Walking into the lobby of a city building last week and seeing a tall fully decorated Christmas tree did not go well with my positions which is that pushing that holiday merchandising and decorations that soon takes away from the anticipation and kills the joy by over saturation of the Christmas holidays.

Then reminded myself that with all that has been and is going on in this world today perhaps an early celebration would be good for our spirits.

Decorating a Christmas tree involves adding ornamental objects to it.

Decorating a Christmas tree synchronizes with what some people do with the interior of their residential spaces.

They decorate instead of designing.

Webster defines decoration as “to furnish something with ornamental”

While some decorating can enhance the aesthetic level of a residential interior, or any other physical object, designing such is a much more highly intellectual and aesthetic manifestation.

Webster defines designing “deliberate progressive planning.”

Instead of “adding to what is already there” the task is planned from beginning to end with each aspect executed according to the part it plays in the whole final composition.

While it is not always possible to take on every part of an interior space from the beginning, it is wise to make the best aesthetic use of what is there to achieve the highest level of desirable results in the end.

While there is overlap between designing and decoration in today’s world of residential interiors there is definitely a big difference in how each such is done and the results there of.

When you look at, react to, or analyze the interior residential interior environments you experience, think was it “added to” or “planned” for the seen results.

Food for thought.

Color is determined by the reflection of light on a surface and is experienced by our sense of sight although some people also have a sense where by they can hear color.

What we see is not as simple.

According to an article in a recent Mensa publication what color we see is much more complex and is not determined with the same degree of determining factors.

What color we see, how we describe it, and how we react to it is caused by “variations in individual and cultures”.

“Genetic variations in the biology of light determines in one’s eyes ” are the main factor in what color an individual physically sees so that all persons don’t see the same result when viewing the same color.

Levels of advancement in the culture in which we exist are the other factor by which we experience color.

“Your own subjective experience of color is so private.”

Just as people have different reactions to the sounds they hear people also have different reactions to the colors they see.

“It’s difficult to know if these differences are biological or cultural.”

The genetic make up with which we are born and the environment in which we are raised and live are the causes of our own individual life experience.

The deeper and more we learn about the universe in “which we live and move and have our being” the more we advance civilization and increase the quality of our life’s experience.

And is not making the most and best of what we experience what life is all about?

How much of what we experience seeing in life is color?

Food for thought.

What needs to be considered when choosing how to treat your windows to manifest a successful functional and beautiful result.

Windows in a room are the sources of outdoor natural light and thus are an important factor in determining what results are obtained for the entire interior space.

What direction the window faces determines the quality and quantity of light so that such is a big factor is what is the best treatment for windows.

The sun is ever present and will not be ignored.

What is the view seen from the window and is such to be enhanced or eliminated?

What is the function of the window treatment?

What is the best way to achieve that function in the most pleasing manner?

What is the flavor of the window treatment as related to the style and design of the space?

What do you like and what brings you joy when looking at your window treatment?

How does it reflect the time and place where it is?

How important is the “status” of the window treatment in reflecting the physical quality and the ambiance of it’s interior ambiance?

Is how the window treatment seen from the outside a factor that needs to be considered and, if such, how is that need fulfilled?

The best approach here, as in all design projects, is to intelligently apply the laws of physics and the principles of aesthetics as opposed to trends, rules, always, standardization, traditions, et cetera.

There is an old ism: “That you always get what you pay for.” which can be applied to window treatments, as well as other aspects of life, in that the level of results achieved reflects the mental resources, such as logic, intelligence, planning, knowledge, et cetera, put into the project.

What do you see when you look at the window treatments where you are, at home or any place else, and how do you react to such and how important is such to you?

Food for thought.

An interview about”This Is Your Brain on Architecture”, a book by Sarah Williams Goldhagen, came across my desk recently and is a very intelligent, researched, psychological, and emotional look at how what we see, consciously and subliminally, affects what we see and how we react to it.

There has been much information learned in recent years on the brain and how multisensory we react to our environment and how such is more important than thought before.

“Embodied cognition”, which is a paradigm for how we live and think in the world, is starting to emerge “dipping into psychology, linguistics, anthropology, and neuroscience”.

Most buildings start with size to fit in building space starting with the outside and filling the interior to fill that space.

Finances most often determines what happens thereafter with the design, materials, aesthetics, scheduling, et cetera.

What often gets lost in this construction process is the subjective responses of people to and with said construction results.

Environment is a strong and causing factor in individual experience and behavior and is validated by scientific evidence.

Most of humanity does not live in an ideal world but those who have options of what can be done in building our environments, commercially and residentially, inside and outside, are a factor in determining the world in which we live and move and have our being.

So, after reading the above what do you see and think of your residential, interior and exterior, environment and how do you react to such?

Food for thought.

Have you ever noticed how quickly and unsolicitly some people are compelled to express themselves on a new exposure, of which many times they are not a factor in the situation, as to what are their personal preferences.

Frequently, these expressed opinions are of aesthetic or changes situations.

Some one once said that such is the biggest commodity in the history of human civilization.

Most of us live in a country where we are free to express such opinions but why is it done and is it of desired behavior?

What are we to make of it? What does it say about the sayer? How are we to react to it intelligently and knowledgeably?

Some people say it as a way, consciously or unconsciously, to validate their existence, needs, knowledge, et cetera which may or may not be merited.

While we have the freedom to make such a statement, does doing such enhance, or deter, our personality as experienced by others?

It is wise and of merit to know and understand well of what we speak before speaking it and evaluating whether such speaking is a contribution to the situation or just a personal tick of which no one else really cares?

Food for thought.

During a recent conversation with a decades in the profession antique dealer the subject got around to big houses, high quality furnishings, and how people live.

It appears that for many people, as we both have experienced in our different professions, a facade is more important that living.

We both have encountered clients who live in impressive facade houses in expensive neighborhoods of high status but inside the house is basically empty with bed sheets at the windows and patio furniture for use.

The big facade is their residential life.

Other people live in more modest less pretentious houses with high quality interior furnishings which they use, enjoy, and appreciate.

They live full valid life styles.

Perhaps you have come in contact with people who manifest these two methods of living in other areas such as cars, vacations, clothes, activities, organizations, intellectual interests, careers, religions, educations, et etera.

The purpose of life is to live and not to pretend behind a facade.

Life is too short and time is too precious not to experience at it’s fullest.

So, how do you live?

So, which of these two approaches in more manifest in the buildings in which you express your life?

Food for thought.

A recently read article in The Telegraph relates some of the intelligence and thought that goes into the passenger seating spaces in air planes.

Extensive research is done on colors of fabrics and lighting for different times and functions.

The effort is made to “try to have a home like relaxing feeling”.

Enormous thought is given to “the color, materials, and finish of fabrics”.

Great thought is given to: “Psychological power of color and control of lighting can influence the mood of people.”

The effect of noise on health is considered.

Could not all of these approaches be applied to the design of our residential interior spaces?

How much time and research to get the best and most durable results for your home furnishings and backgrounds did you spend where you chose to live?

Interior spaces occupied by people need to be designed for the functions, ambiance, and persons for which they will be used.

The intelligence and wise expenditure of resources are a major factor in the level and quality of results for any interior spaces used by people whether it be residential, educational, travel, religious, entertainment, business, commerce, et cetera.

What is the level of satisfaction you experience for the research you did for the interior environment where you live?

Food for thought.

We start acquiring possessions, through our parents, before we are born and continue through many different stages and ages of doing such until we die.

Our possessions determine much of our life styles and the level of quality of much of our living.

The quantity and quality and descriptions of our possessions are as varied as the personalities who have them.

The habits of possession are also often expressed in many lower animal behaviors.

Some people take the ownership of possessions to extremes such as those people who manifest living with the most possessions and those who manifest living with the fewest possessions.

What happens when all of your possessions are destroyed by fire, or earthquake, or stolen, or removed via some other reason?

Or, what happens when you find your self with more possessions than you want or need because of inheritance, marriage, or some other reason?

The essence of quality in ownership of possessions is to have those things which fulfill your needs, wants, desires, et cetera whether for sentiment, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, personality, function or other reasons.

As in all physical manifestations, the level of beauty, comfort, and satisfaction is determined by the intelligent use of the laws of physics and principles of aesthetics.

Where are you in the possessions with which you choose to surround yourself?

Food for thought.

Thales, a Greek philosopher, around 585 BCE stated that water is: ubiquitous, essential, productive, and metamorphic and can occupy all three material states.

Water manifest certain physical characteristics or laws of which one is that it always finds it’s own level.

This same principle can be applied to the choices many people make in the materialization of their residential interior environment.

Finances, education, family background and environment, personality development, location, geography, status, culture, et cetera are all determining factors affecting our preferences for our personal living spaces.

On top of and beside the influences of all of those factors, there is often another element in our inner being, of which we may or may be conscious, that insists upon being expressed.

It matters not the affect, positive or negative, such choices make on the overall composition of the living space whether in function, aesthetics, comfort, logic, or finances some people will insist upon going in that direction.

When all is said and done we are all human beings living on this sphere in space with all of our imperfections and idiosyncratic behaviors so that our insistence on doing such on these occasions perhaps merely manifest such.

Food for thought.

What is the status of residential housing in this country today?

The demands of the market, changes of life styles cause by the pandemic, interest rates, labor, materials, availability, job market, inflation, global warming, et cetera have all caused major changes, and still do, in the residential housing market of the life we experience today.

Shelter from the elements is the foremost and most basic function of residential existence and is not one which is optional.

Above and beyond being basic shelter from the elements, our homes also fill necessary emotional, psychological, physical, legal, health, some time spiritual and religious, business, social, et cetera needs and requirements.

For our daily lives to be livable there has to be a balance of finances between housing costs and income in relation to the other aspects of one’s life.

This balance will vary in different locations, times, circumstances et cetera during our present time and future ones.

So, how do we put all this stuff together in a desirable manifesting way?

The history of the human race through the ages has manifest endless varying results of how these elements have come together.

For a housing process to be successful there has to be responsibility, action, cooperation, fairness, et cetera from all members of society including business, finance, government, environmentalists, designers of many professions, labor, health, and others working together as a team to have all of a population well housed.

What do you see today as the major challenges facing housing the population of this country? What do you see as the solutions? How and what do we have to do to put it altogether and have it work?

How does all of such affect you personally and the people who are important in your life?

What, if anything, are you going to do about the current situation?

Food for thought.