Welcome To Dawn Falcone Lifestyles
The leader in transforming your home into a personal paradise.

Are you tired of searching for your misplaced belongings? Feeling overwhelmed by your clutter?

• Clearing clutter will give you room to breathe, not only in your home but in your mind as well.

Does the look of your space feel unfinished or incomplete? Are you ready to redecorate but don’t know where to start?

• Your home can be become a true reflection of you, your spirit and all you’re trying to achieve.

Personal Organization and Interior Design Go Hand In Hand

Dawn Falcone’s knows that a clutter-free and beautiful environment have a huge impact on many different areas of your life and well-being. She has pledged to work with each of her clients to get organized once and for all, clearing clutter while teaching the skills required to maintain this newfound clarity on their own.

Focusing on a home’s aesthetics, and digging deep to find the true spirit and personality you want your home to convey, Dawn can repurpose or reuse much of what you already own, or will start anew based on your preference. Either way, you can be certain the result will be a space that’s not only clear of clutter, but a true reflection of the very best you.

How do you know if you are in need of Dawn Falcone Lifestyles? Can you relate to any of these home makeover situations?

• You’re busy New Yorker whose laundry list of responsibilities has forced the upkeep of your home to take a back seat. You’re tired of walking into clutter after a long workday, but don’t know where to start. You need a professional organizer to work with you through the process.

• Your career is on the rise and you finally have time and finances to think about a home makeover. You have a good idea of what you’d like to accomplish but need an expert’s eye and design advice to make it a reality.

• You are rocking! You just purchased a new space or are renovating your current one. You’re ready to immediately get after it. You want organizational systems put into place that are easy to maintain. You also need expert design help to assist in choosing paint colors, art, accessories, furniture and anything else that will make your new place special.

Now’s the time to get your home & life on track

There’s no time like the present. Contact Dawn and see how she can best help you to achieve the look, feel and function you want in your home and need in your life. Set up an “Organize Your Home, Decorate Your Life” assessment in order to get to the heart of what’s really important to you. Or, check out her blog for regular interior design and professional organization tips and inspiration. At the end of the day, you never know what will motivate you to make the changes you’ve been longing for.

You deserve the best, not only in the future but right now!

Ahhh..hello 2012. I don’t know about you but I’m feeling the pressure already. FRESH START..NEW YOU..NEW BEGINNINGS…Blah, blah, blah.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer. I do look forward to the new year and I’ve set some pretty lofty goals for 2012 both personally & professionally, but I just cannot jump into it at full speed. Not on the very 1st day of January. I’m still suffering from my holiday hangover. And who wouldn’t be?

The last 2 weeks of December were all about holiday parties, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, bows and ribbons, looking for tape, standing in line at the post office, trimming the tree & decorating, holiday cards, more standing in line at the post office, crafting with my toddler, eating, visiting friends, making gifts with my hubby, packing, driving, family, more eating, Feast of 7 Fishes cooking, even more eating, Santa’s arrival in VA, crafting & shopping, driving again, Santa’s arrival in NYC, yet more eating, taking down the very dead tree, putting away the decorations, buying batteries and figuring out how all these toys work.

Phew! I’m exhausted. And that list does not include regular, mundane duties like laundry, cleaning and going to work. I decided I’m not going to do any Polar Bear Plunge into 2012. I’m going to test the waters out a bit and ease my way into the new year.

It’s all about baby steps. Something I struggle with myself. I go at things full throttle. Yeah, I can be an all or nothing kind of gal, but I do not want to lose steam in 2012. I have too many important goals that I want to accomplish so I’m taking it slow. I’m purging a little bit from our cabinets and closets every week. I’m working on one craft project at a time until it’s completed. We’re holding off on decorating projects until at least February to get over the post-holiday blues.

A little breathing room can be great for your soul and your mind. No racing into the new year here. Slow and steady she goes.

We shared our lil’ Monkey Boy’s creations. Now it’s time to see what my hubby & I were up to the week or so of Christmas.

Hubby channeling his inner Picasso on a custom train table

Live in action

Now it’s my turn. My projects involved fabric, a sewing machine & glue gun.

Love the colorful fabric on this cooking apron

Perfect shirt for a train obsessed boy

Channeling my inner fairy girl

The holidays are in full swing which means my house is a glittery, gluey mess right now. I could use some magical elves to join the cleaning crew. Tom & I make gifts for family & friends every year & decided it was time to get our 3 year old in on the act. We’re trying to instill in him the concept that giving is just as good as receiving. What better way to teach that than letting him make gifts for family members?

Holiday Trivets

We’ve been at it for about a week now & I’m happy to report that we finished our last pressie yesterday. I think my lil’ monkey boy is very proud of his creations & he’ll be excited watching the receivers open them. I wish I could say that the crafting is now complete but alas it’s only begun for me & the hubby. We’ll be hard at work constructing our own surprises for lil’ monkey boy over the next few days. Wish us luck..and extra energy.

The Proud Crafter

So Operation Let It Go has begun in my home. Hubby & I went through our closets and drawers and donated a good amount of clothing. Now it’s time for me to move onto the kitchen. I have some things in there that I barely use but can’t seem to let go of. The fondue pot that delighted us one time and the hot chocolate maker that my sister gave me. I’m a hot chocolate connoisseur & have used this but find it’s so much easier to make it in a pan on the stove top. And then there’s the other not so small appliance that’s taking up an entire cabinet that I just had to have when we were getting married – The Kitchenaid mixer complete with lots of fancy attachments.

My space hog

Isn’t she a beauty? I had visions of making dozens of Christmas cookies in her or whipping up a lovely meringue – ala Martha Stewart. If I remember correctly, it was pretty much hell to figure this thing out so I’m not even sure if I’ve ever used it.

*Cut to a loud shriek and embarrassed face.*

So, here she sits taking up precious NYC real estate, and I’m still struggling to say goodbye. Why? I guess because this fab, sleek tool represents so much more than Christmas cookies. It represents the kind of dream kitchen/life that I think (maybe) I want to have. You know – a big open, airy sun-filled kitchen where I’m in it baking weekly. True confession - I do not even like to bake.

OK now I’m really shrieking, at least on the inside. I’m constantly telling my clients to live in the now & let go of stuff that does not represent that & here I am with this “in the future” monster. Can I do it – let it go? If I do say goodbye to Ms. Kitchenaid does the dream die with it? Is that what I’m fearful of? I have to ponder this one for a bit. Stay tuned.

I spent a huge portion of my summer and fall helping fellow NYers get organized. I really enjoyed watching their progress. In the process of clearing others clutter something happened in my own home and it wasn’t pretty. Things just multiplied – paper, toys, catalogs, etc. UGH! Where does it all come from!

We all have at least one trouble area. My Tupperware cabinet has always been a thorn in my side, but now there lots of clutter spots. I always tell my clients that maintenance is key & my lack of it over the last 6 months has proven my point. I’m experiencing some of the same feelings that my clients do;

- Yes………. I’m feeling overwhelmed.
- Si…………. I’m a bit embarrassed to have people over.
- Yup………. I’m wasting precious time looking for things.
- Oh Yea!….I just want to move and start fresh.

BTW.. if I win the lottery tonight the last option is still a possibility, but, just in case Operation Let It Go has been launched. My hubby and I will be spending our free evenings clearing out the clutter. How romantic. We could throw in some wine but I cannot drink and declutter – not well anyway. I’d get too sentimental and want to hang on to my toddler’s snot rags or something like that.

I promise to share our pictures – the good, bad and ugly. I’ll also pass along any tips that helped make the process easier for us. Just so you know, my hubby and I do not usually declutter/organize together so this should be interesting.

Everyone has a favorite color or color family. A hue that you gravitate towards whether in your home or clothing. My color is red. I feel so comfortable surrounded by it. Many people think it’s an aggressive color but it has a calming effect on me. I feel great when I wear that color and like to decorate with pops of it. Did you ever wonder why you’re drawn to particular colors? I’ve been pondering this lately and think I found my connection.

When I was young, both my mom and aunt were very into 1970′s Spanish style decor. Let me draw you a picture. In our living room we had a red velvet sofa and loveseat. Handmade red velvet balloon curtains hung on our bay window. The carpet – red shag of course. Ceramic matadors and flamenco dancers were placed on our dark wooden fireplace mantle. And then there was my favorite feature of them all – a white stucco accent wall that had flecks of gold glitter in it. A sparkly wall – a seven year old girl’s dream.

My aunt’s living room was similar except she had a gold velvet sofa and her focal point was hanging on the a stucco wall. A giant ceramic flamenco dancer draped in black and red lace holding her glorious fan. How I loved that piece.

I have fond memories of that time period. My family seemed to get along and have fun together. Life was less complicated and generally happy then. So I think that’s my connection to the color red. It’s where my fondness for it began.

Many moons ago I was working on the design of my old blog (My Life With Garlic) & I knew I wanted a particular red incorporated in the look. No matter how many examples or pictures I gave the designer she just could come up with the right hue. I finally asked her if she had a problem with red. It was her mom’s favorite color. My designer did not get along with her mom and that color reminded her of that. See the connection can work both ways!

*balloon curtain image from http://www.fabric-blinds.com/balloon-shades/
**bead image http://www.decoratingstudio.com/Beaded_Fringe/pc46.html

Hi there! I’m happy to be back in the world of blogging. It’s been quite a while. Years actually. There once was a time when I was an avid blogger. I was a bit of an addict but that was waaayyyyy back in 2005/2006. I had a site called My Life With Garlic & I wrote about food & my extroverted Italian family. I loved being a part of the blogging community and am happy to say that I met 2 of my dearest friends through it. Then things happened. I got married, had a baby and  my design/organizing business grew. My Italian family went from being cute & comical in a kind of crazy way, to just plain certifiable crazy, so I pretty much lost my desire to write about them.

Fast forward a couple of years and I’m ready to jump in again with a new focus. My brain automatically organizes and redecorates every space I enter. This can be quite annoying at places like the post office and public restrooms. But I now use this skill to help people simplify their lives by clearing the clutter and getting organized once and for all. I work with clients to help them find their personal design style so that their homes can become a true reflection of their spirit. I’m happiest when I get to repurpose or reuse some of what they already have in a fun new way.  Like many of my clients, I’m a work in progress. I’m striving to live a simpler life and there’s always some kind of project going on in our home.  I often daydream about moving my family to Costa Rica (hence the picture), but, I’m in NYC so I have to make the best out of where I am right now.

Blue Dream - Costa Rica

Are you thinking, “OMG – another design/decorating/crafting/organizing blog?” As if you do not already spend enough time attached to your computers. I hear you but I’m throwing my hat into the ring. I hope you’ll join me as I share my organizing & decorating tips with some DIY (craftiness & mishaps) and humor thrown into the mix.