Join our #happyhouserules project

Quick update, we’ve been busy working on our “Happy House Rules” book & have created a project to go along with it here, and on Instagram & Facebook.

“We’ve been busy getting ready for our #happyhouserules project. Over the last years we’ve been distilling top “rules” or rather habits & ways to live by to make homes & happier and healthier for a book… And we’re ready to share them! We’ll start releasing our #happyhouserules for you to join in using our hashtag (so we can show you off!) We’d also love you to contribute and share your tips for a happy, healthy house and ask us for tips on things you need or are stuck on! Just tag is @apartmentdiet & use the hash tag …. Ooh can’t wait! xo nat & tip ps see you later today with our first “rule” so we can all kickstart spring/autumn clearing together!”

We’d love you to join in…and we can’t wait for you to share your photos, too!

So: What are your favourite happy house rules / habits you’ve learned? Where do you need the most help? Where are you stuck? Leave us a comment here on instagram.

Stay tuned & join us in creating a happier, healthier home!

 

Can you help my wife / husband / partner?

“Can you help my wife / husband / partner …?”

yes

If Tip & I had a dollar for each time we’ve been asked this (also about roommates, family members, relatives etc)…well let’s say we’d be able to take a very nice vacation from work.

Of course the answer is yes – we’re going to trial & run some partners courses later in the year and already offer coaching on this – but more on that later at the bottom of this post.

Let me digress for a moment:

I once met a happy Swami. He is a friend of my father in law’s, who knew him well before his incarnation as Swami. Over dinner he was talking about mantras and the like. After dinner I said “Oh, can you give [my Mr.] a mantra?”. He looked me in the eye and asked me “Do you have one?”. “No,” I answered truthfully, and tried to bring back the conversation to him giving my Mr. one. “Perhaps you would like one?” he said simply.

This story really did happen to me and here’s the thing. Often we want the people around us to change. Maybe they’re messy, maybe they’re too neat. Maybe they give everything away or have a closet filled to the brim with stuff that doesn’t or hasn’t seen the light of day but they can neither bare to part with it and complain daily that they have nothing to wear. Maybe all the house work has fallen on you. Maybe they have these really annoying habits (they probably do…but guess what, it’s likely so do you). Maybe they talk about things you don’t like or have opinions you don’t like…

I’m no Swami so I get caught up in this thinking often (especially around my little one’s naptime) but it comes back to the simplest of things:

We can’t change people. We can only change ourselves.

(Hey you rolling your eyes, I know I know, I’m rolling mine with you…)

andy goldsworthy

It is true though. But, and this is a big but. There is also something extra that I (& Tip) think is often left out of this sentence – that we can also change the environment around us.

That is, we can create conditions in our environments that make the changes we are seeking more likely. It doesn’t have to be a major change either. Sometimes we just need to move a little.

This is one of the secrets we’ve uncovered through apartment diet. It’s not magic exactly but sometimes it feels like it.

The secret: It’s easier to make the changes we are seeking in our physical spaces than in our heads.

It works like this:
it’s really hard to change your own mind about something. And even harder to change someone else’s. But we can almost certainly move a couch we share for a week (or an hour).

More than just acting positive, what if the physical space you shared was more positive? What if your side of the closet and lots of other areas of the house that are within your control (which can also read as your partner doesn’t care either way) change to exemplify the feelings you would like to convey?

“And when things start to happen, don’t worry, don’t stew.
Just go right along, you’ll start happening too!”

– Dr Seuss, Oh the places You’ll Go

I’d like to add, somewhat ‘miraculously’ – they’ll start happening too.
We’ve had partners suddenly help. We’ve seen partners ‘spontaneously’ build treehouses and cubby’s. Renovate their offices. Mount furniture on walls. Paint walls. Throw out stuff…Kids too.

This type of change…it’s contagious.

So what changes do you want to make to your homes and lives?

PS Yes of course we can help! It just may be that unless they want to do it, or do it with you, we start by helping & working with you. Contact us & let’s start.

 

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Cat’s Course Transformation

Sometimes we forget the work we do in the hurry of our day-to-day lives.

As part of our personal commitments to gratitude, celebrating our successes and being present in our own lives, we are revisiting some of our early course participants to share their transformations…and how it’s still transforming their lives.

Our first stop, Cat from Studio Hunting Bears.

Cat before

 

“From being a part time freelance designer and mother at home I was dropped into full time work with my hubs… less time at home meant I wasn’t able to clean and keep tidy as often and when I did it took forever. I was sick of dusting under and over excess stuff so really needed to declutter my house to declutter my brain!

After a knock on my proverbial, pink front door from the wonderful Tip & Nat, as well as being joined on the course by some amazingly lovely ladies I knew from IG, I embarked on my Apartment Diet journey. It was very refreshing to see peoples’ ‘real’ home photos, the problem corners, the messy sideboards with papers everywhere, the piles of laundry. Believe me it’s very easy to avoid posting these bits of your ‘real home’ on Instagram… especially when there are so many perfectly curated feeds. I’m guilty! So shoot me ha. The other thing I loved was being able to share my thoughts, ideas & suggestions with the other course participants to help with their issues and trouble spots. We all helped and learnt from one another and also learnt that we all strive for different things in our homes and that is what it’s all about. What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily what the next person wants.

My journey has only just begun and I plan to continue until my home is what we want it to be. Thanks ladies for all your help… You’ll never know quite how you came to the rescue at just the perfect time! X”

cat after

 

Thanks Cat for your generous words. So proud to have been a part of your room (and ongoing house) transformation!

You can read Cat’s full story & see more pictures here over on her awesome blog.

 PS Need a kickstart too? Our next course starts March 17th. More here

3D Geometric Textiles – Mika Barr

Trawling for inspiration online I often go crazy for great styled images like below, but I miss touching the product, seeing how they really look and feel in real life…

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Mika Barr’s textile studio and also got to meet & chat to Mika, the designer behind these great 3D geometric textiles!

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And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I think it made me love them even more!

Thanks for the opportunity Mika. Hope you enjoy all her work as much as I do!

PS And yes of course I had to buy a pillow.

Design Crush: Gunila Axen

While playing in baby design land I discovered Swedish textile designer, Gunila Axén.

If you’re in any way looking at baby design / products online you’ve likely caught her cloud design series.

I love when someone creates products that are fun for kids & big kids, their parents.

Cue the crush.

(careful, it’s catchy!)

Well, I’m smitten too. Now also by her icebergs.

Gunila Axen iceberg

PS Yes yes, her bedding is wishlisted. Feel free to send them my way ;)

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Baby Stuff Explosion

I’ve been thinking about this ever since I entered the last trimester…

I’ve been doing apartment diet long enough that I can (mostly) reduce my need for too much unnecessary stuff. But then you fall pregnant and your head shifts to providing for someone else and you get these lists of things you ‘need’ and suddenly – ARGH!

I’ve been pretty restrained so far but even so at birth this 3+kg bebe will already have:

  • a dresser / change table
  • half a closet (still empty but housing a lot of the stuff below)
  • a bouncer
  • a pram
  • a crib
  • a night light
  • a mini crib/bassinet
  • a baby bath and towels
  • swaddles & blankets
  • a mobile
  • toys
  • books
  • cute clothing

Admittedly, I’ve convinced myself that I’m being restrained because I haven’t actually bought all of these things, I’ve accepted them on loan and as gifts from friends and family, but even so!

But still, he’s going to be teeny, and he already owns all this stuff.

So, how did you all cope with the baby stuff explosion? And what strategies do you have for keeping it at bay?

 

* A little update as Nat wrote this a while ago – she is now the mother of a very cute little fellow – congratulations darling Nat! Tipxo