Energize Your Life: Clean, Calculate and Create
Part one of a month-long blog series that looks at energizing your life through your home.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I see the home as central to life and living. The state of your home has a direct impact on how you feel and consequently how you behave. When I’m looking for an energy boost, a trip to Starbucks for a cup of caffeine will not cut it in the long run. I need to refresh and revitalize my home as part of refreshing and revitalizing my life.
Clean
The first step in this process? I like to start with clean slate. I remove literally every item from my shelves. Once I’ve cleared everything, I clean—every nook, every cranny. This is not only good for bookshelves, but also helpful with kitchen cabinets that often go neglected.
Calculate
With everything down and clean I get a completely fresh perspective on the space. This helps me to best utilize what I have. I can also see if there is anything I might need to purchase or repurpose from another room in the house. I also try to evaluate what has been working in the room and what is not.
Start re-placing with your favorite items. At some point you are left with what doesn’t work. That is the donation pile! Or find new life for it in another room where it might work better.
Create
Now that I’ve cleaned and calculated how to use the space, I start to create and compose. I try to bring a balance to the room through color and décor. Here are some examples from the vignettes we created in the store.
![]() |
Using art as a backdrop in shelving is a nice way to start a composition. |
![]() |
Notice the accessories are all different heights and textures—fossil, stone, metal and mercury class. |
![]() |
Using risers helps layer accessories. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun either! |
If you feel you need to call in some help, for a couple hours and not much money a designer will be able to look at your barren shelves and surfaces and help you make something appealing and friendly for your lifestyle. Contact us at info@studiochameleon.com or 949-650-7979 if you’d like a free consultation!