Mari Bickmore Design | Having a Blast In Interior Design and Staging

Design, Renovation, Flips, Staging

Quaratine Can be Dangerous 480 640 Mari Bickmore

Quaratine Can be Dangerous

Day 432 of my quarantine. Oops, got that wrong again. Heck, I don’t even know what day of the week it is. I thought it was Saturday all day on Thursday, but I think it really is Saturday now. Wait…I’m not quarantined anymore, but I don’t even think I hated quarantine…am I not supposed to say that?

What new things did you do during quarantine? Well, I should really ask, are you still quarantined? I think some places still are. The first few weeks I did a lot of things: reading, playing the piano, painting, and genealogy. That was the first few days anyway. Then, since it was almost spring, I took advantage and did some deep spring cleaning (hahaha…as if I do spring cleaning every year). As if. I tried to have projects everyday. We just moved into this house at the end of August. Then I was gone all of September, most of October into November, and then there were the holidays, so all those boxes that I just unpacked and put the contents somewhere I thought they should be…sort of willy-nilly…actually got put where they should go. My husband is super weird and wants all those moving boxes unpacked and taken away pretty much immediately. So it seems like you have a lot done, but in the end you just have to organize it twice.

So the first project I had was to organize the pantry. I got a little kick in the butt to do that first, as my children had gone together and given me some organizational items for the pantry for Christmas. Is that like getting a vacuum cleaner as a gift? In any event, I must’ve ordered more bins, food storage containers, and spice jars, etc., from Amazon; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and the the Container Store a dozen times, just ordered three more, but now I’m just about done…still waiting for my last order to arrive.

Then I started working on sorting my huge boxes of photos, at which time I whacked my head on the lowered ceiling under the stairs and received a pinched nerve/bulging disk in my C-spine. I still haven’t figured out how I could have hit my head that hard! May I tell you that pain is more than excruciating. For the first two weeks I just tried to find a position that would alleviate some of the pain. I gained a whole new understanding and empathy for those who have chronic pain. By day 22, although I still had residual pain and two fingers on my left hand were numb, I was able to do some small things, albeit on medication, and started working on some client’s projects thank goodness. Had an MRI which wasn’t so good, so I had to get a C6-7 spinal injection. What fun! Top that off with my mother-in-law passing away (not from coronavirus) and slicing a bit of flesh off my thumb with a mandoline (and leaving the bandage on too long so it stuck to the wound). Suffice it to say January and February were just as bad, so 2020 can just….

In any event, that was 3-1/2 weeks ago and and you can imagine how immensely grateful and blessed I feel that I was able to start playing tennis again this past Monday. I’ve been able to stay on top of design projects, even though providers are not working or working more than before, or hard to get in touch with, which has been an issue and still is. Life goes on and I hope that we get back to normal soon, even if has to be a new normal for a little while.

No exciting photos this time, but nothing exciting happened. Certainly didn’t get anyone to take a photo of me when they were sticking needles in my neck, or during the worst of the pain. So…this is what you get. It doesn’t look like an ad for pantry containers, because this is a real, working pantry and everything is not all the same color.

Quaratine Can be Dangerous 480 640 admin

Quaratine Can be Dangerous

Day 432 of my quarantine. Oops, got that wrong again. Heck, I don’t even know what day of the week it is. I thought it was Saturday all day on Thursday, but I think it really is Saturday now. Wait…I’m not quarantined anymore, but I don’t even think I hated quarantine…am I not supposed to say that?

What new things did you do during quarantine? Well, I should really ask, are you still quarantined? I think some places still are. The first few weeks I did a lot of things: reading, playing the piano, painting, and genealogy. That was the first few days anyway. Then, since it was almost spring, I took advantage and did some deep spring cleaning (hahaha…as if I do spring cleaning every year). As if. I tried to have projects everyday. We just moved into this house at the end of August. Then I was gone all of September, most of October into November, and then there were the holidays, so all those boxes that I just unpacked and put the contents somewhere I thought they should be…sort of willy-nilly…actually got put where they should go. My husband is super weird and wants all those moving boxes unpacked and taken away pretty much immediately. So it seems like you have a lot done, but in the end you just have to organize it twice.

So the first project I had was to organize the pantry. I got a little kick in the butt to do that first, as my children had gone together and given me some organizational items for the pantry for Christmas. Is that like getting a vacuum cleaner as a gift? In any event, I must’ve ordered more bins, food storage containers, and spice jars, etc., from Amazon; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and the the Container Store a dozen times, just ordered three more, but now I’m just about done…still waiting for my last order to arrive.

Then I started working on sorting my huge boxes of photos, at which time I whacked my head on the lowered ceiling under the stairs and received a pinched nerve/bulging disk in my C-spine. I still haven’t figured out how I could have hit my head that hard! May I tell you that pain is more than excruciating. For the first two weeks I just tried to find a position that would alleviate some of the pain. I gained a whole new understanding and empathy for those who have chronic pain. By day 22, although I still had residual pain and two fingers on my left hand were numb, I was able to do some small things, albeit on medication, and started working on some client’s projects thank goodness. Had an MRI which wasn’t so good, so I had to get a C6-7 spinal injection. What fun! Top that off with my mother-in-law passing away (not from coronavirus) and slicing a bit of flesh off my thumb with a mandoline (and leaving the bandage on too long so it stuck to the wound). Suffice it to say January and February were just as bad, so 2020 can just….

In any event, that was 3-1/2 weeks ago and and you can imagine how immensely grateful and blessed I feel that I was able to start playing tennis again this past Monday. I’ve been able to stay on top of design projects, even though providers are not working or working more than before, or hard to get in touch with, which has been an issue and still is. Life goes on and I hope that we get back to normal soon, even if has to be a new normal for a little while.

No exciting photos this time, but nothing exciting happened. Certainly didn’t get anyone to take a photo of me when they were sticking needles in my neck, or during the worst of the pain. So…this is what you get. It doesn’t look like an ad for pantry containers, because this is a real, working pantry and everything is not all the same color.

Shaking but not Moving 1024 683 Mari Bickmore

Shaking but not Moving

Well, I guess it takes a pandemic and an earthquake to get back on track! Luckily I’ve been keeping busy whilst sheltering in place! I’m going to have this hermit thing down pretty soon, but I can do without another earthquake! My first one and I hope my last. Nothing last being shaken awake in the morning by your house!

So, so many things have happened since I last posted to this site. Where to begin? OMG…for one thing, how could it have been almost THREE years since I last wrote? Like water going downhill. At the time we were living in El Dorado Hills, CA, and in the summer of 2018 we moved to Holladay, Utah. Now I’m living by my daughter’s family with two of the most darling grandchildren possible. Can’t get much better than that, other than all of my children and grandchildren moving here. If I could pull that off, nothing could ever be better.

Circumstances involving our move were not ideal, but so many great things followed. Like my daughter, Amanda Bickmore Crane, and I get to work together. How fantastic is that!? We already had formed Bickmore Design, LLC, and have renovated many houses over the years. Prior to this I was the owner of Posh Interior Design in Columbus, Ohio, and Minneapolis, MN, switching names to Bickmore Design in Kansas City, KS. Gosh I know right!…following a corporate husband sure does have its ups and downs.

Keeping busy with renovations and design work, I’ve also completed the state real estate course, tested, and obtained my Utah State Real Estate License. What a difficult profession. I’m with Equity Real Esate – Solid in Sandy, UT. Those two professions should go hand-in-hand and I’m working to make that happen. Not sure how that’s going to work going forward after this pandemic crisis. My heart bleeds for those who are losing their jobs and for the economy in the short-term. I hope and pray that we will all recover quickly, both physically and economically. What a difficult time for our governments dealing with something no one expected. I am not happy with the people pointing fingers as if our leaders caused this. It seems to me that they are dealing with it as best as they can under the unfortunate and adverse conditions. I feel so blessed to have safe shelter and food to sustain me. If you live near me and need anything, please let me know.

Just dropping a few photos of a renovation and design project that are full of color and make me happy.

The Joys of Renovation 640 640 Mari Bickmore

The Joys of Renovation

We have flipped several houses in a few cities during our continual moving sojourn and I have never written about them.  Some things are just to painful to do whilst in the midst of chaos.  While living in Kansas we did a house in Overland Park and one in Independence and had two contractors directly from #*()#).  Well you get the idea.  One is being sued by the State of Missouri and the other should be being sued by several states and a multitude of people.  As far as I can tell he must be related to the Clintons.  It would take months and books to recreate what happened during that time…the lost sleep and anguish.  Now I know why people sue for things like that.  Really horrible people.   The best one we did was in Salt Lake City.  Loved the end product and the people we worked with.  Those are the two extremes of the spectrum.  Missouri contractors versus Salt Lake contractors.   At least the houses turned out well in the end.

Our most recent move was last summer, and this time we renovated the home we bought for ourselves.   We closed on the house while on a Scandinavian/Russian cruise, which was really weird, and at the same time went into contract on the home we were selling from the last place we lived.  Great stops by the way and Celebrity was a really great operator, but who am I to judge.  That was my first ocean cruise.  Cruises aren’t really my thing.  I like to rent a car and have tons of time to explore versus getting off the boat at 9 or 10 and then having to be back on by 4 or 5.  But I digress.

After we returned we moved out of our nice, midtown apartment to the burbs…to live in two bedrooms and a bathroom over the garage whilst our renovation commenced.  Did I say we were nuts.  Maybe not.  But you know the answer to that.  My darling daughter came to stay the first two weeks because not only was I starting demolition, I was having minor surgery.  Again, what was I thinking.

One of the first things we had done was removing all the hardwood and most of the tile in the house…kitchen, living room, great room, dining room, bathrooms, etc. and the carpet in the bedrooms (except for our “sanctuary”).  So first tip for any of you DIYer’s or those contemplating being in charge of your own renovation:  When someone quotes you on floor removal never sign anything other than a guaranteed price.  He ended up adding on charges that were over $2000 more than the original quoted price (Clean Site – don’t use them).  Not only that, they didn’t get close to the cabinets so I ended up having to pay extra to the floor installers to get that removed.  Not pleasant to deal with and not forthcoming, until later of course.   Then, of course, I had someone in for something else who said he could have done it for half the price…that really hurt.

One thing is weird, I would make appointments with three or four contractors for different parts of the project:  electric, plumbing, painting, etc. etc. and half the time they wouldn’t show.  Or if they did show they never got back with me to give me a bid.  Don’t these people need work?  Maybe they don’t.  In any event, that is a lot of time wasted and very frustrating.   Well, enough of this today.  I’ll continue with the saga in another few days.  But just to know it’s going to turn out okay in the end, here is a picture of before and after of my living room.  I think it’s great…but some of you may like the before better than the after.  Just let me know.  No, I won’t change it back if you do.  Needless to say,  it is not completely decorated yet, so I’ll repost later.

living room before after
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