One Room Challenge Week 5: Change in Plans!

Why did I volunteer myself to participate in the One Room Challenge when I have a full-time job plus a number of on-going interior design projects (in addition to my DWL participation), my family of six to manage, along with working towards growing my independent Rodan + Fields skincare consultant side business? I guess I am just a perennial optimist who needs to have multiple creative projects going on at once to motivate me to complete at least ONE of them!

Well as is my typical ORC style (fall 2015, spring 2016), I am changing up my plans on week 5! Even though I love my design plan for my laundry room revamp, I have had another project on my mind for quite some time. So my laundry room will have to stay unorganized for a bit longer. We will survive! I even bought everyone extra socks just to make sure (least favorite task is looking for clean socks each morning!!!)

Curious what my designer-switcheroo plans involve? About a year ago, I was contemplating renting a salon suite to host product training events for my Rodan + Fields skincare business. While I would love to host these types of events in my own home, we just are not set up for entertaining anymore. I joke that I live in a frat house, but honestly it’s not very girly over here anymore with a bunch of teenage boys in the house (and their friends!) Not their fault, of course, but a room of my own in a controlled environment just sounds so perfect to me! And I could brand it and decorate it as I wish. It would be similar to investing in a show house space, which has always been one of my favorite projects! So that is what I am about to do – create my own show-and-tell studio space. And the beauty is that the location for this room of my own is just 5 minutes from home and 5 minutes down the street from my day job.

It is at Salons by JC in Stoneham, MA. They rent single or double sized rooms to independent beauty care professionals who then manage their own clients by appointment only. The lobby and utilities are handled by the property managers. And they also host monthly gatherings for the tenants, which of course I am looking forward to as well! It is a great business model and I feel it is very much aligned with the business model of representing the Rodan + Fields brand. Working independently, but never alone. 

It may be small, but it will be my very own!

Above is what my studio space looks like now (I just picked up the keys this weekend – eek!) By next Thursday it should have all of the items below in place and then I will be ready for business (if you are local, please schedule a visit!) I have to say, the time feels right to commit to a room of my own in a collaborative environment that enables small business owners to succeed without the typical overhead of owning and managing a full time business location. While having a stand-alone location to meet with my skincare clients is not required to do well with Rodan + Fields, I just feel that for me it is a worthwhile investment in my business, and that it will help me to help others who want to learn more about the brand without having to meet in a public location or at someone’s home (my boys are already saying thank you!)

It’s funny how as my family has grown (and our expenses), I have had to come up with creative ways to make all the financial pieces of the puzzle fit while still being available to take care of everyone’s needs. When the boys were small, it was all about being at home. Decorating our interior spaces was so important back then! But now that half of them are driving and have jobs, and the other half manage most of their free time on their own, I feel I have more freedom to expand my own creative pursuits to the outside world. Guess we are all growing up over here, and you know what? It feels kinda good! Although I did have a FULL day of crying when my oldest left home to move into his first apartment recently, but that is a story for another day!

Please come back next week for my Salon Suite Makeover reveal! I do love a design challenge, and as long as I can get my husband to provide some install assistance, I think I will just make the deadline!

Have you been following or participating in the One Room Challenge this fall? Would love to hear how it is going for you. Visit me on Instagram and leave a comment so that I can check out your progress!

Thanks again to Linda of Calling it Home for the motivation to start something new. Just being encouraged to set goals is sometimes all that’s needed to move forward! And even if the design path veers in a different direction along the way, as it often does, the effort to change our environments and our lives is what matters, right?

See what changes everyone else has been working on at the following links:

Week 5 Sponsored Designers

Week 5 Guest Participants

MEDIA SPONSOR:

Detoxing

A typical four-day juice cleanse from Nourish Your Soul

Have you ever given a juice cleanse a try? I survived a four-day juice-only cleanse this past summer. There were definitely some moments when I caught myself fantasizing about food, but overall I felt the health benefits far outweighed the sacrifices of not being able to start the day with a cup of coffee, sit down to a meal, drink that glass of wine, or snack freely. I did miss the socializing aspect of eating, but the juices that I had to drink each day on the Nourish Your Soul program were surprisingly filling, so I never really felt hungry. I’m sure that if I had been more physically active during the four days instead of basically sitting at a computer for hours on end, I might have experienced more hunger pains, but by stretching out my five daily liquid meals to about an hour each, I was able to pass the time without feeling too deprived.

My favorite juice, Detox Lemonade, includes lemons, filtered water, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. It tastes great and has a real kick! Benefits: battles the flu and colds, aids digestion, increases circulation, fights inflammation, and revs metabolism.

Images via Polyvore.

What I consumed during the four day cleanse included lots of kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, lemon, apple, cucumber, almond milk, dates, pear, pineapple, mint, plus a bit of cayenne pepper, sea salt, and maple syrup. It can take up to six pounds of fruits and vegetables, cold pressed in a hydraulic press, to make one drink –  packing each 16 oz. juice with loads of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Probably my favorite part of the entire cleanse was knowing that I didn’t have to feel bad about what I put into my body. It was 100% guilt-free consumption which in and of itself felt pretty good.

photo courtesy Linda Hentschel

I definitely noticed that my energy level increased while on the cleanse (which is one of the benefits from not having to digest three typical meals a day), and I felt and looked less “puffy.” A number of pounds were lost, but more importantly, I believe I acquired a new taste for fresh greens (without any dressing) and cleansing fruits (lemons in particular). While I have not been able to duplicate the drinks on the cleanse with my blender (really need a press for this) I have been able to come up with a close match to the Detox Lemonade by combining cold water with a fresh squeezed lemon, a couple drops of maple syrup and some Red Hot sauce to taste. When I drink it from a wine glass it feels almost like a mixed drink, making it my new end-of-day ritual. Even my kids like it.

Interior designer Linda Hentschel with shop owner Susan Cabana

The suspended chalkboard hides a set of refrigerators in the main kitchen area.

Cork floor from Eco Modern Design; custom made glass counter top

My friend Linda Hentschel designed the brick and mortar location of Nourish Your Soul along with founder Susan Cabana who is a nutritionist, educator and devoted yogi (read her story here). While working on the space, Linda fell in love with the Pineapple, Pear, Mint juice along with the selection of fresh made smoothies. One that I really liked was a cherry chocolate almond butter version. I have been making almond butter smoothies at home based on a recipe I found on Pinterest: fresh spinach, almond milk, almond butter, plus a whole banana. I learned from Susan that if I peel the banana ahead of time and freeze it, I can make a chilled smoothie without having to add ice. For now, my homemade smoothies will have to do since Nourish Your Soul (located in West Medford) is a bit outside of my daily travels. But whenever I am in the neighborhood I will certainly make a point to stop in for something fresh.  

The Nourish Your Soul Green Glow Smoothie:

spinach, coconut water, dates, pear, apple, lemon, banana

Susan also teaches yoga classes.

Click here for more info.