My last job included doing home visits in the projects, street outreach under the bridges down by Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry, and attempting to convince chronically homeless and severely mentally ill folks to take their medications and stay out of jail.
Home staging and organizing is just a little bit different than that.
I have always been a curious person and whether I'm finding out about people's stories through their life circumstances or through organizing their belongings, I love collecting pieces of peoples lives and learning about what makes people unique and also the commonalities we share.
If I'm being honest, I come by my knack for organization and decorating naturally. My mom has impeccable taste and is really great about purging her home regularly. My mom's Grandfather, followed by my mom's father, owned and ran a furniture company based out of High Point North Carolina so I'm sure I owe some of my decorating ideas to that history.
My mom and I in New Orleans.
It really all began a long time ago for me. I remember a friend in middle school thinking it was strange that along with teen vogue and Bop magazine I had a stash of interior design and home furnishing magazines. Among other bizarre childhood behaviors, I loved organizing my friends rooms, frequently rearranged all of the furniture in my room if I couldn't sleep at night, and walked around at the age of 12 making a list of all of my moms furniture that I wanted to inherit one day. Lord help me.
All of that to say, Help You Dwell has provided a great way to channel all of my organizing and staging energy into other people's homes so I don't drive my husband crazy by purging and rearranging our home every two weeks.
Andrew and Caroline Smith
On a more serious note, I have to say that the part of Help You Dwell that I love the most is getting to walk with people through change. Whether that is a big move or the decision to let go of belongings, change can be hard. Taryn and I love helping people find creative ways to hold on to memories without letting the past take over your home. We have found that so often we spend pointless time simply managing all of our things and that simplifying and getting your home organized actually frees you up to live more in the present.
