I'm adding a new feature to the blog, and I hope you'll participate. Every Sunday I'm inviting you to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, put your feet up and join a thoughtful discussion about design, creativity, beauty, and life.
I'm starting with this quote from Coco Chanel, because I think we sometimes get caught up in the acquisition of beautiful things to put in our homes...the thrill of the hunt, the latest great find...but we need to stop occasionally and examine how those things enhance our lives. How is your life made better by the space that surrounds you? How is your home made more beautiful by the life you live in it?
I'd be happy in a nice big neat house.
ReplyDeleteI've found that I can be happy in a small space, but in tight quarters, neatness really is necessary to me. It only takes a few things out of place for my tiny house to look cluttered, so I tend to be more conscientious about putting things in their proper places than I was in a larger house. When my house is neat, I feel energetic and motivated to keep it clean, as opposed to when it's disorganized, which seems to make me somewhat depressed and lethargic, breeding more mess.
DeleteMy surroundings very much influence my mood. I feel best in a sunny room that's filled with color and texture, live plants and clean, green scents. A space like that makes me happy and keeps my mind alert. The older I get, the more I like simplicity: white walls, bare windows, dark floors, pops of color in art and other accessories. I want a bright, happy place that is full of love and the laughter of my grandsons.
ReplyDeleteThe house we're in now has never felt like 'home' to me, although we do have funny/happy memories. It is a poorly remodelled Dutch Colonial that was painted... inside and out.... in dark colours, with whole walls of cheap mirrors, plastic chandeliers, and fake stone. Oh, and black carpet throughout.
ReplyDeleteWe've done a lot to mend the poorly thought-out additions, etc... but it's still not home. Our daughter, however, loves it so the plan is to give it to her when we move on. A simple home with enough space for us and the three pooches, with lots of light and exposed rafters, all on one level and with no separate rooms (outwith bathrooms and closets of course). Grey floors the colour of old barn siding, lots of white, with occasional pops of bright colour. Oh yes, sounds perfect to me.
Sounds like such a restful and comfortable home you have planned. I could easily live in a place like the one you described. It's interesting how you can live in a place for years, and it never really feels like home. I've had places like that myself Just the opposite can be true too. I wondered if it would feel strange relinquishing my home to my daughter, son-in-law and the boys, but the minute I moved into this tiny home of mine, it felt right.
DeleteI've been working on making our house aspirational - I like to think about what I envision my life to be and make sure our home agrees and helps us work towards that goal. For our new house, one of our aspirations is to have a lot of house guests so we made sure to have one bedroom set purely for guest and are also working on making the main living space and back yard really inviting for spending time together with whomever is visiting. I love this new series! Cheers - CT
ReplyDeleteThat's such a beautiful concept...to make our homes fit our goals. I had never really thought of it in those terms before, but it makes perfect sense. If the decisions you make about your home doesn't align with your aspirations, few of your goals have much chance of being met. I see lots of guests in your future!
DeleteI'm go glad you like the new series. I hope others warm up to it. I'd like for people to look forward to sharing ideas on Sundays, and I hope you're a regular contributor.