Meet Mary Poppins!

"Space, the Final Frontier!" Was that Dr. Spock of Star Trek fame that said that? Or were they referring to the housing market's trend towards "downsizing?" Regardless, with property taxes going up; energy costs skyrocketing; and 'the new conservatism' suggesting something other than massive square footage, people are becoming sensitive about doing more with less. Suddenly, for the first time in thirty-two years in business, people are asking for help in getting their homes organized. 

Enter Karyn Dismore of Design Concepts of Frisco, Texas. I call her "Mary Poppins" because with a tap of the umbrella, and a snap of her fingers, things just seem to find their place in your home. Her credo is "everything has it's place, and a place for everything!" A native of Zimbabwe, she even has that wonderful Mary Poppins accent! Clients love her for a lot of reasons, but her Mary Poppins bag of tricks continues to spew forth wonderful solutions for all of a home's dysfunction. Have I said that she is absolutely delightful while solving your problems?

Karyn and her husband Grant have become dear friends of ours. In fact, Molly and I are even the "grandparents" that their folks cannot be because they live so far away. No way can we possibly take the place of their real grandparents, but maybe we can be helpful when the girls have activities that require that certain elderly hug.  We love their girls! 


Several years ago when a client complained about how disorganized her house was (with four kids - ahhhhhh, no wonder!), I suggested that they talk with Karyn. Five years later she's still there, now working with the kids to try to keep things in their place! I'm telling you, she's good - really good.....

With the imminent arrival of several client's plans that are scheduled to come off the drawing board, we are at a perfect place to design in all the "tricks" that will ultimately produce wonderful storage. In a downsized home every square inch becomes important for maximizing storage and organization! Watching Karyn in a meeting last week reminded me of how important planning ahead really is. Undoubtedly several trips to two of her favorite haunts, The Container Store, and Ikea are in her immediate future!

When George Banks asked Mary Poppins how long she would be staying she replied "I shall stay until the wind changes." Well, that's substantially different than Karyn - she stays until the job is done!