There are various positions expressed concerning how much recover of the costs of changes, additions, remodeling, upgrading, et cetera are recouped when such house is sold.

The question is what determines the cost value, and to whom, when these expenditures are made.

The financial value of a residence is certainly a factor in residential ownership but the quality value of use, enjoyment, and the complete living experience therein is also a factor.

Over previous times there have been many aspect changes involved when a residence goes on the market.

The value of the decision rests on whether financial returns or fullness of the living experience is of more importance.

The majority of residential construction is factored by potential for profitability in a certain portion of the mass market.

What was, or is, the more important costs returns you made for your personal living environment?

Food for thought.

180 degree positions are exact opposites of each other.

The current competitions between the Republicans and Democrats in this country are sterling examples of such.

The current status of affairs relating to residential living situations that come across my desk also often manifest this position.

What changes, additions, and improvements made to residential structures that increase saleability and financial returns are presented with the pros and cons of each.

A similar presentation will give a 180 degree position.

The same situations are present in other aspects such as finances, locations, views, curb appeal, antiques, designer furnishings, art, construction materials, workmanship, techniques, sources, maintenance, style, fashion, status, et cetera.

How does a lay person navigate such a confused and irrational state of affairs?

First, research and analyze who is presenting the position for their education, background, experience, where, when, how, and why they are taking this position.

Is this position being made as an informative and educational one or is it a paid, promotional, or endorsed one?

What are the ambiance, financial, status, style, fashion, et cetera results of this position’s manifestations?

Is adhering to this position congruent with your personality traits, likes and dislikes, life style, and functions of living?

Completing such gives you some information to make an intelligent, beautiful, functional, and discerning decision.

There is a flood of false and unworthy information in almost all media in our civilizations today.

Be aware.

Choose wisely.

Food for thought.

How you determine your living spaces determines how your living spaces determine you.

The spaces in which you live affects all parts of you physically, with scientific evidence showing it even affects your heart health, as well as intellectually, emotionally, mentally, aesthetically, functionally, financially, et cetera.

Poor lighting, natural and man made, not fully functional or comfortable furnishing, lack of or disorganized spaces, unpleasant and or patterns or colors or materials, not reflective of personality, or “home”, et cetera all contribute to negative responses from you consciously or unconsciously.

Well designed living spaces, aesthetically, functionally, and expressing personal traits using the laws of physics and the principles of aesthetics manifest an environment of convenience, comfort, pleasing, functional, “home”, et cetera.

What role does determination play for the spaces in which you live and what does your efforts and action, or lack there of, say about such.

Food for thought.

What determines the aesthetic level of residential interior design regardless of who, what, where, when or why?

The five basic elements of aesthetics and how they are used.

Line is direction and edge.

Form is shape.

Mass is size.

Color is reflected light.

Texture is the visual and tactile quality of a surface.

All physical objects and spaces have these five characteristics.

Each element is a part individually and of the whole complete composition of design.

It is not processes done and objects utilized but how these elements are used, hopefully with knowledge and intelligence, that determine the aesthetics level of a residential interior design.

Think of these elements as the useable guide to a desired goal and think not of objects and spaces.

It is wise to have a goal and knowledge of the principles of aesthetics and the laws of physics for the highest levels of results.

Status, costs, rarity, history, labor, location, use, etc cetera, while they may be a factor, are not these elements.

Knowing what is, it’s characteristics, and how to use these elements in this manner, is wise, worthy, and practical for your inside living spaces and other aspects of life.

What do you see and how do you see it where you live?

Food for thought.

During all stages of animal evolution, from the animal kingdom to human beings, there is, for what ever reasons, a systematic need for levels of status, and some times power and control, which takes place.

This status system affects many areas of civilization behaviors including people, businesses, and government.

Even today in this country, which does not have a royal type of government, a social-economic hierarchy status order very much exists.

Human behaviorist have learned that, consciously or unconsciously, within seconds upon initial encounter, people evaluate and judge about you what they see and hear.

Personal grooming, clothes worn, cars driven, residences and their interiors, sources of income, language, education, et cetera are all factors contributing to this evaluation.

Generally, the louder and more flaunted is considered more lower class.

The quiet subtle appearance of quality is considered higher class.

There recently came across my desk from a leading international interior design publication a feature article of a recently tremendously successful person in which every personal physical expression had to be of the most expensive, newest, rarest, brightest, and flaunted there of to shout his financial status resulting in a very lower class presentation.

Said publication on the latest in men’s clothing had the highest quality of materials, workmanship, classic styling, quiet and subtle appearance, and neutral ambiance which resulted in very high class presentation.

An underlying psychological factor between the two is that the lower class one is newer and insecure and needs to tell the world about their financial worth to hope for higher status where as the higher class one is confident within itself and it’s status and doesn’t care for the world to know it’s financial worth.

The ambiance of your personal living and being surroundings are a big factor in the level of status you exhibit.

What do you want the world to see or think about you and your status, or do you care?

Food for thought.

“Unto thine own self be true, and then as night follows day thou will then not be false to any man.” origin unknown

Music has a feeling. It affects an emotion. It has something specific to be experienced.

Literature has a core. It has an idea or maxim or story to tell.

The highest bar in art tells a story, of an event, or interprets a personality.

Everything expressed has a cause or purpose for being.

Every human being is unique and has specific personality traits and peculiarities.

What do the spaces in which you live and move and have your being say about you.

The most successfully designed residential interiors have an ambiance which manifests the personality of it’s occupants.

It may, or may not, reflect the trends and times in which it is made.

It is in a style of expression which mirrors it’s users choices.

Those residential interiors done primarily for status or fashion or commercial purposes can be empty, cold, and lacking in personality.

The intelligent use of the laws and principles of aesthetics are used to interpret that personality.

To mirror the personality of the one, with out knowledge, for whom the spaces are designed is the ultimate bar for a successfully completed residential interior.

When making those decisions, selecting those choices, making the plans, and executing such, be true to your self.

How truly do your residential interior spaces reflect the real you?

Food for thought.

“Separate the wheat from the chaff.” Proverbs 20:26 Holy Bible

What does this quote have to do with the interior design of one’s resident?

Of all the information that comes across my desk about current residential interior designs there are multitudes of expressions as to it’s current status of what is now, what is dated, what to do, what not to do, et cetera.

Interestingly enough, these positions are many times in direct opposition to each other.

What is a layperson to do with all of this information?

How does one separate the good from the bad?

Intellectually, aesthetically, personally, realistically, and functionally analyze the results that are manifest by each position maker and evaluate accordingly.

Evaluate the qualities of the position maker for education, experience, talent, ethics, et cetera.

Are these position makers putting forth for the best interior design or are they trying to sell you something?

Who are you, where are you, and where do you want to go for the final end result of your inside living spaces?

What is the best way to get to that goal and how do these various positions relate to it?

What are the time frames, budgets, resources, codes, laws, doers, and other varying factors for your project and how do these positions fit into that picture?

Be true to your self and what fits you and your life styles and proceed accordingly including following your intuition and gut feelings.

As grand ma said “there are many ways to cook chicken” and there are many opinions.

Plot, plan, proceed, stay the course, and enjoy the journey and the results.

Food for thought.

What physical features determine the financial value of a residence?

What remodeling and other expenditures add or subtract from the value of a residence?

What does location do for the value of a residence?

What are current trends and marketing for residences?

What residential expenditures will be recouped?

What long term is the financial value of a residence?

All are current determining factors in the selling and buying of residential properties.

What is the function, merit, and return for the creation and building of residences?

Living in them?

Up and above the necessity of physical shelter from the elements what factors determine the value of a residence?

The quality of life, the expression of personality, and the emotional, psychological, intellectual, physical, and spiritual nourishment experienced there in are the underlying aspects of determining residential values.

If there is no fulfillment what is it’s value?

Food for thought.

Functional and personality reflective, two of the three qualities of a well designed living space, are very evident in many of the current world wide residential interiors that come across my desk.

There is the third important aspect that, to me, is missing.

I keep asking my self when looking at these living spaces: Are they beautiful?

While we all have our personal preferences (tastes) the biggest trait we use in selecting what we eat is to what degree does it taste good?

And yet we don’t apply that same qualifying principle to the aesthetic qualities of the spaces we occupy.

Why?

If we are to manifest life in an upward movement toward a higher level of civilization in our day-to-day living as the most intelligent existences on this planet is it not of merit to pursue such a beneficial aspect of our existence?

There have also most always been, when there are groups of people, those citizens who lead, who follow, who get in the way, and those who go backward.

Into which group do you belong when reflecting the aesthetics of the spaces in which you live and move and have your being?

Food for thought.

The aesthetic and functional level of achievement is the determinate factor in evaluating the success of a residential interior design project.

We enjoy and appreciate what we see with our eyes and react with our mind and emotions.

What about what we don’t see?

There is scientific evidence that aesthetics affect our physical body, including our heart, as well as fulfilling some of our primordial needs and desires all of which we are probably not aware.

Have you ever asked yourself how the aesthetic residential interior environment in which we live and move and have our being affects our inner physical body by what we don’t see?

Food for thought.