When I go to client's homes, the first thing they often say is: My house is a mess, I am so embarrassed. My typical response is: I didn't make my bed this morning and there are dishes in the sink, or something like that. I should carry pictures of my home with me on my iPad.

The truth is, unless there's a hoarding problem or outside of the norm filth, I don't notice it. Simply put, I am not there to judge people's housecleaning. People live in their homes. If there are kids, there are toys. If they work, there are papers. If they eat, there is often a coffee cup or some crumbs.That's normal.

  
 
Here's my dining room and kitchen, which during the day morph into a studio. We worked on 3 projects yesterday: fabrics for a first floor of a 1850s Colonial Revival in Cambridge; lighting and finishing touches for the pied-a-terre in Boston; blinds for a home in Westwood.

Cleaning lady comes in an hour so I have to get it all put everything away NOW.