Seeing the light in my own home

As published in The Life You Make,
weekly column in EventLife -
August 31 2005
By Desiree Daniel 

 Sometimes others can see what you don't. For me, it came to a front in my own home. I'd enter my place, only to look at the same things, every day. Pictures on the wall, sentiments on the shelf. Day after day, same, same. When my energy started to decline, I began my usual life analysis hoping to uncover the missing link.

Turned out, I was jut plain bored with my apartment and wanted a change. As a writer, my home is… well, a page waiting for words. My space needs to inspire me. I loved the pieces in my house - I have fabulous art, classic photos, and bold furniture. But, the layout wasn’t doing it for me. Even though I tried feng shui, the energy was just not flowing and it just wasn’t stimulating my mind anymore. How does a writer get creative when her environment isn’t?

Funny how the universe responds the moment it hears you have a need. After I realized my home was a big ol’ snoozer to me, I met Barbara Katnich. It was a meeting of fate, since I was MC'ing an event she happened to be attending. I soon learned her business, Visionary Redesign. “Creating the room you always wanted, by using what you already have”, were her words to me. A certified, accredited, staging professional, this woman transforms people’s homes – with their own goodies. She said she would give my apartment a “face-lift”.

Ok, sure. Although I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what else there was to do with it. But I opened my mind, and let the expert work her talent. She came by while I was at work, promising a new oasis, a utopia, to return to. Let me say, I was so anxious to see what she had done that I forfeited my Friday night plans just to get home ad see the finished product.

Speechless. It took me a moment. Blinked in the atmosphere. Somehow, this woman captured my spirit and showcased it in my home. I didn’t recognize my place, and yet…it definitely reflected…me. It wasn’t a drastic change, but the subtleties made a definite impact. Little things, like colour coding my books, angling my table, shifting my shelves…She tightened up the loose ends, and showed me another way to express myself. As if she had a scavenger hunt in my home, she highlighted pieces that I forgot I even owned. It’s amazing…how I didn’t even recall some of the objects that were now, the featured throughout my house.

It was so special. I actually spent the rest of the night, hanging out in my “new” home, sipping wine, and reconnecting with the things that made me…me. Rejuvenated. When you finally surrender to an outside force, one that can help you “see the light”, you may be very surprised with what you see. I feel privileged that this woman took the time for me; she really “got me”. In fact, it’s possible; she was able to display a piece of me that I wasn’t even able to see. Thanks Barbara! I love going home, now, and best of all…I can finally write again.
If you want a visionary to redesign your home, take a look at Barbara Katnich’s work. Please refer to her beautiful site www.visionaryredesign.com.