After talking with her, I went home and cleaned out my kitchen drawer, a corner cabinet and my hall closet, and it felt great. That’s the effect Patty Carmody has on people when she talks about de-cluttering rooms, purging unused items and simplifying your home. Ever since she was a little girl, Patty has been an “organizer”. Her bedroom and dorm room were always tidy, she doesn’t keep unused things, and she knows where everything is in her home. If you crossed a professional organizer with a home stager and a use-what-you-have decorator, you’d define Patty’s talent.
After starting a family and moving to Darien, Patty created a successful interior design business. Fourteen years later, she sensed a need in the marketplace for something that comes as second nature to her and she is offering this service to clients old and new. Patty is a master at de-cluttering in a flash. She can come to a home and start at the door. Patty moves quickly and the mudroom, kitchen, and family room are transformed by simply de-cluttering and rearranging as she goes. In as little as 5 hours, the first floor has been revamped. She says, “It’s instant gratification for me and for the client. I have a crazy passion for simplifying and helping people edit items that they don’t need.” She’s that friend who can help you move forward in your life through your home. So many people want to get started but feel overwhelmed and are unsure how to begin. Patty is there to make the process easier. “I won’t leave until the job is done, I have to finish.” She has a drive to remove unwanted and never used items from a home that feels out of balance because of all the unorganized, unnecessary stuff.
Even client’s kids love the results. Patty helped one mom clean out her garage and mudroom. The daughter came home from school and said, “Wow, I love this new room.” The room wasn’t new, but it felt like it was. Patty doesn’t believe in buying things for organization. She says most of us have unused baskets and bins that can be used in a different way to make better use of the space we have. Patty is an expert at walking clients through the process. Many feel the need to hang on to the multitude of things that create massive clutter. She says, “We all have useless stuff taking up space. Cleaning out and de-cluttering is better than therapy.” Patty’s motto is “Imagine you’re moving. Sort! Sell! Donate!”
“In the current economy and push for being green, we can all take one less trip to Home Goods for things we really don’t need.” Patty and many of her clients are past the madness of the gathering stage most experience in their 30s. She feels that many homeowners want to streamline and simplify. “How many flower vases do you really need?” Patty also works with emotional situations in a sensitive manner. Some of her clients have lost spouses or are newly divorced and need to use what they have in a different space. This is where her design background comes into play. She believes in re-purposing the furniture and accessories that a client already owns.
“It can be so liberating,” she says. Many unused items are donated to local charities, dropped off at the local swap shop, or taken to consignment shops. Patty is booked working with one or two clients a day, and charges hourly for her time. She works with all kinds of situations from the busy mom with young children to the older couple who is downsizing. Many say once she flips the switch, they love de-cluttering and can’t stop. Her passion is evident, “I could do this 24/7. It gives me so much satisfaction to see a happy client and a happy home.”
Contact: [email protected], 203-536-4598
VentureMom Tip
Find something within your current venture to spin off and repackage into a new venture that fills a need.
