Christmas Joy

Freudian Slipcovers, supportive design, creating your sanctuary... what do those words really mean?
In everyday life, it is what HOME feels like and how it happens.

This holiday season, with my family surrounding me, my house felt like a HOME and was my personal sanctuary contributing to my personal health and well-being.
This year in particular, my family's gift giving  revolved around a "home" theme. A Paella pan for home entertaining was a personal favorite gift. Why? Because, it looks amazing, but also because I am entertaining more at home to save money of course, and because the home is personal, comfortable and inviting for family and friends.

Equally as fantastic was a reindeer that was handcrafted by my daughter Kiki and will sit out year round to remind me of her even though she now lives hours away.With color and texture and creativity it is both sophisticated and whimsical and I LOVE IT!

Mollie, my youngest daughter, found an amazing piece of art that really is PERFECT for Lynes-Land (what we affectionately call my home). It is happy, colorful, and of course had critters in it!  It is personal, so appreciated and really "feels" like it belongs. Always remember Good art does NOT match your sofa!!!!

Last but not least, Brandon, my audio-visual techie, gifted an Apple TV. I can't wait to figure out how it works. For a guy who grew up a bit of a gift giving scrooge, he has embraced his family, and his home in Florida is warm and loving.

My point to this posting is direct. Supportive and facilitative design can be very personal and exist on any scale from a personal home or a hospital complex to an entire community!

Color Confidence

I think a color pro is anyone who takes the colors in nature and uses them with confidence and pride in their home. For some, decorating a room  with color may initially feel overwhelming, but it need not be. First of all paint is paint and can always be changed.
I suggest these few steps to help you decide on the color scheme for you.
* Look at your wardrobe. What colors do you gravitate toward? What colors do you wear often?
* What colors make you feel happy, serene, relaxed, stimulated, inspired?
* Look at the room or space that you intend to color. How is it used and how do you hope it will make you feel?
* Check out what you are using within the space that you already have, can you keep it or is it possible to change the color to work with your new color palate.

Once you have asked yourself these questions, you are ready to make decisions about which color will dominate, and which colors will be the secondary and the accent colors. Your goal is to create a balance; however, with color, rarely are colors balanced when used in equal proportion. According to many interior design and color associations the formula that is most successful is 70% of the room dominated by one main color (often walls and floors), 20% of the room in another (window  treatments and upholstered furniture)and 10% of the room for accent color (often pillows and artwork).
Most importantly, do not forget to look at the lighting in your room. Color changes hues and value and tone according to the time of day and the amount and type of light within the room.

Home Goods Demonstration

Saturday, my partner in crime, Pat, and I facilitated a fun seminar at our local Home Goods store. We hoped for a few folks and got over 30. It was quite a turnout! We offered interactive and informative information for people to make their homes their own personal sanctuary.
Here are a few of our tips of the trade that are useful to everyone.

1. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Each person designed there own cocktail table. It was amazing how many completely different looks emerged. The one consistency.....design secret 101......on each table was something vertical, a set or trio of the same object, books, and an unexpected surprise.

2. Mirrors
Mirrors are a designers best friend, and can be used anywhere anytime to complete or accent tough to design areas

3. If you see it, Buy it!
Home Goods has something for everyone, but here is the deal...if you see it buy it. Everything in the store turns over 20 times per year! If you see something great, you may not find it there again.

Tell Your Story

Every Person, Every Family Has a Story.

Tell your story in your home through design elements. Much like life, design trends change with the times. However, you can still personalize a room to say something about you and your story. Find a focal point, something that you love and that is special to you, and build the room around it. Whether it's classic or funky, you can make that the foundation. A focal point can be a to-die- for view, an interesting architectural detail, or even a great piece of art that doesn't match a thing In the living room.  It may be the oversized cocktail table, or a mirrored chest transformed into a changing table in the baby's room that takes center stage. The point is to think outside of the box when deciding on the focal point.

Once you've picked the focal point, begin to tell your story by.adding something tall, something unexpected, something fresh, and a pair of items. Don't be afraid! Things can be moved around. Work in all directions, vertically as well as horizontally. Layer items to create an experience for family and guests.

My Favorite Things

Here are a few of my favorite things...

1.Something Fresh

Not surprising, something natural or something fresh can turn a boring space into one that is alive. This may be a vase of fresh flowers, seasonal and fragrant bought inexpensively at your local grocery.

A creative and unexpected way to add something fresh to  space, office or home is to fill a bowl with fresh fruit like lemons, limes, or oranges and use as an accessory piece on a table. The citris adds a splash of  color and a visual surprise that can distract and invirgorate.

2. Something Alive

Another way to add life to your space may be a fish tank. If that is a bit overwhelming and seems too labor intensive and expensive try a beta fish. They live alone, require little maintenance yet are active and beautiful . An interesting bowl with this sea creature can provide a positive distraction and encourage relaxation.

Judging a space by its cover........Beware!

It seems that everyday we make judgements about the world around us based on appearance. This may surprise many of us, but this is especially true when it comes homes, offices, and places of business. Often this first judgement influences how we initially stereotype the people who work or live there, and the quality of work they do.

What that means in a practical sense is this: the manner in which we design, furnish and present our environment and physical space where we live or work often gives others clues about our personal characteristics, our level of expertise, or the nature of what happens in the space. Thus, it may be much more important that many realize to pay attention to our environments and  the influence it has on ourselves and others.

Here is the another interesting fact. Before we even go into a home, business or office, we often make judgments about how we expect to feel within that space and if, in fact, we do feel that way when we arrive. For example, most of us want our home to be our personal santuary, our space where we can really relax and be ourselves.  In a counselor's office, we expect to feel relaxed and comfortable and safe. In a bank, most of us want to feel a sense of privacy, professionalism and security.

More and more research is emerging that suggests practical ways to trasform any environment into a space that reflects the nature and purpose of that specific area as well as  promotes health and wellness .