The Garage That Became a Home x 2

Honoring what remains while making space to move forward
Waterford, CT · 2025

Project Summary

This week-long project focused on transforming a garage apartment that had belonged to a beloved grandmother into a space that could support the family’s next chapter. One year after her passing, the space still held the emotional weight of everything left behind—clothing, furniture, and belongings that made it difficult to imagine new use without feeling like something was being erased.

At the same time, life was changing. A daughter was preparing to return home from graduate school, with her own history of stored clothing and city-apartment furniture held in the attic. The goal was not to rush closure, but to begin shifting the space from preservation to possibility: honoring a few deeply cherished items while letting go of what no longer needed to be held.

What We Did

• Worked collaboratively to sort and purge clothing and furniture with heavy emotional associations

• Paired down belongings to a meaningful, intentional selection rather than keeping everything

• Prepared donations of clothing for women’s shelters

• Reorganized storage using an outdoor shed to support sorting and decision-making

• Tested a new layout to invite fresh energy into the apartment

• Began integrating selected furniture from the daughter’s belongings into the space

• Reframed the apartment as a future guest room, gathering space, or potential short-term rental

Throughout the week, the work prioritized care, consent, and pacing. The focus was on making real progress without forcing emotional readiness before it existed.

Time & Scope

• 25 hours over five consecutive days

• Collaborative, grief-aware reset

• Prioritized purging and layout exploration over final styling

• Structured to create momentum without overwhelm

Why This Project Matters

This project wasn’t about finishing a room—it was about loosening the hold of something that had been frozen in time. By focusing first on the hardest decisions, the space began to shift from a site of loss into a place with future possibility.

Even without full completion, the work created empowerment and clarity. By the end of the week, the family had reached the threshold of the “fun part”—imagining décor, art placement, and how the space might feel when it’s fully lived in again. That shift matters.

Sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean being done. It means finally being able to begin.