In the history of civilization, progress is achieved only by going forward and is a desirable goal for any human endeavor.

We don’t make any progress by returning to the past.

Yet, much of the human population does just that in certain important areas of their lives.

Computers and cell phones have become universally popular around the world in all civilizations and are becoming the primary source for communication and transfer of information in most of the areas of our lives.

When it comes to the design of residences, past designs greatly outnumber the use of today’s designs.

Such ain’t progress.

Past residential designs are known and feel comfortable for most of those who make these choices.

Past residential designs are copied and reproduced and reinterpreted to the nth degree of which much is attributed to it’s appearance as being of a superior social-economic status.

The desire for this status and ignorance of what can be achieved by today’s designing are primarily why such choices are made over intelligence, comfort, function, and residences congruent with the technology, materials beauty, energy, expenditures currently obtainable and the many options available for today’s living.

These options can produce results that are miles ahead superior for living spaces than are made by choosing to return to past residential design.

Are the choices you make for the design of your living spaces progress or regression to the past?

Which makes more progress: redesigning the past or designing with today’s world?

Food for thought.

Each day current information about housing construction in this nation comes cross my desk.

Over 95% of these new houses, being built across this entire country, look as if they were made from the same pattern.

Mass production for a mass market.

There are two species of dandelions, generally considered a weed, that produce a single blossom.

There are tens of thousands of species of orchids which produce a very wide variety of colors, designs, and sizes.

How would you describe the bloom of your residence – dandelion or orchid?

Food for thought.

There are many people is this world who are of the position that they know everything and that facts are not relevant. Reality, for them, is what fulfills that position.

Sometimes, this situation works itself into the design of their residential spaces.

Social economic status, ways that they operate their business, personal prejudices, and other personal factors enter into their residential interior design decisions.

As surely as the laws of gravity affect our physical existence, the laws and principles of design affect all results for aesthetics.

As in many of life’s decisions, the question needs to be asked: What is the ultimate end result of the goal sought?

What, then, are the methods best used to achieve that goal?

Will the emotion or intellect be the trump factor?

With intelligence, knowledge, creativity, education, experience, and imagination, both can be combined to produce the best results.

What role does arrogant play in the residential interior environment in which you experience your life?

Food for thought.

As a small child I experienced great joy and happiness during the Easter holiday when having a beautiful Easter basket filled with Easter eggs of all kinds, fake grass, bunnies, any kind of chocolate, and any thing else that was cheerful, colorful, and tasted good.

Such is the way that many people choose to manifest their residential interiors.

These people are not unintelligent and poor.

They will spend lots of money (100s of 1000s of dollars), have a great location, landscaping, and great architecture.

Then, they treat the interior as an Easter basket by filling it with with beautiful, expensive, and high quality furnishings.

The bad thing is that all of these furnishing are not designed into an aesthetic composition. It is a hodgepodge.

Why?

Perhaps, for these people, other aspects are more important to them than good design composition.

Quality, costs, status, rarity, uniqueness, age, et cetera with out an aesthetically designed composition is bad design and greatly lowers the level of beauty and viewing pleasure.

What do you see and experience when living in your residential interior spaces?

Food for thought.

The laws of physics are, have been, and always will be and determine our physical activities.

Approximately forty some thousand years ago, humans first started expressing themselves in their search for the significance of life and it’s meaning.

Since that time civilization has advanced into the computer age to learn of the cosmos and life in all of it’s aspects.

The principles of aesthetics, which are a part of the laws of physics, have remained the same as mankind searches and learns more of them.

It matters not what is done in aesthetics, the laws remain in effect regardless of time, materials, cultures, and intelligence used to manifest them.

The level of beauty that human being experience is determined by how these laws are used.

How are these laws and principles used for the level of aesthetics you experience in your day-to-day life?

Food for thought.

Rush designs equal mush results.

When designing a quality residential interior, it is important to remember what is the purpose of the design and what is the ultimate long term goal.

To live in, use, enjoy, and appreciate one’s life style should be the goal for all residential interiors.

For some people, the desired goals for such spaces are efficiency and speed in construction and deliveries to meet scheduled dates and budgets which over ride other aspects of the project including results.

In today’s culture, there is the aspect of not waiting and wanting instant results. Residential interior design is not fast food and is not be consumed immediately.

Which is more important to you, the client, to live with something you like and adapt budgets and schedules to fit your personality, needs, and life styles, or to live with something you don’t like to fit schedule and budgets?

Try to think of long term results, as in decades, instead of current situations.

You, as the client, make the deciding choice.

Food for thought.

Functionality is a basic requirement of a successfully designed residential interior. What ever that function is, it must be.

There are many instances where the expenditures for aspects of function present many choices. For examples: Some thing could be made of wood, stone, plastic, metal, or other materials or it could be custom made or mass produced of which each choice affects the final costs.

Some aspects to be considered in these situations are: What is the ambiance of the design and how will these choices affect it? What is the level of quality of the rest of the interior spaces and how do these choices affect that aspect? What are the personal preferences of the people who are to be using the spaces? When applicable, what are the images, status, quality, ambiance, et cetera desired by users of the space? What will be seen and what will not be seen and how important is such?

All of of these decisions will affect the final result as the ingredients and making and cooking affect the final appearance and taste of foods.

The best aesthetic results are those where all of the choices come together into a complete and pleasing whole.

Think in terms of longevity and not immediate situations for the best beneficial results.

Food for thought.

Viewing some of the residential interiors which have been selected as the best of the last 100 years by a well known shelter publication, it becomes more clear of the the difference between interior designer and interior decorator.

Most of those done by a decorator appear to be primarily as a space filled with objects (often as many as possible and as different as possible with the walls, floors, and ceilings in the same vein of thought) which manifest a result reflecting the personality (and often the socio-economic status) of the doer.

Fully expressed emotions over ride the intellect.

It has always been my position that residential interior design is not an Easter basket to be filled with as many goodies as possible.

The examples of residences done by interior designers take into consideration the walls, floors, and ceilings of the space and everything that goes into the space as affecting each other and the composition there of so that the end result manifest a balanced whole composition.

It flows together as a complete symphony.

Decoration is more emotion and design is more intellect.

Look at and appreciate both choosing the one which best reflects your personality.

Food for thought.

The end of year is upon us and there are many and various celebrations from the movement of the planets to our various religious, personal, and family occurrences which take place around the world.

There is more joy and good will in the air at this time of the year than any other.

Experience, appreciate, and enjoy now that which you find most fulfilling and appropriate for you.

Take this feeling and apply it to your life for the rest of time year round.

In all that you do, look for the beauty that is ever present in all of living.

Beauty is it’s own reward and gives flavor and significance to each and every one of us.

This week, we enjoy the day. Next week, we will go back to educational and informative blogging.

Celebrate! Enjoy! Be!

Food for thought.

The season is upon us when all kinds and levels of decorations explode in many manifestations and locations.

These expressions are most often based on emotional decorations and not intellectual design concepts.

All of which is good in that the season is to be more one of joy than a mental project.

Enjoy and express your personal style as fits you and the occasions you celebrate.

The elements and principles of design are still in effect regardless of what you do. You may want to keep such in mind if such appeals to you.

The ultimate goals should be expressing what is significant and meaningful for you.

Be yourself and appreciate and enjoy the season!

Food for thought.