The compulsive rearranging began at summer's end. Back from vacation and focused on home again, I didn't like what I saw: The sofa suddenly seemed old and worn, the window treatments dull, the accessories boring and out of place.
So I began moving things around. And around. And around. This looked better here. No there. That was better on this wall - on second thought, it should be on that wall. This went on for weeks. I was never satisfied with the results. All I succeeded in doing was disorienting my family and disl-iking practically everything we owned.Our main problem was that we owned a hodgepodge of furnishings. When my husband and I were married four years ago, we brought together woods that didn't match, furniture styles that clashed and different tastes in art, colors, bed coverings, curtains. It was all on the eccch side of eclec-tic.
My impulse was to throw everything out and start over. My husband's impulse was to throw me out and start over.
What I needed was a fresh eye, someone who could come in, make my old stuff look new again (or at least make it compatible) and help me find my personal style. What I didn't need was a decorator charging me hundreds of dollars and making me feel inadequate.
Enter Dotty Volpe and Dolly Sturman of The Redecorators and Carol Robertshaw of The Rearranged Room by Homescapes.
Volpe and Sturman, whose business is based in Boston, were recruited to transform my living room, a large L-shaped space that was basically beige and boring.
Robertshaw, who works from her Wakefield, Mass., home, signed on to enliven my stark bedroom and underutilized sitting area.
The women operate with a similar philosophy: Go into a house, use everything the homeowner has, make the home look like a different place and do it for less than a decorator. The redecorating concept began in New York in the 1980s with firms such as "Use-What-You-Have-Interiors" and has caught on across the country.
"People merge their things, and they want to keep all of this stuff and make it work together," says Volpe, 47, whose background is in construction, real estate, government and public affairs. Volpe and Sturman, a former clothing designer and furniture showroom decorator who started the Redecorators four years ago, have distinct roles. Volpe concentrates on the room design, and Sturman focuses on accessorizing.
"Our motto is, `Miracles Performed Daily,"' laughs Volpe. "We come in, we transform a room. It's instant gratification for us and the homeowner."
The homeowner has to agree to allow the women to dig in closets, forage through basements and attics, use pieces from other rooms in the house to get the job done and leave for a few hours to let the creative minds do the planning, moving and renewing.
The women will also consult with the homeowner first, getting a sense from them about what they want from their space, how they use rooms, and how willing they are to give the women carte blanche over the house.
"It's easier for me to work by myself. I like the owners to come home to a surprise," says Robertshaw, 44, who founded her business five years ago with a degree in photography and graphic design and a certificate in interior design. She works alone, save for an assistant who moves furniture for her. Her husband, Peter, a dog groomer, occasionally assists with the heavy pieces, as was the case in my house.
"All rooms are a challenge. All rooms have multiple ways they need to be used," says Carol Robertshaw. "I like to finish and have people come home and say, `I had no idea this room could look this way."'
Prices are discussed and redecorating dates are set. Then, on "moving day," the whirlwind begins. The average-sized room takes anywhere from four to eight hours or more to transform. The women will return if necessary, but they typically finish the job in a day.
I learned that I am typical of those in need of redecoration: I am constantly dissatisfied with the way my home looks, I have nice things but no clear sense of how to put them together, and I am afraid of decorating with color.
For the purposes of this story, the women allowed me to watch them at work. I also listened as they plotted and planned, lugged and tugged and, in the case of The Redecorators (whom I dubbed the Dolly & Dotty Show), bickered, cussed and burst into laughter.
The pair huddled in one corner of the room discussing possible scenarios for the room, a plan was agreed upon and suddenly chairs, tables and framed pictures were in motion.
They took art from the dining room, a love seat from the family room, a table from my deck; the only items that stayed in place were an entertainment center and a birch branch wreath above it.
Clad in dresses and high heels, The Redecorators shed their shoes and put their hair up to move heavy items. They were a bustling blur, carefully but quickly getting everything into place as I watched and squealed "Why didn't I think of that?!"
The final result was nothing short of stunning. I walked around saying, "And this is all our stuff!" Well, not all - The Redecorators arrive at every job with their car trunks full of lamps, mirrors, silk flower arrangements, candlesticks ad baskets to use as filler where needed. (I ended up buying the window scarf they used as a prop to perk up my sliding glass doors.)
They brought in a large antique mirror to put above my fireplace, three silk flower arrangments, two lamps and some linens to cover the table that was once part of my outdoor patio set. (It sits regally next to my sofa and no one is the wiser.)
The women took their accessories with them at the end of the day, but the items were up long enough for me to see what I needed and where; I later purchased a few things they suggested.
Robertshaw and her husband worked seamlessly. He would pick up a love seat and ask, `Where do you want this?' and all she had to do was point. Once the furniture was in place, Peter Robertshaw left and Carol began to drape and cover, add color and character.
Like Volpe and Sturman, Robert-shaw is a decorator in the more conventional sense. She will shop with clients for furniture, wall coverings, carpets, window treatments, etc.; prices vary for this service.
Because I didn't have a clue where to start with curtains and bed coverings, I allowed Robert-shaw to purchase several items for me.
The bedroom became breathtaking; the colors gorgeous. She managed to achieve the romantic, comfy-cozy effect I was looking for.