`Learn to let go and make space,” Hellen Buttigieg coos to her client, Jo. Her apartment is in such disarray that Jo eats, sleeps and works on her bed because the floor and her furniture are buried by her belongings. Jo’s so ashamed of the mess she’s never had visitors.
“Nobody would have any idea that I’ve got this dirty little secret,” she says. “This is my squalor.”
Host Buttigieg comes to the rescue on a recent episode of “Neat,” combining her skills as professional organizer and life coach to help de-clutter in a comforting, docile fashion. It’s equal parts purging and therapy session — a stylish makeover sprinkled with a New Age touch. (Think “Oprah” meets “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”) But it frequently goes over the top.
On her way to and from Jo’s apartment, Buttigieg drives around (her van’s license plate is “Neatfreak”) and candidly discusses her client, much like the “Queer Eye” team does before they ambush their next makeover man.
Jo’s apartment, says Buttigieg, will go from “dysfunctional to delightful” after a “cathartic cleansing.” Jo’s goal is to have a creative, peaceful space that is guest-friendly though she’s been messy her entire life.
By far the worst room is her bedroom, whose furniture is awkwardly arranged. “This is the result of me trying to feng shui my place,” she says.
Buttigieg quips, “I think you must’ve missed a chapter in that book.”
While the show’s “clutter crew” of five helpers tidies up, the women pare down. “Keep only what you wear and love,” Buttigieg advises. They proceed to tussle over a $700 scarf.
Jo gets teary-eyed as she says, “I think definitely there’s things that have been taken from me against my will, so I’m sure that has to do with me guarding my space …”
“All of this clutter is an excuse to keep people out,” Buttigieg concludes.
After more emotional coercion, Jo parts with a lot of junk, and the result is chic and efficient.
“Neat,” which premiered last month on the Discovery Home channel, is a hipper, more compact version of “Life Laundry,” the BBC America series that is shot documentary-style and can be excruciating to watch. Thankfully, “Neat” doesn’t have the game-show feeling of TLC’s “Clean Sweep,” in which homeowners compete to sell the most throwaways during their purge, while “Mission: Organization,” HGTV’s counterpart series, falls in the middle.
One of the drawbacks to “Neat” is Buttigieg’s “maintenance program,” a list to help clients keep their space orderly, such as hiring a cleaning and errand service or a bookkeeper. But without a plan to pay for any of it, the squalor just might make a comeback.
Spud loses the remote
– The spring issue of Oprah Winfrey’s O at Home visits the Lincoln Park home of Jennifer Ehrhard, recently updated by Chicago decorator Anne Coyle. The magazine also details the ups and downs of a yearlong renovation of a New York townhouse, showcasing the stunning results.
– InStyle Home’s spring issue tours Hollywood “dream houses,” and Kenneth Brown, host of HGTV’s “ReDesign,” re-makes actress Kristin Bell’s bedroom.
– Real Simple magazine is coming to television this fall. The weekly half-hour series will include two hosts and editorial staff from the magazine, says Dustin Smith, a publicist for WGBH. The Boston public television station is producing the show.
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Carmel Carrillo is assistant editor of Real Estate. You may contact her at ccarrillo@tribune.com, or write to her at Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
