BTS' In and Out list for 2021: To a better year for all!

Welcome to our 2020 holiday family room/garage. It was never "in".

We at BTS have been issuing our own "In/Out" list for over ten years, and we're feeling that more than any time in the past decade, everyone is really looking forward to saying "goodbye", "au revior" or "hejda" to the prior 365 days. 

Rachel and Sean's wedding held in Rob's front yard

Although it's been a frightening year, there have been a few rays of sunlight. We've been forced to be creative and retool events that in most recent history, would have been planned with only the "usual" stress. In our immediate family, we saw our daughter and son-in-law's wedding move from a picturesque orchard on the west side of Michigan to a pop-up ceremony on my oldest son's suburban front yard. We saw our annual Christmas-tree-tour with extended family - where we do a progressive holiday feast on Christmas Eve to the homes of my siblings - devolve into an open garage gala where coats and boots were required attire and not just en route.

A garage should go back to just housing cars.

In one small way, it did allow us to focus on what's important and set priorities, which may mean a wedding ceremony this year, party next or bearing a cold, Michigan winter day for a few hours in a garage festooned with tablecloths and drapes, to spend some real "face time" with family for the holidays.

And, with that backdrop, once again, BTS, with inspiration from The Detroit News', "What's in out in 2021 for our homes and more",  is excited share what's trending in the new year and what needs to be packed away in "concealed storage".

We're ready to close the door on this open concept room.

In:   Rooms with a dedicated purpose.  Per The Detroit News, rooms with a dedicated purpose are trumping open-concept floor plans. 

An accent rug, TV, and drapes attempt a cozy room

Out:  Garage as family room. We concur with the News. A garage is best suited to a specific role -  housing your vehicles. Even six sets of cranberry-colored drapes and twelve assorted tablecloths do not a living room make. Caution:  only to be used under quarantine conditions. We look forward to seeing you all inside next holiday season.

Home office with clutter. (sadly, photo not staged)

In:  Home offices.   With the increase in working from home necessities, this makes absolute sense. But we feel there's some conflict with another 2021 "out".

Out:  Clutter.  Even more so, with our homes serving as as classrooms, virtual staff meetings and Zoom chats, how do we keep up with the stacks of papers and books which would otherwise occupy schools and offices?  I quote directly from last year's BTS's commentary on "out" with regards to clutter: "Seriously, when was this ever in?  I keep waiting. In trend lists over the years it always shows up as "out". If it ever gets to be trendy, my home office space will be ready!"

Starting the new year decluttering, need more storage

In:  Concealed storage.  Per our observation above, yes, we need more storage at home. But, this is noted as "in" without much explanation. Its counterpoint "out" is dysfunctional storage. Is that just another name for "clutter"? We get it - put stuff away, but, please, a little patience.

Out:  Dysfunctional storage  Piles of paper are no longer considered a sign of anything remarkable. If you are prone to clutter and identify as "gifted" ask to be gifted some concealed storage to clean up the mess.

Congresswoman Stevens reelected!

In:  Biden/Harris, and, perhaps even more importantly, Haley Stevens. - congresswoman from Michigan's 11th District and, so thrilled, daughter-in-law in 2021!

Out:  You know who you are. . .

BTS going rogue. . . 

Allbirds, natural materials, look sharp

Crocs, your time has come and gone

 In:  Allbirds  I've been a fan of their television promotions and my daughter and son-in-laws' super cool shoes. Apparently, my admiration did not go unnoticed as I received a pair of awesome slippers from this company from said parties. They are "made from nature" and as comfy as they are attractive. This gets our vote for fashionable footware, 2021.

Out:  Crocs.  Aside from the unspecified unity (why not "all crocs"?), it's time to retire these plastic clogs. Try as we might to make a case for "present-ability",  these not-made-from-nature shoes just don't do well beyond the front porch. Saying good-bye to the faux footwear that was always a pretender.

The Crown and QE II very in! Tiger King, out-ch!

In:  The Crown.  Scandal, lunacy, and caution to not bite the hand that feeds you.

Out:  Tiger King. Scandal, lunacy, and animals that literally bite (off) the hand that feeds them. 

Zoom presentations have benefits, but watch the mute!

In:  Zoom Presentations - BTS now does Zoom presentations! Due to many tea events having venues shut down during quarantine, we were asked to do a Zoom Tea Talk last month. Although, it's always wonderful to present on-site, we found there are a few bonuses to having an on-line event. Your group members do not need to meet in a single locale, so guests can "dial in" from all over the country. (Our December "Afternoon Tea Etiquette" talk was presented to a non-profit group who had local members already snowbird-ing down south,. With the Zoom event, we could all be in the same meeting spot no matter where we were geographically!) 

Out:  Mute point. We're all guilty of talking while on mute, but now that we've had almost a year to catch-on, time to up our game and be prepared. That is, unless you want to talk about the Tiger King some more - then, mute all the way!

Up north "office" demands fitting accessories

In:  Faux fur tote for work-from-anywhere.  Since working remotely means your home office can be almost anywhere with a good internet connection, we are fond of setting up our  "9:00 to 5:00" hours at Pemberly Pines, our northern Michigan getaway.  This time of year, a faux-fur trimmed work carryall  compliments the job as well as the environs.

Out:  Crocs. With our without faux fur.  Crocs, you had a good run, but, alas, we (again) can no longer defend your existence. 

ONLY IN!

In:  BTS Books, Michigan Tea Rooms and Twelve Etiquette Essentials are still available on Amazon. And, this just in - expect another BTS book, in keeping with the "steeper by the dozen" series. in 2021!

Pemberly Pines, early trendsetter in name only

In:  Naming your abode.  As noted in our blog story from July (Do  you refer to your house by name? The naming of property is trending. .  .), giving your home a name is growing in popularity. Largely given a boost by the vacation home rental market, those listing their property on AirBnB or VRBO often caption them with titles to stand out. Having named our northern "estate" in its construction phase, we were preparing for this business opportunity over ten years in advance.

ONLY INNs!!

                                                                    By Pymouss - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Inn:  Escape to the Chateau.  The British TV series import - featuring England's equivalent of more theatrical, but less Hollywood, Chip and Joanna Gaines -  follows Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree's restoration of a 45-room French chateau, complete with moat and walled garden, on twelve acres. The quirky couple renovate the estate to create a family abode and wedding/event venue. (Now airs weekly on HGTV).

Pemberly Pines VRBO,  a place for wedding proposals in the tea garden

Inn:  Pemberly Pines VRBO.  Although there's no television show (yet!),  The Gulley's of Greenwood Township (Michigan's "local cable ready" version of Chip and Joanna) have converted their 5-plus room, northern Michigan chateau, complete with pond and tea garden, on twenty acres, into a year-round vacation rental. In its first six months, it has hosted a family reunion, a honeymoon getaway and a wedding proposal. This year, it will transform into a wedding venue and a tea-time retreat. Again, we say, "stay tuned" (and look for us on VRBO!)

We're all hoping for a much-improved new year, whether we opt for  open concept over designated rooms, prefer Tiger King over QE II or struggle to conceal clutter, we raise our tea cup to a better year for all! And, now it's time for us to sign "out". . . for now!

Happy New Year to all!!!