Designer or Matchmaker?

Improving your life, one room at a time!(If you don't believe me...hey--> lean in for a minute.....(whispering) 'just ask a few of my clients'. I don't list matchmaker on my list of talents, but... I'm pretty good at creating romance in homes. It starts with having an open convo.

A few years ago, I created this bedroom for a beautiful young woman...and when I say beautiful, I mean, mesmerizing. But, she had no mojo at all..why? because she experienced a very sudden break-up and a personal trauma all in the same month (life sucks sometimes). She only came home to pull the covers over her head. 

She was 'stuck' so bad in her life that I had to convince her to let me help..I had to overlook and overcome (I'm really good at being Tuwandaaa). She needed inspiration + motivation, but most importantly, I hoped she'd get back up in the saddle of life. 


I'm super happy to share that today she is an urban cowgirl.So....here's a quote dedicated to her:
"Someone helped put a mirror up in front of my face and I didn't like what I saw one bit, and you know what I did? I changed."-- Tuwanda in Fried Green Tomatoes 
                

When we say moor alive, we mean it. Improving your life, one room at a time!
Kitchen + Bath Makeovers, Paint Consultation, One Day Makeovers, Space Planning, Generating a Home Sale To-Do List, Design Community Workshops, Wish Child Makeover, Life Transitions/Move + Inspiration + Motivation
               www.mooraliveinteriors.com
Coming Soon Jan 2012--> Special Design Perk on:

Real Conversations with Clients

While talking to a client-----> ME: Let's furnish your house so it doesn't feel so empty. It feels empty, kinda like your life right now. HER: Wow, you are right, but I'm a wallflower and not very social. ME: This is about improving your life and sharing that. When I'm done, you will love opening your door and letting people in. HER: Ok, here's a key. 2 months later..... ME: Well, what do you think? HER: Wow, I can't remember the last time I loved coming home. ME: Let's share that feeling with others. 2 weeks later..... HER: I invited my team over yesterday and my mom. They said I have 'swag'. ME: Oh yeah, what about that guy who asked you out for dinner, is he next? HER: I hope so. We're not just adding furniture around here....we are improving YOUR life, one room at a time! www.mooraliveinteriors.com

Glance @ Moor Alive Interiors 2011

Free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Merry Christmas (a day after)

Merry Christmas from Moor Alive Interiors.

This month we spent time giving back into the community by doing a Room Makeover for Kayla, a Wish Child with New Hope for Kids / Wish Program.  

As you can see, it's fresh, beautiful and uplifting. All I will say is this, it wasn't BEFORE! In 4 days, we brought in a team of amazing people and transformed her space. 

Here is the BEFORE:

Again.....AFTER.

and BEFORE.

and.....AFTER,

BEFORE.

I think we made someone's Christmas this year. May God be the Glory. 

Thank you Katie Hestla/ Artist

Thank you Dawn (Kayla's nurse) for submitting wish to New Hope for Kids. Thank you mom Kathryn. Thank you Jeff & Jessie Jones/ Contractor & overall Handymen (407-712-3970). Thank you UCF Cornerstone Students for raising the money.

Thank you Ryan Pugh with FineWood Studios ( 407-324-3700) for gifting Kayla's cool sign. 

A Thanks and Giving Home

Talking about homes, the warm and fuzzy ones and the ones that people loose (and are left to wonder where they will go next), all concern me. The good, the bad and the ugly: I take it all in.

Growing up, and what I know now, is our homes create an 'expectation' for what we did or did not experience in our childhood. For example, my sister and I love to eat at big tables where family sits around and passes dishes while talking away the evening...but in our childhood, we rarely ate at a dining table because we didn't eat in the dining room.

Our dining room was used more for doing craft projects or paperwork, if the truth be told. That might sound strange to some, but I wasn't aware of any other way of life. I mean, I see the lovely thanksgiving dinner table depictions on TV commercial land like everyone else, but I rarely sat and contemplated who actually did (or didn't) do that. Well, of course, now I know that you create this experience and many times it is a tradition passed down by our elders (that in my opinion needs to continue).

With families so spread out, travel and food expensive, many new traditions are born out of practicality. Last year, I attended the wedding of my dearest friend in Tallahassee and sat under a white tent outdoors after witnessing sacred vows that brought me to tears and made my heart smile....it was by far the most lovely and meaningful Thanksgiving dinner I have consumed.

I'd love to have Thanksgiving Dinner at my home someday, but to be honest, being a single mom without family nearby and a tight budget who cooks every night, I may go out to dinner with friends, since eating out is a special occasion for us. No clean up, no left overs to tempt me, just a moment, a memory. As long as I'm with my daughters, it will be wonderful, no matter what we do. Later, I could snuggle up and watch a movie together being thankful for the roof over my head and give of my time to listen to what they have to share about life.

We might even go into the dining room and work on crafts and do a little paper art. Kinda like I used to do growing up! No matter what, I will spend the day being thankful and giving and I guess we all get to define what that means for each of us. I don't think we can ask anything else from ourselves. Happy Thanksgiving 2011 everyone, I lift a glass of eggnog to you and yours!

Carolyn Moor
Moor Alive Interiors
'Grow Where You are Planted'

Home is a Story to Create

The word HOME means something different to each of us. What story are you sharing with the world?

Growing up, I would watch classic TV Land type shows such as the Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, I Dream of Jeannie and Little House on the Prairie. It's no wonder that I became fascinated by the lives people lived out in their spaces. 

Let's think about this.....the Clampetts came from a rickey old shack in the back woods and were pretty happy. Even after they made their millions and moved to Beverly Hills, they tried their best to make it livable like their old shack back home. With it's cement pond, kitchen contraptions and useless buttons, they didn't really need any of those things....they just needed each other and to share their life with purpose. They wanted to fit in but not at the risk of loosing who they truly were. 

We can learn a lot from watching them stay true to who they are by asking; 

Does my home represent who I am?

Next up is Gilligan's Island. Can you even imagine the Skipper & Gilligan in charge of anything in your life? Once stranded on the island, they were left to build shanty's for each person. It was interesting how each created a space just for their own personalities and were for the most part quite content...they were certainly free of any trappings from their past life. They were living for each day and made it through quite well. We can learn a lot about 'growing where we are planted' by asking;

If catastrophe hit my life, could I pick up the pieces and still be happy where I am? 

Now, the Brady Bunch was a new concept for TV- a blended family. 3 girls, 3 boys and an architect dad. They were always showing us how to co-hab in a good way. Alice was the wild card and many times the reality card. She acted as the mast in the wind of a crazy blown off course family unit. 

We can learn a lot about 'how to' blend families by asking;

If we are forced to live with others, what can we do to make it a better experience for everyone? 

Ok, I Dream of Jeannie was in a whole other class of TV show....she lived in a genie bottle. How very cool was that? I mean, whenever she wanted, she would retreat to the bottle and disappear, not to bothered or sequestered there by her owner. It was her comfort zone. It was lovely, comfortable, private but it was too lonely. She longed to be with her Master out in the big world. It's great to create spaces that comfort us and nurture our souls. Share that part of yourself. We can learn a lot about 'sharing our homes and our lives with others by asking;

When was the last time I invited someone into my home to share my unique self?

Last but not least, Little House on the Prairie. The Ingall's from Walnut Grove lived an enduring existence in a home that was hand built and labored over by both Charles and Caroline. They exudes character developed from hardships within family, love, friendship and faith. They tackled subjects of adoption, alcoholism, racism and blindness with grace. You felt the love in those tight, lack of privacy quarters of open air and I believe that closeness is what we all hope for our families to be like. We have so much space now in our homes and in our relationships sometimes. We can learn a lot from creating friendship & loving kindness in our homes by asking;

Have our homes and lives become less loving, less sacred, less connected with more space?

Home is a story you create. It was relevant back then, and it's still relevant today. I care about the stories our lives are becoming. More living in our homes (and lives) is a good thing, let's get on with it.  Feel free to email me and learn more on how Moor Alive Interiors can help create your home story. I love talking about this- carolyn@mooraliveinteriors.com

Live well, be well!

Find Carolyn @

Moor Alive Interiors

9/11 Memories: A Tribute

These were the two words that kept looping in my mind.

Like everyone, that day will be remembered by where we were when the world stop turning as Alan Jackson so appropriately captured. I was newly widowed, only 16 months previously and the heartache of the day was like reliving my past. All I wanted if the world was coming to an end were my two daughters back in the safety of my own home.

Since then, HOME has comforted me as I spent hours on the chat rooms consoling widows from 9/11 and beyond. It was the only way I knew to cope but it didn't keep me from having a nervous breakdown. Their pain was all too fresh and familiar to me still living it out every day. Time can heal our wounds if we spend that time wisely. It's hard to believe its been 10 years.

In 10 years, I've used my God Box (Mac laptop) in many ways to reach out. Blogs, Facebook Pages, Emails, Skype all serve a great purpose but I will tell you, the biggest impact for me has been inviting others into my home and looking them in the eye and reaching out to hug them, especially my daughters and their friends. After 9/11, I longed for this, it was missing in my life. I made a concerted effort to become more loving in all ways and today I can easily say I feel loved. My friends tell me its that old saying 'what goes around comes around' and I agree. I'm in that sweet spot where the circle completes itself.

Looking back, they all feel like amazing years of growth. I learned to give love in ways I had blocked, and amazing things happened when I simply dared to love until it felt uncomfortable and unselfish. But on the other side of that discomfort, God delivered a Band-aid for my blessed wound that healed into a beautiful life.

So beautiful that I was blessed one day to see the actual paper in which Alan Jackson wrote his song onto 'When the world stop turning', the tear smears evident and the angst of emotion on scribbled paper. You never know how you fit into someone else's story. We are all apart of this 9/11 story.

I like to think of myself as someone who helps my clients create a place for these stories to play out. I certainly created the space you see above for our conversation to play out. Our homes are so important in this way and yet I feel like we spend more time thinking about their financial value rather than their emotional value.

I'm just saying that while we can spend time making sound decisions for our portfolio, lets not forget to create a home that we would invite others into if God forbid another tragedy happened. Let's not forget the peace we desired and the loving reverence we all felt for each other on this day. Because, I think it's the WHY to our question 'But why?'

Moor Alive Interiors invites you to our 'Creating Shalom in Your Home' Workshop Nov. 5th, Maitland Civic Center, 10-1p, where we talk about a new way to create your home with a wholehearted approach.

                                                                        Pull up a seat!