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REDESIGN QUESTIONS
ORGANIZING QUESTIONS
GENERAL QUESTIONS WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REDESIGNING AND ORGANIZING? Redesigning is about beautifying
your surroundings while organizing is about simplifying
and streamlining your stuff. Both are about
improving the quality of your spaces and your life. Redesign
services are for clients who aren’t necessarily interested
in getting rid of stuff or saving time but who want to make their
space more beautiful through rearrangement of furniture, decorations,
artwork, collections, lighting or color. Organizing services
are for clients who are interested in saving time and frustration
by rearranging their space to be more efficient, reducing their
stuff, or developing other time saving systems. For
many clients, the ultimate goal is a beautiful AND efficient space
so they begin the Cloud 9 journey with organizing sessions.
Then once the clutter is under control they hire Cloud 9 for redesign
services to complete their space transformation. If you’re like most people, you spend much of your life indoors, often in the same home and work spaces day after day. Environmental psychology suggests that improving your interior spaces will have a significant impact on your health, well-being and behavior. Time after time, Cloud 9 clients report a priceless sense of peace and serenity that comes from transforming their spaces in an affordable way. Without fail, our clients insist that hiring Cloud 9 is one of the most rewarding and valuable ways to spend their hard-earned money. Redesign: Clients consistently reveal that hiring Cloud 9 quickly pays for itself. Instead of buying new furniture and decorations, redesign clients save huge amounts of money, using what they already have to transform their space. For a quarter of the cost of a new couch, you get a new room instead! For those who do need to buy additional pieces to complete their space, they make more sensible and long-lasting purchases based on Cloud 9 research and input. Organize: When your space and life is
organized, you don’t waste money buying things that you
already had but couldn’t find, you avoid late fees because
you have a clear system for paying bills on time, and you’re
much more efficient in your daily life, freeing up precious time
to do the things you love. HOW MUCH DO CLOUD 9 SERVICES COST?Cloud 9 is passionate about making organizing
and redesign services affordable to as broad a market as possible,
keeping fees at the lower end of the typical scale
for professional redesigners and organizers. Some
people have redesign and/or organizing needs that span the entire
home while others only have a single room that needs attention.
For those with multi-room needs, we encourage you to think of
the Cloud 9 experience as a journey that, depending on your budget,
can last days, weeks, months or even years! For services that
we perform hand-in-hand with you (organizing, space planning,
color consulting, general consulting), we charge an hourly rate
since you determine the pace of our work together. For most
redesign projects we work independent of the client, charging
by the project. We also offer redesign consultations, charged
at our hourly rate. For specific service rates, click
here. IF I DO NEED ADDTIONAL FURNITURE, DECORATIONS OR ORGANIZING STORAGE TO COMPLETE MY SPACE, HOW CAN CLOUD 9 HELP? At the end of the redesign or organizing process,
Cloud 9 can help you determine the general types of objects that
will complete your space. If you want assistance identifying
exact pieces, you can hire Cloud 9 to research those for
you in one of two ways. We can do online and phone
research, then email you links to pieces we recommend to complete
your space. We can also do in-store shopping at new
and secondhand stores to search for appropriate pieces for you
or with you. DO I
NEED TO WORK WITH CLOUD 9 OR DOES CLOUD 9 DO THE REDESIGNING AND
ORGANIZING WORK FOR ME? Organize: For hands-on organizing projects
Cloud 9 works side by side with you. We help you make thoughtful
and efficient decisions about what to keep and what to toss.
We help you stay on task to get the job done quickly. Cloud
9 is also committed to teaching you organizing principles
and skills, which you can transfer to other areas of your life.
I'M NOT SURE IF MY SPACE PROBLEM IS ONE THAT CLOUD 9 HANDLES. HOW CAN I TELL? The easiest thing to do is to call Kyle Freeman at Cloud 9 at 617.524.5815. Also click here to see before and after pictures for common space problems that Cloud 9 solves.
REDESIGN QUESTIONS WHY NOT JUST HIRE A DECORATOR OR INTERIOR DESIGNER? Traditional decorators and interior designers
are significantly more expensive than redesigners
and their emphasis is on replacing the things you currently own.
You pay a premium for labor, cost of materials, new objects and,
often times, things that reflect the designer’s taste, not
your own. By focusing on creatively and artfully rearranging
what you already have, Cloud 9 offers alternative decorating
services, valuing your taste and the things that you’ve
selected and cherished over the years. HOW CAN CLOUD 9 POSSIBLY MAKE MY ROOM LOOK DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT WITHOUT BUYING ALL NEW THINGS? People tend to buy things they like, but many
people just don’t know how to pull all their things together
to look fantastic. As a certified redesigner,
Cloud 9’s Kyle Freeman applies principles of decorating,
color theory and design to rearrange your things in a creative
and artful layout. So not to be influenced by the
current arrangement of furniture, decorations, artwork etc., Cloud
9 begins every redesign by completely emptying the room, creating
a blank slate, which makes it easier to see the room’s natural
focal points and strengths. Then the redesign magic begins!
Redesign after redesign we continue to be amazed by the
power of placement, to transform a space from blah to
amazing. The most common reaction clients have
to a redesign project is “I can’t believe this is
my stuff and that this is the same room. It feels completely
different!” You have to experience it to believe
it. (Cloud 9 is also happy to provide references!) WHY DO REDESIGNERS TYPICALLY DO THE HANDS-ON WORK WITHOUT THE CLIENT IN THE SPACE? People tend to be very attached to their
ideas about where things should go and what they should be used
for, even when they hire someone else to rethink their space!
It’s natural - you’re too close to the environment
to be able to think outside the box. If we tried to rearrange
your space with you present, there may be a LOT (A LOT) of time
spent addressing your skeptical concerns like “oh, really,
oh, I don’t think that will work there” or “use
that table for that? that’s not what it’s for”
and in the end you’d need to bust open your savings account
because Cloud 9 would be spending the week with you debating the
merits of repurposing Aunt Edna’s needlepoint tapestry instead
of unveiling a beautiful new room in a single afternoon. You probably
stopped noticing years ago just how beautiful that architectural
detail in the corner is or the stunning colors in that quilt you
tucked away in the closet. It’s Cloud 9’s job to apply
fresh design eyes to your space and to reintroduce you to the
beauty of your space and your belongings. WHY DOES CLOUD 9 EMPHASIZE USING THE BELONGINGS SOMEONE ALREADY OWNS? Cloud 9 is built on the premise that
with plenty of imagination, resourcefulness, and determination
we can revive any space, using primarily what you already
have. This saves you enormous amounts of money,
time and frustration. One of the biggest
and most expensive mistakes that people make when trying to redesign
or organize is rushing out to buy lots of storage containers,
new furniture etc. This is the LAST step, only to be taken
AFTER Cloud 9 has helped you figure out WHY a system or space
isn’t working and determining if new objects are needed.
We also feel an environmental responsibility to first use what
you have, before deciding if new materials are necessary.
Most of all, Cloud 9 LOVES the challenge! I DON'T HAVE MUCH STUFF THAT COULD BE USED TO TRANSFORM MY SPACE. WHAT THEN? Don’t underestimate Cloud 9 creativity!
During the initial redesign appointment, we’ll ask you to
take us through your home to “shop” through your basement,
your attic, your closets, your drawers and your cupboards.
Those colorful dishes you have buried in the back of your kitchen
cabinet might look great hanging above your doorway for a burst
of color. That vintage crate you have in the attic might
make a perfect plant stand. It doesn’t have to be
fancy for Cloud 9 to skillfully integrate something into your
space. One of the most common reactions Cloud 9
hears from redesign clients is “I never would have
thought of using it that way but I love it.” That’s
not to say that we’ll compromise beauty – it has to
work and appeal to your sensibilities. And if Cloud
9 can’t come up with a solution for a specific nook, based
on what you already have, we can advise you in your search for
a a new or secondhand object to complete the space. WHAT IF MY STYLE AND AESTHETIC IS DIFFERENT FROM KYLE'S, THE CLOUD 9 REDESIGNER? The best part of working with your objects, instead of a designer or decorator selecting all new things for you, is that it really doesn’t matter what style Cloud 9 designer Kyle Freeman is drawn to personally. Her gift is in being able to most beautifully arrange your things to best highlight the strengths of your objects and space. That said, many clients do want help finding finishing pieces for their space and in that situation it’s Kyle’s job to understand your style and guide you to objects that reflect your taste, not hers.
ORGANIZING QUESTIONS I'M SO EMBARRASSED ABOUT ALL THE STUFF I HAVE. I'D BE HORRIFIED FOR CLOUD 9 TO SEE IT ALL! WILL THE WORK BE CONFIDENTIAL? Cloud 9 is very compassionate and we’ve
seen it all! Our job is not to judge you; our job is to
support you to bring simplicity and beauty into your life. The
work we do together is completely confidential,
guided by the National Association of Professional Organizers’
Code of Ethics. WILL CLOUD 9 MAKE ME GET RID OF THINGS THAT I DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF? Cloud 9 will never make you get rid of
something you want to keep. As we sort through
your belongings we will ask you specific questions designed to
make decision making about what to keep and what to toss easier
and more efficient. Cloud 9 will help you assess
what you have; once people see all their items clumped in one
place they often realize that they’re ready to let go of
certain things. ONCE WE DECIDE WHAT TO GET RID OF, HOW WILL WE GET RID OF IT ALL? Totally depends on the nature of the stuff.
In an effort to reduce the amount of stuff going into the trash,
Cloud 9 maintains an extensive database of recycling and donation
outlets. With that said, if it’s trash, we trash it.
If you want to make some money from the stuff you’re getting
rid of, Cloud 9 can help you develop and implement a plan
(ebay, craigslist, yardsale). (click here for resources) WHAT IF I HIRE CLOUD 9 AND THEN A MONTH LATER MY SPACE IS CHAOTIC AGAIN BECAUSE I HAVEN'T MAINTAINED THE SYSTEMS? Before we ever lift a finger to start organizing, Cloud 9 devotes ample time to investigating with you why your spaces are unorganized. The reasons are different for every person. This inquiry is not about judging you. If you try to organize without understanding and fixing the root causes of organizational breakdown, even the greatest systems in the world will stop working. We custom create organizational systems for every client – what works for you may be a terrible idea for someone else. That being said, we’re not magicians and there is some effort required to maintain systems but if the system is a good match for you, it should be relatively easy and fun to maintain. Even so, some people simply prefer to have Cloud 9 visit periodically to help them stay organized.
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