COVID-Fixing... (and BMD in the news!) - Interior Design by Brooke Moorhead

brooke moorhead design lenox hill playful dining — *Above: A breakfast room with a custom wooden built-in that serves as a desk.*
*Photo: Gieves Anderson.*

Raise your hand if you have recently made real changes to your home to accommodate the new life we are all living. (??? OK I see a a small handful…)

OK, now raise your hand if you’re thinking about it, but on top of your current duties as family chef, school teacher, housekeeper, bus driver, child tech support, amazon order-er, mental health specialist (oh, did I mention your job?) and other duties, making your space actually LIVABLE has fallen down the list….

Lastly, it’s OK to raise your hand and say you’re in denial and we’re all going back to the way it was.

There are so, so many blogs out there that will tell you how to design your home for COVID. We were so honored to be featured in a Redfin blog in January, “21 Interior Design Ideas to Bring into your Home in 2021”. (See excerpt below). There are others I can make up, e.g. “10 COVID hacks”, “15 interior design trends NOW”… that sort.
These blogs can serve as amazing inspiration. But, like therapy, it’s difficult to fix your space with a blog article. There is no right and wrong. There is no one path to do it, and there is not a new “quarantine style”. And, PLEASE: trends are not relevant when it comes to your personal living space. It’s yours, and its chief importance is to make you happy, not for someone to stare at it.

*Above: BMD featured in Redfin’s blog in January*

Above: My amazing refuge of a closet became my office in March. Despite the fact that we did not even have child care from March until July, it served as a spot I could get away if the opportunity presented itself. I even threw a blanket over one of the closet rods to dampen the noise and make my zoom calls look more professional. You may or may not have noticed other professionals on CNN and the like doing zoom calls from a well-disguised closet.
*Photo: Gieves Anderson*

This is to say nothing of what is going on inside your head. There might be feelings associated with changing. There is also the hassle of change. I do not judge this, because it is my reality, too. I hear people say things like, “I should have called you a long time ago”. Well, you’re calling me now. There are so many decisions, so much to get through mentally and emotionally before making even the first step to make a step to changing your space.

brooke moorhead interior design sag harbor simplicity — *If you are not looking for office space, you can always do what we did here…*
*and turn your closet into a bar instead.*
*Photo: Gieves Anderson*

So, the only way to start is at the beginning.

1) Identify your goals. Being at home all the time, everyone – and everyone’s mothers – and probably even their pets – have noticed more and more about what works and what doesn’t work in their homes. Also, the way we use our spaces has changed significantly. We have had to adjust, be that someone working at the kitchen table, or, like me, finding refuge in a personal space that was not originally meant for work. My closet in NYC happens to be the only place in the apartment with a door and a lock where I can viably get away.

So: what is it about your space that is working and isn’t working? It could help to make a list, room by room.

2) Refine your priorities. COVID has changed us all in so many ways (subject of a future post perhaps). But one thing that has come into stark light is that we must pick and choose; prioritize and accept the limitations of what we can and cannot do. Sometimes, it makes sense to embark on a sweeping overhaul of a project or a gut renovation for the ages. Other times, it makes more sense to take a bite size step.

So: decide what are the number 1 and (maybe) 2 on your list, and start with those.

3) Reach out. Ask a professional you know or trust to help you think through a game plan. You do not have to have all the answers. That is why you are contacting them! They can help you develop an action plan for developing your space.

So: please give us a call if you want help strategizing your next move. No charge.

And before you go, be sure to check out the Good Housekeeping article we were featured in, “27 Striking Black and White Bedrooms with Timeless Style”. This bedroom will get you through quarantine just fine, I believe.

In good design,
Brooke