If you are like me,
you can pick up a home magazine
or design book, thumb through it quickly
(without even opening up the pages entirely)
and know if there's something in it you'll love.
Within mere seconds I can tell whether it's worth taking home to delve into further.
When I find something that speaks to me in that way, I am thrilled. It is such a treat and I make sure to create the ideal ambiance around me before I sit down to finally peruse its pages.
This usually entails making the perfect cup of coffee or my favorite tea and sitting outside on my pillow-covered bench with a view of the garden and the sound of the fountain in the background. Then -and only then- am I ready to take a leisurely stroll through its pages to discover exactly what treasures await me.
It is such a passion of mine, I relish every moment when I come across a wonderful building or an artful vignette or even just one piece of furniture that speaks to me in some way. It makes me happy just to see something I love -never mind actually recreating it.
Oh, it might stir me to make plans for some version of it for my current home or to be carried out in some future abode of mine. If that's the case, I might make a little sketch and muse on how to make it work for myself or maybe for someone I know -but, if it never comes to fruition, that's okay. There is much to be said just for the "drinking in" part.
I realize as I write this that it all might sound a wee bit dramatic and even somewhat bizarre to someone who doesn't share my passion.
"Do you really get that much out of it?" (I can hear someone asking.) And to that I respond with a resounding, "Yes! Absolutely!"
I've appreciated the art of creating a beautiful environment since I was a little girl but it's really the "spirit of place" or life-enhancing aspect that intrigues me more than anything.
To have a hand in the creation of a peaceful, soulful environment that uplifts, nurtures and inspires its inhabitants- a space for dreaming and for realizing a life well-lived every day. ~Well, that is the ultimate in my book.
Now I can hear someone saying,
"Yes, yes, yes. -'Spirit of place' and all that. -But how do you describe your personal style preference?"
Well, that will be evident and possibly more easily conveyed with each photo-filled post I write but, generally speaking, my personal preferences in the world of design run in the genre of what I term "European Country." I tend to lean more towards those designs using neutral tones and time-worn finishes. . .
Think Gustavian grays
and mushroom-y taupes juxtaposed with dark espressos
