I don’t need any furniture. I have a house full of furniture.

I get my furniture from North Carolina.

We just bought new furniture.

I only live with furniture that I inherited.

Furniture stores are my competition.

Such are some of the replies given to me when people learn of my profession.

As if furniture is the be all and end all of interior design.

Actually, furniture is one of the smallest elements of a designed residential interior.

It accounts for about six to eight per cent of the overall volume of residential interior spaces.

Yet, many people concentrate on furniture and ignore the other over ninety per cent of the room.

Look at the total spaces and take in every thing including the walls, floors, ceiling, all of which they are made, what they do, and what contributes what to the overall design of the space.

The more you look and completely see, the more you will understand, appreciate, and enjoy the beauty there in.

Food for thought.

“Rooms emphasize wheather one exists or live and there is a great difference between the two.” Van Day Truex

During the shut in and other restrictions around the world during the past few weeks, more people are spending more time in their residences which gives one a great opportunity to look at, experience, and evaluate it.

What does the interior space in which you live say about you?

Does your interior residential space current fulfill all of the functions you need for such space?

Does this space express your personality, likes, dislikes, preferences, et cetera? In other works, does your personal space look like you?

Is this personal space beautiful? Do you like being in it? If this personal space were food, would it be delicious?

Is your personal interior residential space one in which you live and have your being, or is it one in which you merely exist?

Food for thought.

As I write these words, the world is experiencing a situation which is affecting life on this planet as we know it.

No one knows when this situation will end and how it will affect our life styles.

These changes cause disruptions which are emotional, physical, financial, and psychological and we become angry, frustrated, and bored.

Seek to do that which is best for the health of the most and not become frustrated with our person limitations.

With all of the consequences affecting us, it is just a bump in the road.

Life exists and will continue to exist.

Do the best you can with what you have where you are and we will all come out of this experience on a higher level.

Visualize and think toward a more beautiful, healthy, and secure future.

Food for thought.

Diversity by all segments of the population has become more prominent in awareness over the last few years. Diversity’s position is that all peoples are entitled to be recognized and to participate in all activities of a society and that doing such also enhances the depth and flavor of that culture.

Some of that same principle can be applied to the interior designs of residences in this country.

One only has to look around to see that the same basic designs are produced literally in millions of houses across this country and the interiors and furnishings there of reflect the same concept.

Our lives and cultures and societies would be greatly enhanced if more people would open themselves up to more options and get out of their current box of thinking about their residential environments.

Look at types and styles of designs about which you’ve never even thought. Look at the advances made in architecture, designs, science, materials, technology, and what’s not been previously available.

Look at other countries, other cultures, and other periods of history, not to copy, but to enhance your horizons and explore how such can be used to advance and enhance our current residential environments.

Aesthetically, change from continually breathing the same air and go outside for some freshness.

The physics and principles of aesthetics still apply to all objects, times, and cultures.

Different in and of itself does not necessarily mean good.

You experience the results of the choices you make.

Food for thought.

” If I were asked what is the most important production of art and the thing to be most longed for, I should answer: a beautiful house”. William Moran

What a beautiful and profound statement: A house as an important production of art for which to be longed.

Art in which to live.

During all of our trials and tribulations, experiencing all of our various emotional states, having many different levels of energy, in all kinds of weather, to have some thing which is always there for us, a beautiful house can nourish and comfort us.

An aesthetic sanctuary not only, but a place to be and live.

During the epidemic that is now happening all over the world, a beautiful house can be our harbor of safety.

During this time of social isolation, look at, think about, live in, be, and appreciate the beautiful house in which you live what ever and where ever it may be.

Beauty is every where. We merely have to look for it.

In doing such, you will not mere be existing, but be living.

And isn’t the ultimate goal of life to live it to the fullest?

Do it!

Food for thought.

Superior: Webster: “The quality of being outstanding”.

Goldsmith Faberge started in 1842 producing exquisite items of intricate craftsmanship, detail, and beauty. They were superior and today sell for tens of millions of dollars each.

What relevance does such have to do with day-to-day life in the pandemic world in which we currently live?

Superiority is not always determined by price, but the level of quality it manifests.

Simply put, what we think determines what we become. That with which we surround our selves affects many aspects of our lives.

Few of us will obtain superior results in all of our endeavors, but awareness of superiority will motivate us to see it and in today’s pandemic world any thing that can make our lives more positive is most welcome.

Experiencing the aesthetics of our home environment can be life lifting.

Food for thought.

What is the difference between looking and seeing?

Some people look and some people see.

We look with our intellectual abilities.

We see with our emotional abilities.

“Music doth calm the savage beast.”

In the same way, seeing nutures, calms, and fulfills our inner selves when we look for the beauty that is ever present in our lives.

All things have elements of beauty when we see them.

During the present environment in which the world is, it is more important than ever that we seek, see, and appreciate all the beauty that is ever present in our lives.

Light eliminates darkness. Seeing beauty can shed light on the darkness which we are now experiencing.

Choose now not just to look, but to see.

Food for thought.

“Much of the character of a man may be read in his house.” John Ruskin

What does your house say about you?

What does the inside of your house say about your character, priorities, and life style?

What message does it send?

Personal choices made for personal spaces reflect our personality.

What does the world see when they look at your house? What do you want people to see and think about you when they look at your house?

For many people, their house is their biggest financial and longest term investment and asset.

What is the most important personal quality and aspect of your house, emotionally and intellectually, and how do you choose to express it?

Are we not that which we choose to express?

Who are you?

Food for thought.

How many times have you heard some one unsolicitly make such a comment usually with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm?

It appears to be very important to them that you are aware of their position even when they are not a factor in the situation.

Why?

Without going into a lot of detail about the causes of human behavior patterns, it seems that they have a hunger for being acknowledged.

Other people have the same reaction when first encountering a new situation in which they are a factor.

In both types of situations, putting a hold on your first immediate emotional response, and looking at the situation from an intellectual perspective, analyzing it, and then considering all factors present makes for a more preferable reaction.

We are all human beings with our foibles and our strengths.

Being cognizant and respectful to ourselves and others in such situations can lead us to a deeper and wider experience in all areas and aspects of our lives.

These observations are especially strong in our dealings with the aesthetics of our daily environments.

Be more aware and be more alive!

Food for thought.

What does our home mean to us as people?

Our home is our shelter from the storms in life – tangible and non-tangible.

It is the base where we are our most intimate and personal selves.

Home is where we are nourished and grow away from the duties, challenges, and requirements of the outside world.

Home is where we are free to be, enjoy, and appreciate our uniqueness.

It is our chosen environment.

Home is all of these things to us and can be more if we like.

At this moment in time and this place in space, all of us on this planet are in a time and a place of unexpectedness and disorder and uncertainty.

During these universally challenging times, our homes are even more an important aspect of our lives

Living in a well deigned interior residential space, following the laws of physics and principles of design, helps make these challenging experiences easier and more comfortable.

Human kind evolves, adjusts, and grows.

When this current calamitous event is passed, we, as human beings, will emerge with enriched energy and strength and will advance to higher and better levels of experiencing our lives.

Food for thought.