As times change, new inventions come into daily life, younger generations become a more important part of society, and different life styles become more prominent. These differences are reflected in the standards and ways of living and working in a culture.

Such is what is happening these times in this United States of America.

With the prominence of computers and more variations in social, economic, educational, cultural, population diversity, life styles, and different generations less conforming, such changes are becoming more popular and accepted as a reflection of our current culture.

What started as a casual day at work has become more popular and is now the standard in many businesses.

The clean shaven male is no longer the given and facial hair is a popular fashion.

The most often worn clothes for men, women, and children are becoming increasingly more casual with more emphasis on comfort and function than style and fashion.

This trend is also becoming a part of current residential living. There is a change to less formal styles, uses of spaces, and ways of day-to-day living, and fewer concerns for what was important to previous generations.

Societies and cultures have reflected occurring changes since the beginning.

Unfortunately, many people have allowed current changes to lower quality, intellectual, and aesthetic levels by showing little or no interest in their residential interior environments.

Casual does not necessarily and should not mean sloppy, poor quality, careless, by chance, or slovenly when it comes to personal appearance, clothes, business, life styles, and one’s residential interior environment.

Like water, one’s personal taste finds it’s own level.

What is the quality, intellectual, and aesthetic level of your tastes? What does it say about you? How does it affect the results of your living?

Food for thought.

“The encounter with the aesthetics is the most ‘ingessive’ transformative summons available to human experiencing.” George Steiner

To ingest intangibly aesthetically is to experience inside a feeling of beauty, wholeness, awesomeness, joy, and completeness with life as being “in the zone” on the same level as sexual and spiritual manifestations without sensual stimulation.

What is the action of a purposely full life, if not the goal of life itself, if not to experience being at the highest and greatest degree?

Where are you in experiencing life as such?

What is your level of consciousness here?

What do you want and seek here and how important is such to you?

What efforts, or non-efforts, are you making in your life for your purposes in living?

How does the quality and level of aesthetics in your residential interior environment affect these experiences?

Food for thought.

In previous writings I have said that the use of art in residential interiors designs is much the same as the use of herbs and spices in foods and cooking.

Art is not just an object placed in the aesthetic composition of a residential interior space.

Now, more benefits have come to light. Recent studies have shown that mentally unwell persons have behaved better and get well sooner in an art included environment.

Children growing up in an environment with art are nurtured more toward the beauty, sensitivity, emotional, intellectual, thinking, and analytical aspects of life.

The intellectual experience of art takes place not only when the viewer seeks to realize, comprehend, appreciate, and enjoy what the artist was attempting to do or say in their works but also what the artist didn’t say or do in their works.

For the emotional or psychological aspects of an artist’s work what thoughts, feelings, reactions, et cetera does the viewer have? How does the viewer connect with the artist’s work? What is communicated? Or not communicated? What is the viewer’s intuitional and/or gut reactions to viewing the artist’s works?

Probably, most importantly, what creativity, imagination, intelligence, talents, skills, principles of aesthetics, and materials did the artist use in creating the work of art? What is the overall quality of manifestation of every thing the artist was doing in each created work?

Each individual person is, of course, different and has various positions and view points of which all are valid and of merit in life and in the reactions to works of art. One size, or one reaction, or one interpretation does not fit every one.

In addition to the aesthetics of art in a residential interior environment, you can now look for the other aspects and raise yourself to a higher level of the total experience. After all, isn’t that a big part of what life is about – improving and raising the quality of our life’s experiences?

Food for thought.

With younger generations gradually coming into adult life in significant numbers for living spaces and businesses, there is an increased movement toward casualness in their chosen style of living and working and shopping.

A gradual change from the old to the new has always taken place in all aspects of life for growth during the ages.

This change is currently more prevalent in business interiors that residential interiors because the purposes of businesses is to produce things and provide services which is determined in today’s market place with its demographics and constantly changing conditions by new inventions and discoveries, economic conditions, costs, efficiency, popularity and life styles.

Status and hierarchy, which will probably be a part of some professions and businesses for times to come, are not important in most of the new and upcoming and changing enterprises of today’s time in which the emphasis for interiors is on flexibility, diversity, comfort, convenience, spaciousness, excellent options and conditions for natural and man made light, a relationship between interiors and exteriors, and emotional and psychological feelings of belonging and involvement.

For residential interiors, the situation is just the opposite. There is a strong tendency to retain and continue the ways, life styles, and designs of the past. Status and hierarchy play a large important role in how houses are designed and built along with landscaping, locations, et cetera. Just drive around any residential neighborhood and count the houses that are not built using past period designs.

While there are some movements in residential interiors toward more casual living and spaces, such has not reached the level as for business interiors or become as prevalent in the current building of houses.

One can have a casual life style in a more restricted traditional environment, but when the interior design and life style are of the same ambiance, it is more comfortable, convenient, deeper, and more enjoyable.

We are more emotionally involved in our residential living spaces than in our working spaces which is, of course, a major factor in choosing how we manifest both of them.

Human behavior is very complex and made of many variable and various elements.

For the best end result in all of human behavior, “to thine own self be true” which can also be essential for your business and living environments.

Food for thought.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Winston Churchill

The primary goal for any residential interior design project should be long term lasting results and not quick, easy, inexpensive, or short term results.

If results are not the only goal, then any residential interior design project is of no merit.

Some people are of the position that a designed residential interior project is exclusively a financial transaction and that’s all they want or need to find happiness.

It matters not the scheduling, costs, timing, materials, workmen, size, quality, et cetera, if there is no beauty manifest, it is but a business transaction.

If you eliminate, change, compromise, cut costs, et cetera and lower the quality and aesthetic bar to complete something by a certain time, that result is there permanently, you will have to live with it, and the best designed results will be missing.

A well designed quality residential interior space can last for decades.

As such, is it not worth the resources to make it complete and the best it can be?

If the food doesn’t taste good, are you going to eat it? It may be nutritious and healthy, but eating it will not be enjoyable.

Do you want to spend years of your life in such a place?

Quality lasts.

Food for thought.

In all types and forms of media, much is made, written, and presented of the activities, sayings, choices, et cetera, above and beyond their professional accomplishments, of those we ordinarily call celebrities.

Often times, in the area of human perception and behavior, there is a tendency to equates success in one area of a person’s life as validation for success in other areas of said person’s life.

Many publications, presentations, and proclamations of those who identify themselves as authorities or experts or knowledgeable take, with confidence, this position. The advertising and entertainment industries are well known for doing such.

“It ain’t so.”

And all of the glamour, glitz, public relations, and talking in the world does not make it so, true, or real.

The residences of royalty, politicians, entertainers, athletes, the wealthy, and others are often photographed, presented, and proclaimed as outstanding examples of residential interior designs.

The laws of physics and the principles of aesthetics are not affected by one’s personal accomplishments.

Look at, analyze, appreciate, and enjoy for what something is. Not for who did it. It should be of quality and merit to stand on it’s own.

Food for thought.

When something is old, age, in and of itself, does not necessary make it good or bad.

When something is new, such, in and of itself, does not necessarily make it good or bad.

For some people, however, old and new are extremely important factors in the design of their residential interior spaces.

One group is of the position that old is the plus ultra interior design as it represents the highest economic-social level of status and is, of course, the gold standard . The older, more shabby, more worn, more faded, et cetera it is, the better they like it.

The quality of the design, materials, aesthetics, functions, practicality, logic, et cetera are not always contributing elements to the design composition.

God forbid anything that hints of “nouveau riche”.

Then, there is the segment of the population which is 180 degrees from that position. Everything has to be the newest, most advanced, most functional, most efficient, most logical, smartest, best quality, most intelligent, et cetera, and thus is the highest level of status for the current time.

Any thing old is strictly not allowed.

Both groups, of course, are totally free to express themselves as they chose.

For professionally designed residential interior spaces, the laws of physics and the elements and principles of aesthetics must be used.

When everything else is in balance, old or new should not be a factor in the design.

When you are designing your residence primarily for your desired hierarchy of status, you should evaluate very carefully and very thoroughly which is more important to you – excellent design or egoism.

Food for thought.

Webster: “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic objects.”

Art of the appropriate quality, flavor, and style can be a completing final touch to the design of our residential interiors in much the same way as herbs, spices, seasonings, et cetera completes the tastes of foods.

Art is not limited to just beautiful objects that are placed as part of the aesthetic composition of an interior space.

Using the principles of aesthetics, the laws of physics, creative imagination, and an intelligent approach, the entire interior space can be designed as a work of art as well as the entire structure of the residence itself.

Consciously, or unconsciously, we react to beauty in the choices we make and to our to our physical environment.

The higher the intellectual level and quality of the art that we view, the longer and more satisfying will be it’s nuturing

At what level and what role does art play in the design of your residential interior?

The choice is yours.

Food for thought.

I am an intelligent, educated, sophisticated, and financially successful independent individual who likes and is comfortable with superior quality and intelligence in my life style and experiences.

I am content and comfortable with myself and can appreciate my talents, knowledge, and accomplishments and respect the same in others.

I have no need or desire to display my wealth or social status to the world.

I enjoy aesthetics in all areas of my life.

I like manifestations that fit, are functional, and express me and not what is important or impressive to other people or what is popular.

These rewards of my efforts complement and nurture me and are fulfilling experiences of my quality of living.

Such are the reasons I want a professional interior designer to guide, educate, work with, coordinate, supervise, and produce a professionally designed interior for my residence(s).

In life, I generally get that for which I pay.

What of these may be applicable to you?

Food for thought.

Dictionary: “of the highest quality and outstanding of it’s kind”

A classic design manifests the best and highest level of it’s time and place in history.

Nothing needs to be added and nothing needs to be taken away.

A classic design is based upon the elements of design and not upon costs, fashion, social-economic status, rarity, trends, or popularity.

A classic design is timeless and does not become dated.

It can be used in any design composition compatible with it’s style, aesthetics, and function.

In it’s category it can be, when appropriate, treated as a work of art and used and appreciated as such.

It’s intelligence and aesthetics are obvious, in a non-shouting way, to those who are aware of and seek such.

A classic design merits it’s costs

Look for, find, enjoy, and appreciate classics and the experience will greatly enhance your intellect and emotions.

Food for thought.