item, of course!

• once we have the products: do another session with you to integrate them into your space

If you don't have budget for this, or just don’t want to buy anything:

• we'll figure it out with what you've already got!

• (in this case, I suggest NOT getting rid of any boxes/containers/crates types of things before our session: they'll likely be our friends)

Good question! The answer will vary for everyone. I’ll leave you with a list of semi-personalized suggestions and advice to help you maintain your space after we’re done.

I also love doing maintenance (“refresh + expand”) sessions such as, say, a quarterly visit to bring the space back up to speed or take what we did the first time to the next level. So that’s an option, too.

Good question!

• building/assembling furniture (with possible exceptions)

• installing art, shelves, etc. on walls

• hauling away waste or stuff you’re getting rid of

Task Rabbit is a good resource if you want to hire a more seasoned handy person than me to help in these areas!

Yes! I don’t have standardized packages at the moment, but I’m happy to craft one to fit your needs.

We can do remote sessions! Just fill out the contact form, and we can get more specific from there.

My policy is very flexible, going both ways. You can cancel/reschedule basically any time, including the day of the session. The flip side of that is that I may, on the rare occasion, also need to reschedule with short notice.

I ask all of my clients to do an at-home test the day of the session (and I do one, too). If you have any symptoms of sickness (Covid or not), please let me know and we’ll reschedule. I will sometimes wear a mask inside, as well (they’re extremely helpful for dust, to which I am allergic!).