They chose Zebra-Harmony : their testimonials
Miranda : the reconquest
« It’s amazing how adequate the solutions proposed by Claire are. »
Virginia : the transition.
« Claire’s eyes, loving woman, allowed me to take a step back on the situation and myself. »
Anne : the appeasement
« I am happy to have cleaned up my thoughts and my closets. I have received effective coaching and I think about it every day because I see the results. »
Amélie : the victory
« Now that I have a plan, everything is clear in my head, I know where I am going.»
Miranda : the reconquest
« It’s amazing how adequate the solutions proposed by Claire are. »
Her story: After years of working in public administration, Miranda decided to change careers. She has completed her studies as a therapist and wants to practice at home, in the family home that she bought from her ex-husband. Her three adult children, however, continue to consider this space as theirs: they come back, go out, settle, leave according to their needs. They drop and store everything they want at home and anywhere. Miranda is struggling to create a professional care space that needs to become patient-friendly.
Our solution: It is from the entrance that Miranda imposes her rules. We organize a reception area with a piece of furniture that allows clients to leave bags and shoes, and with a large and elegant coat rack. This arrangement sets the limits of what is convenient to drop. The space under the stairs near the entrance door, conducive to temporary storage, hosts large green plants. By their presence, they prohibit accumulation. The message is clear: “this is my space”. The workspace, symbolically separated by skylights, is invested with old furniture, new and cheerful carpets. A storage cabinet for files and products, matching that of the entrance, allows the maintenance of a clear, intimate and free space.
Her bumper sticker: I make myself respected.
What she says: The goal was to create my workspace and maintain order in my big house, with my three ado-adults who had taken their ease. The staircase was always a place where they dumped bags, shoes, roller skates, helmets, surf boards, shopping, objects waiting for destination. In the end, it was a site for what was never stored. How to properly accommodate patients in these conditions? Claire suggested placing a plant composition in my entry because she has knowledge of plants. Claire understood the state of mind in which I was, to allow a quiet flow of energy. She helped me set up the furniture for this purpose. She advised me to harmonize the workspace by repainting the furniture to make it a place of calm and relaxation. I like the presence of the white wardrobe that increases the storage space and the light. It’s amazing how adequate the solutions proposed by Claire are. We have created a place of peace, protection, safe. I can now focus on my healing practice. My daughter said: “This place feels good now.” I became aware of the importance of emptiness in space; this change is a change of vision. Claire accompanied me in this change of vision. It is thanks to Claire, but especially with her, that the integration is done. Having integrated the basics, I can continue to implement on a daily basis.
Mary : the separation
« It’s really wonderful to be comfortable at home. »
Her story: Marie is a pharmacist who works both in a pharmacy, and for a pharmaceutical company; she has to assimilate a lot of new information for her two jobs. All the time outside, she does not have time to take care of her interior. She says that since her divorce, she has never managed to settle. She is athletic and often outdoors. She says she has a real problem with administration. Consequence: everything is piling up everywhere. All the flat surfaces are covered with documents, the shopping is not stored, the recycling is in the living room, there are piles of documents waiting to be processed, the Christmas presents that she bought for her family are in her bedroom. Bags full of different things, but which correspond to her comings and goings, are in the way everywhere. Her apartment of about 60 m² is the only one upstairs and her laundry room is two floors down in the garage. The staircase leading to the first floor is part of her apartment. She loves the beautiful view and would like to work and eat in front of it. She would like to be able to entertain her friends at home easily.
Our solution: First organize the entrances and exits. We take advantage of the private staircase and closet at the top of it, to store everything that comes in and out: recycling, gifts, laundry to go, clothing and sports equipment, coats, shoes, travel bags. She now knows where to store and where to take each item entering and leaving, the living space remaining free. Second: to finish with the administrative chaos: four hours are enough to organize all the documents. Marie is now in possession of a method and instructions for sorting and storing past and future documents. Finally, by the judicious arrangement of the three tables in her kitchen-living room, three spaces are delimited to work, eat and entertain easily.
Her bumper sticker: I choose.
What she says: It’s really wonderful to be comfortable at home. Thanks to Claire. I had a taste for order, but I was unable to tidy up or have lasting results. I took a liking to being able to tidy up and live in an organized house. It’s a discovery that tidying up is a way to take care of oneself. My home is an extension of me. And also, I am less anxious about administrative tasks: I finally implemented the method I had the intuition of and, little by little, I put away all the liabilities. New documents have their place. I liked being accompanied, without judgment, in a dynamic way. Claire is efficient, she gives the impetus of departure, she also gives the keys to ensure the continuation. It’s healing to finally be able to take care of one’s own interior: it’s good to live at home now. I am happy to go home. I also find it easier to welcome people in my flat. I feel better at my father’s house; I understand it now. I find myself more adaptable, I see that my self-confidence has increased, I am more comfortable when I visit other people. I believe that my interior stands the comparison with the interiors of others. I am proud of my apartment and myself. I am surprised at the impact of this consultation and support. I am grateful to Claire for what we have done in my life and what it will bring. Now, I also realize organizational needs at work. And I know that I am able to apply in my work what I have learned for my home.
Virginia : the transition
« Claire’s eyes, loving woman, allowed me to take a step back on the situation and myself. »
Her story: Virginia has just lost her husband after a long illness. Her children are adults and live a few hundred kilometers away. The house is much too big, too full. She approaches a new phase of her life, more alone, but also freer. To sell the house and buy a smaller apartment closer to her children, she has to empty this big house, and separate from her husband’s belongings and some of their memories.
Our solution: I accompany her in sorting out furniture, papers, clothes, memories too, full of sweetness and emotion. The items kept for the new house are stored in sturdy boxes, pending the move. Storage of what will be donated or sold is organized in the garage where potential buyers can see everything. Relief is established as she sorts things out, and the process of mourning is as soft as possible.
Her bumper sticker: I am lighter.
What she says: Thanks to Claire for her ideas and our conversations. Her whole way of proceeding was really what I needed. Claire’s eyes, loving woman, allowed me to take a step back on the situation and myself. It gave me some verticality, that is to say, I looked at things from above, straightened up. And I became rooted in myself again. I found myself, before I was diffuse, evaporated, liquefied. Now I have contenance, I have verticality. The tools that Claire gave me helped me, especially to take possession of myself. I no longer offer myself to others, I keep my energy to myself. I am able to look at things straight in the eye, to apprehend the situation with serenity, a serenity that I had lost. I am on my way, I can move forward now.
Anne : the appeasement
« I am happy to have cleaned up my thoughts and my closets. I have received effective coaching and I think about it every day because I see the results. »
Her story: With two shops 500 km apart, three houses, one she lives in and two rented out, Anne did not know where she was. She sold one of the shops and one of the rentals. Her home and her shop are now in the same city. But both bear traces of years of chaos. She is exhausted by all these decisions and changes. She no longer has the courage to tidy up. As she has an exquisite taste (she is an artist), her house is full of beautiful objects that pile up in the corners. She is helpless in front of the mess and ends up stuffing the cupboards when she does not want to see it anymore. Consequence: she finds nothing, she does not enjoy anything.
Our solution: It is a method that Anne needs, and energy. After determining the function of each space, we implement sorting out and storage, category by category, until she regains control of her beautiful home.
Her bumper sticker: I can express my fantasy peacefully.
What she says about it: I am happy to have been helped to sort things out and decide to separate myself from things that I have been dragging for thirty years without using them, or that remind me of bad memories, like the dishes of my first marriage. I became aware of the connection between my mind and the way the closets were cluttered. I am happy to have cleaned up my thoughts and my closets. There are still things to do and the house needs a clean up. The evacuation is not completely finished (what I keep, what I want to give, what I want to sell …). Things must be stored before evacuating them. It takes time to manage what has been eliminated. What I liked in this method and also surprised me was the necessity to think about why I want to keep things; it was an unknown step. I used to accumulate without thinking, out of envy of the objects themselves without worrying about their function or their utility. I was happy to receive the written report from Claire, to see the objectives in words to keep the ideas, precise and clear! It is something that exists and I congratulate myself when I implement the decided strategy. I quickly got used to the new organization of the kitchen and I enjoy keeping it in order. My guests, my family, move around more easily in my kitchen and put things more easily in their proper place. I have received effective coaching and I think about it every day because I see the results. It motivates me. It’s good that someone explained to me how to install and keep order in the house.
Amelie : the victory
« Now that I have a plan, everything is clear in my head, I know where I am going. »
Her story: Amelie realized her dream: to buy a house at the sea, on the town of her childhood. A widow for 5 years, she explains that her husband was orderly to the point of mania and in response, she lives in disorder. She also wants her home to accommodate her children and grandchildren during the holidays. She has a very small house on three levels where she lives alone, but where the eleven members of her family meet in the summer. In the attic, she organized a modular dormitory, in addition to her office. All the spaces (including the terrace and garden sheds) are full of objects that belong to her children. Finally, her cupboards are full of dishes inherited from her parents and grandparents. Between the memory of her grandparents, her parents, her husband, and the needs of her children, Amelie does not feel at home. Loyal and caring, she has trouble choosing between her needs and those of others.
Our solution: To make her wish of having a personal life and a family life a reality, I propose to her to assign the first floor to her own use, and to reserve the loft to her family. I also propose to make the two rooms on the first floor to communicate, in order to have a large room containing her office, dressing room and bedroom. So sorting is easy: everything that is personal and useful to her is in her own space. In the absence of her children, she does not even have to go up to the attic where their beds, bedding, toys, children’s books and summer clothes are now. The living room-kitchen on the ground floor remains a space shared by all, open and friendly. Her privacy is preserved, as well as her needs, including relationships. To learn the method of sorting, we implement together the sorting of the dishes and all the objects of the kitchen, because they are those which, for her, are the most numerous and most charged with emotion. The living room-kitchen benefits greatly from this sorting out, and the past can finally take its place: in the past!
Her bumper sticker: I’m the queen in my home.
What she says: Thanks to Claire for her ideas and our conversations. Her whole way of proceeding was really what I needed. I am so happy with the solution. I feel at home, in possession of my home. Now that I have a plan, everything is clear in my head, I know where I am going. And every person who comes to see me, helps me to implement this plan. Everyone is happy with my transformations. I took advantage of the presence of my children to continue the changes because there is some furniture that I could not move alone. Instead of separating from my children, the arrangement of what I call “my new apartments,” the first floor, is an opportunity for sharing and rejoicing. My children are very happy because they no longer feel like bothering me or having to push me around; they, too, have “their apartments”. And they find their things! I also learned to tidy up cupboards, shelves, drawers with care for aesthetics. I did not know you could feel happy looking at shelves! It’s awesome! I go forward and have so much fun!