For International Women's Day this year, we had a chance to speak with one of our previous brand ambassadors, Grace Lim. Grace is one of the home owners of a beautiful eclectic home which you can see from their Instagram account here.
Besides sharing some practical and useful styling and organisational tips, she also shared with us how she coped with being a caregiver and grief when she lost the two women dearest to her within a year.
We hope that her story of resilience can encourage and shine a light for those who are currently sitting in a dark season. In her words,
"As cliché as it may be, know that all things will come to pass. The challenges you are facing now, is moulding you to a person you are meant to be."
Read her interview below:
***
Hello Grace! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I'm Grace, and I am a Technology Recruiter specialising in Infrastructure hiring across all industries. I work on mandates spanning across Network and System engineering, Service Delivery & Technical Project Managers, Infrastructure Architecture and EUC. Apart from recruitment, I enjoy brewing kombucha, baking and parenting my plants.
How would you describe the style of your home?
"Lived-In"? While designing our home, we wanted a style that would withstand time and comfortably grow with us as we aged. Has been challenging to nail down an adjective but our home is a true reflection of our personalities, an amalgamation of our travels and experiences.
Can you share with us 1 styling tip you swear by?
Comfort is always key! This may sound obvious, but as someone who likes to spend a lot of time relaxing at home, comfort is always one of my number one priorities. This covers everything from comfy seating in my living room, and accessorizing with cozy cushions, throws, and rugs, to ensuring that the overall flow and usability of the space are comfortable and practical. Comfort is also about making sure a space is functional and meets the needs of those who use it. For example, a living room should have comfortable seating options, while a kitchen should have ample counter space and storage.
Can you share with us 3 organising tips that had work wonders for you?
1) A home for everything and everything in its home
Organise by function and habits, so that you can find them again and stay organized in the long run.
2) "One in/One out" rule
As a home without a store room, we have to be intentional of what we buy. This rule also helps keep us from having too much stuff!
3) Create centres or stations for specific items
For example, we have a coffee/team station and within reach we have our coffee pods/ tea bags and crockery.
What does "organising beautifully" mean to you?
It means A Safe Space. When you organise your living space, this means you know where things are without searching and this feels safe.
Organization gives me a sense of control, not just of my physical space, but of my thoughts and emotions too. With the systems in place, getting things done requires less mental energy, giving me breathing space. As with most everything in the home — trends aside, it should come down to what makes you happy.
To me, "organising beautifully" is a form of self-care as disorganisation can cause me to feel a wide range of feelings from mild irritation to annoyance, anger and resentment, anxiety and being overwhelm.
What do you like about your current Stackers Jewellery Box?
There is a home for every piece of jewelry! The drawers enable easy accessibility and quality provides added luxe. Particularly enjoy that I can continue to stack these layers as my collection grows, and needless to say, they look great on any shelving within the home.
Editor: Grace here is using the Supersize 3-in-1 Jewellery Drawer Set in Taupe
Have you faced any challenges or stereotypes being a woman in your line of work or even when running your @haosofgrace IG account?
I say this with utmost gratitude that I have been quite blessed in these areas, although 2022 was an extremely challenging year to strike a balance between life and work. I lost my maternal grandmother just before the lunar new year, and my mother during year end. These women played a fundamental role in creating the person I am today, and most importantly, they have never given up on me. As a primary caregiver for my mother towards her end of life, I constantly have to reinvent myself and be comfortable with emergencies. Being a stickler for processes and routines, I often found myself immersing with self-hate to a point I felt disgusted looking at myself in the mirror because I was under-delivering on all fronts; as a daughter, and a business partner to my candidates and clients.
How did you overcome it?
I learnt to see my circumstance in another perspective, that these inconveniences and emergencies meant that my mother was still around, with us. Knowing that her time was finite, that paradigm shift changed the way I view situations.
How did you keep going when the going gets tough?
Remembering my grandmother survival stories from the war, and my mother's constant encouragement. These women have always embraced me more than I think I ever deserve, and holding their memory in my heart brings light in the darkest days. They have always told me, "Life is hard enough, don't make things harder for yourself. Trust the Lord, and take it easy."
Lastly, do you have any advice or encouragement for women who are currently facing challenges in their lives?
As cliché as it may be, know that all things will come to pass. The challenges you are facing now, is moulding you to a person you are meant to be. And always remember, You define your value and worth.
