Month: October 2008

  • Mary Louise Starkey – The First Lady of Service

    Starkey internatinal institute 

    We've been featuring some of the authors in our upcoming book contribution, The Experts Guide to Doing Things Faster.  Join us as continue to provide profiles of some of the incredible talent we've long admired.

    May we present Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey.  Mrs. Starkey wrote the chapter entitled, "Clean Your Home" in the Experts' Guide (see book jacket below right).  Known as the "First Lady of Service," Mrs. Starkey is the founder and president of Denver's Starkey International Institute For Household Management.  Before we get to her bio, let's find out more about Starkey's mission.

    About Starkey International:

    Starkey teaches graduates about attitudes, etiquette and protocols of "private service."  Mrs. Starkey believes that household service is a body of specialized knowledge, and she is credited for coining the term "Household Manager."

    A modern household manager is a professional who takes care of the business of your home.  Her graduates are not the stuffy, traditional butlers, but actual trained leaders with the kinds of management skills a larger home requires.  Her program identifies 10 key areas of "standards" in a home:  administration, housekeeping, culinary, clothing care, entertaining, property and grounds, maintenance, transportation and travel, safety and protection and personal care.

    Starkey graduates are professionally trained to recognize, document and administer these standards. We personally know two graduates of Starkey and both individuals are top notch, genuine individuals.

    Mary Louise Starkey 

    About Mrs. Mary Louise Starkey:

    Mary Louise Starkey began placing household veterans in 1981. Her clientele includes Old Guard Families, Legacy Families, CEOs, Dot- Comers, Entrepreneurs, Entertainment Personalities and Diplomatic Leaders across the United States. She has continued to “Set the Standard” for Private Service in Education and in Private Service Placement for over twenty-five years. In 1997, she began writing for the profession, eventually developing Starkey’s patented Starkey Service Management System and software, the world’s first advanced service management tool for Private Service. Mrs. Starkey is passionately devoted to changing the outmoded paradigm of “servitude” into “Service as an Expertise,” as well as building a profession that is world-recognized.

    Experts Guide To Doing Things Faster In March 2000, Mrs. Starkey hosted the world’s first Household Management conference, “Restoring the Art.” Household and Service Management Schools, Enlisted Aides, Personal Assistants, Family Offices, Household Staffing Agents, and Household and Estate Managers from around the world attend this conference yearly. Mrs. Starkey appears at international conventions, seminars, corporate events and hospitality forums around the globe.

    OrganizingLA blog credits the Starkey website for providing bio and methodology for our post.

    What do you think?

    So, let's talk about "standards" of your own.  You may not have a large home, but have you created processes or procedures when your're cleaning, maintaining or entertaining?  Please join in on the conversation and let us know what those are and how you accomplish your own family's needs.

    Related Posts:

    photo image courtesy Lyn Alweis of the Denver Post

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  • West Elm Event with Paulo Kos, Director of Design

    West elm store logo

    Last Thursday, we were lucky enough to attend an "exclusive" designer preview.  This is one of our longer posts, so sit back and get organized with the Fall collection from West Elm.

    The evening showcased how the company is moving beyond their original roots into different colors, textures, quality, sustainability and ways to spruce up your home using singular objects.  The man behind West Elm design, Paulo Kos, flew in from Brooklyn for the shop talk.  We weren't sure, but it looked like 150 interior designers, home experts, trend-setting writers attended, as well as corporate Williams Sonoma and West Elm staff.  The store closed early to the general public and was lusciously stocked with an abundant supply of delicious products.

    Spotted at the party was our friend and original Beverly Hills Organizer, Linda Koopersmith. Vanessa De Vargas of Turquoise introduced us to Laure J. and Abby S. of Apartment Therapy Los Angeles.  Carlo Rios, Design Ambassador of the Santa Monica store jetted around the party taking care of everyone and making them feel welcomed.

    Afterwords, friend Laurie March of Laurie March Design joined us for Mojitos at Border Grill next door along with Lauren Messiah, ThisNext Marketing Manager of Fashion and Beauty (and aka Fashion Kitty) and Cory O'Malley Community Development Manager at ThisNext.  We've been doing some mini-product reviews over at their site, check out our profile here.  The mysterious power of the Mojito ended our fun night of design, wine and dine.

    We have a full recap of the in-store event, so keep reading for some of the cool organization products West Elm has rolling out for Fall.

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  • How Would You Organize A House Haunted By Ghosts?

    Hollywoodland

     "Don't blame a ghost if you can't find your keys."

    A new friend of ours on Facebook and Twitter is Melissa Van Russum.  Russum is an Atlanta-based Ghost Guide, psychic and empath.

    It was on Russum's blog, where we read about Nicholas Cage's haunted New Orleans home in the French Quarter.  And this reminded us of the ghost we "worked" with a few months ago in a large Mediterranean style home in an older part of the Hollywood Hills between Laurel and Nichols Canyon think The Shining).  When we interviewed for the project, the home owners asked us if we were afraid of ghosts.  In over four years of business, we'd never had that question- I simply shrugged my shoulders and said "Don't blame a ghost if you can't find your keys." That wasn't quite what they meant, I know.

    Los Angeles Professional Organizer Organizes Ghosts Our visit at the house consisted of unpacking bedrooms, paperwork and supplies and setting the spaces up.  We already feel a little creepy anyway in a house where no one is around.  And if we're working in some grand Hollywood mansion built in the 1920s or 30s, the cold plaster walls, creaky pipes, tight crawlspaces, secret bookcases and dusty wine cellars lend itself to the imagination.  I left one of my brave assistant organizers alone in the bedroom where the ghost apparently inhabits and no paranormal dis-organizing activitity ensued.

    So after three weeks of working on and off in the house, no sign of ghosts, no strange drafts, no small child riding a big wheel through the dark hallways.  The answer is, we don't really know how to organize a house haunted by Ghosts.  But do you?

    Read more:

    Related posts:

    images courtesy Fake Angeleno and Gone Movies

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  • Join Our New Facebook Book Group “Organize Your Closet”

    Facebook organize a closet group

    As part of the celebration for our book contribution, we've created an exclusive new group on Facebook!

    To join the group, click here on this special url – www.organizeaclosetnow.com

    Based on our book, the "Experts Guide to Doing Things Faster" the “Organize a Closet” group will feature everyday organizing tips and tricks, photos from our book travels, exclusive news about the October 28th book release, links to our fellow authors in the news and special content you will not find anywhere else, even on our blog!  How cool is that?

    Facebook Over 170 have signed up for the group and you'll already see lots of familiar faces.  We’ll update the group once a week until the book comes out.  Semi-regular updates will occur as the book hits the marketplace and opportunities present themselves.

    But remember, the content isn't very good with me posting alone, I am counting on you to add your comments and create a conversation that is meaningful.  If you're not a member of Facebook, it just takes two seconds to sign up.

    Again, join the group by clicking there www.organizeaclosetnow.com

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  • New York Magazine Presents John Trosko!

     New York Magazine cover

    As part of his book launch, John was featured in the September 29th issue of New York Magazine.

    Perf BoxesThis has been awesome and phenomenal!

    In Space Efficient, Experts' Guide To Doing Things Faster creator Samantha Ettus mentioned us when she curated the "Best Best" section for the popular magazine.

    Here's what they printed:

    "Maybe you’ve been working at home for years. Or maybe just since last Monday…"

    "Either way, you want a handsome and efficient workspace…"

    "I heard about these Perf Boxes from organizational guru John Trosko.  They come premade and rotate independently of one another."

    Link to the 9/29 New York Magazine table of contents

    Link to the Best Bests column

    Link to John's mention on page 66

    Check out the mention in it's entirety on The Experts' Media site

    Buy the Experts' book on Amazon.com

    Perf Boxes image courtesy Design Public

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  • Wondering How to Plan Your Storage? Take a Cruise

    Crossroads of the world  

    One of our organizing clients has an office at Crossroads of the World in Hollywood. 

    Crossroads of the world 2   

    The art deco moderne complex was designed by Robert V. Derrah in 1936 and is often referred to as the first modern shopping center in America.  Various old world cottage bungalows surround one large center building created to resemble a streamline ocean liner.  How cool is that?

    Crossroads of the world 3 It's no wonder streamline created such a design influence, even to this day.  Below in the black and white picture, you can see how the period inspired this West Hollywood-area streamline duplex home.  The home still stands today, we used to walk past it everyday.

    Much of 1930s design was borrowed from the golden age of transportation, especially ocean liners.  Ocean liners have long been a source of fascination, not only in their beauty but in their functionality.  A transatlantic voyage in the 1930's and today's "sea cities" have much in common– tight, functional storage for adventurous passengers.

    Streamline_duplex

    During the Golden Age of Travel in the 1930s, transatlantic voyagers captured the allure of distinctively designed passenger cabins:  rich woods, fine linens, shiny brass fixtures, flawless service– all in a postage-sized space with concealed cabinetry, floor-to-ceiling and petite fixtures, this professional organizer's daydream!

    Modern day travelers planning a small space can take a design clue from the past and book a voyage on today’s cruise ships.  A shrewd use of space and efficiency where high-style and beauty meet functionality hasn’t really changed in over 60 years.  The principles are still the same.

    Let us know about your small-space adventures.  Have you ever traveled on a cruise ship? Was the storage functional (and beautiful) enough for you?

    Read more on the Crossroads of the World in Hollywood.

    Crossroads – Photos by Floyd E. Bariscale on Flickr

    John_trosko_67

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