As moms, we all have something in common — it feels like we constantly do everything for everyone. You know the feeling: You're running around taking care of drop-off, work, pickup, afterschool, sports, dinner, homework, bathtime, and bedtime. Did I forget anything?
Every day we are pulled in a thousand directions to the point where the simple thought of sitting and just enjoying a clean and classy space at the end of the day … well, it seems like a dream, doesn't it?
But it doesn't have to be, thanks to interior design expert and mom motivator Francesco Bilotto. He said, "You must carve out time to curate the clutter in order to create the calm!"
How do you do that? He teamed up with reporter and mom of two Joelle Garguilo to share some quick and easy tips with a busy mom in mind.
OK, we're all ears (and eyes, in this case).
"So you’ve heard of a trainer at the gym, right?" Joelle tells CafeMom. "Well, Francesco does that type of coaching but for your home.
"Francesco always tells me that your home should comfort and celebrate you — and not be the cause of more chaos in your day," she adds. "He believes that as mothers especially, our spaces can still be functional but also make us feel happy when we look at them."
Francesco helped Joelle create a calming and luxe-looking space that's still functional and fun for her family. Check out what they put together.
Joelle explains that her challenge was, in fact, quite personal. Like many moms, Joelle says her husband likes to hold on to everything, and her two girls "can destroy a space in record time." (Anyone else relate?)
She and Francesco set goals for her home design process right at the start to blend in design moments throughout the home that is both functional — but also free of mess and fabulous!
These are Francesco's steps for redesigning a home with kids:
- Curate the clutter.
- Clear up surfaces.
- Create a DIY.
- Configure your couch differently.
- Celebrate the calm.
Let's Start With the Entryway.
“It’s important to create a moment of bliss when you walk in from a hectic day. A place to rest your eyes and simply breathe a bit longer and smile a bit larger,” Francesco says.
How do we do that?
"Francesco recommends adding a round mirror and a console table, if you have the space to do so," Joelle tells us. "Alternatively a floating shelf and mirror work in smaller entrance ways. You’ll also need something to conceal everyday items such as keys, leashes and mail. He suggested a set of faux leather decorative boxes for my needs."
And finally, he said to always have fresh floral or a blooming plant, like this orchid to welcome you home, she shares. This one is prepotted (from 1800Flowers.com) so the styling is done for you!
"This entryway is the first thing I see when I open my door and it’s wild how it shifts my mood," Joelle says. "It’s a crazy transformation that took almost no time! All my clutter (keys, change, knickknacks, etc.) are hidden aka have a home and I LOVE it!"
GET THE LOOK
- Console table, $155; walmart.com
- Orchids, $120; 1800flowers.com
- Decorative boxes, $93; amazon.com
- Peel and stick wallpaper, $32; amazon.com
Next Up, It's the Living Room.
"If I’m being real, I didn’t think there was any help for this space," Joelle says."To which, Francesco graciously said, 'Challenge accepted!'"
Francesco advises putting your home or room on a DIET and shed the FAT (which in this case stands for "Furniture and Trash").
"It's better to have nothing in a space rather than the wrong thing," Francesco says. "And when doing this, please keep in mind when you have fewer surfaces, you also have less of a mess. So bye-bye massive end table (from the last apartment that doesn't fit this new space), and hello floor lamp!
NEXT: Remove and RE-MOVE.
You read that correctly — Francesco says to 'remove and re-move' back into your home. During their consultation, he suggested that Joelle remove any items that weren't mounted to the wall. "Then we 'shopped' the pile and added back in pieces we were going to keep in the space and reimagined the footprint in an empty room," Joelle says.
Sure enough, simply flipping her sofa to another side of the room created a completely different feeling, more space, she explains, and "now my kids and husband can see the television during dinner time. (I know that's a bad habit but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.)"
GET THE LOOK
- Coffee table, $280; amazon.com
- Round rug, $40; amazon.com
- TV stand, $286; walmart.com
- Mirrors, $112; walmart.com
- Battery-operated picture lights, $26; walmart.com
"Where There’s a Wall, There’s a Way.”
Last but not least, "Francesco always says 'where there’s a wall, there’s a way'… meaning anything is possible," says Joelle. "We took this one wall and transformed it into the most beautiful dining nook. I feel like a broken record, but IT WAS SO EASY."
Francesco’s steps:
- Define the "wall" with paint or removable wallpaper.
- Add the DIY art.
- Lamps on both sides.(Symmetry makes the space look so put together).
GET THE LOOK:
- Wallpaper, $43; tempaper.com
- Lamps, $80; walmart.com :
- Similar art, $60; amazon.com
"I knew Francesco would deliver because he always does. (I’m telling you — the ultimate mom motivator)," Joelle tells us."But I didn’t expect the psychological impact this would have one me. When I come home, I’m instantly elevated just by looking at this space. I didn’t think ‘calm’ would ever be a word I’d use to describe my apartment, but that’s what it is now: calm, chic and clutter free!"
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