When we built our house, there were certain luxuries that we were able to add during construction. I knew that bureaus and dressers take up a lot of floor space and that they usually end up with nothing but clutter on the surface. Hoping to avoid that, we built out our closets with drawers and those lovely built in closet systems. It was my hope that I would have orderly closets and clothes and shoes, neatly kept.

I love my friends. I love the idea of having my friends come to Fire Island and stay with us. Too often, at the end of the visit I am exhausted and cranky. Why is that? Does that happen to you? Do you think your guests are cranky too, when they leave? Or did they have a good time? Did they know that you were cranky?

I am often asked by Fire Island homeowners what changes they can make to improve their home either for themselves or to make their home more marketable as a rental. Long time readers of this column will not be surprised to know that my response is that step one is always to de-clutter. The best time to undertake this is now, in the spring. Although the beach beckons, it is not as compelling as it will be come July and August. You may be inside your house a bit more now in the early summer. In addition, come the fall when we are putting our houses to bed for the winter, most of us just want to get on to the next thing... our real lives.

Here are some of the trends, good and bad, we have seen in communities all over the beach.