Recently I moved to a new home and the opportunity to go thru the life created and stored in the old home reminded me of what I always find to be the goal in my passion for design. As you head into Spring and the traditional cleaning that accompanies the season, a perfect chance unveils itself to bring great life moments into your home.
EVERY HOME should reflect those who reside within. Many moments are captured and then stored sometimes unintentionally forever in boxes in the attic. These treasures are what make our HOME a GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
Here’s what I recently rediscovered in my Spring Cleaning / Move!
Any chance I get to support the local arts and business in our wonderful city of Charleston and the State of West Virginia, I do! My office at home as well as the Studio surrounds me with pieces that are not only exactly that. In addition, each piece is a reminder of a great evening Artwalk or some other event involving our great local scene like Capitol Market or the Clay Center!
One very cool “find” behind the sofa in my Den was a canvas painted by a friend from 9th grade at South Charleston High School, Nancy Riffle. For a special grandparent gift, Nancy painted a scene of the once present Christmas tree field and barn that are a permanent memory of my grandparent’s farm. The farm went into contract this week so these memories are never to be repeated. This canvas was returned to me after my recent loss of 103-year-old grandmother.
Next find also hidden behind the sofa and now also placed in my Home Office is a great shadow box! My mom and her brother made these when we lived out west and the contents preserve moments from our time there!
My grandmother seemed to always be reading at least one book at any given moment and she always encouraged us to read by offering to let us borrow something from her collection. THE HOLLOW HILLS is one that I didn’t get returned and now I have it as one of my favorites especially because it connects me to her!
In my early career, a young gentleman worked for me who was the impeccable professional. He and his twin traveled to South America one year (he was about 20 years old) and these small statues were a gift from his trip. He unfortunately ended up suddenly in the hospital that same summer and passed away presumably from and illness developed from the trip. The statues are ever present in my world to remind me that life is precious and can never be taken for granted.
A PLAYBILL from one of my first visits and shows in NYC, a snake plant that has journeyed and grown with me for many years, and a pitcher that is one of my earliest memories from Mom’s kitchen. These things matter in developing a space that makes me feel “at home”.
Lastly two of my favorites… the original WEST SIDE STORY album that I remember as one of my parents first. It played in one of those old stereo cabinets that were an actual piece of furniture. It reminds me of my dad! The upper corner chewed by one of the gang. These guys are always around in one of my best memories… the picture on the steps. They are all gone now but this one connects me to a great period in my life.
The point is this. A lamp is a lamp is a lamp… unless it’s a Ball canning jar filled with my marble collection and made into a lamp like my mom did when we were rebuilding our lives at one point in this journey.
BALANCE is the ability to have a comfortable inviting and inspiring home that feels good and invites others to enjoy. The personal IMPORTANT pieces are the unique things that let people know us! These are the things that really make us smile, ponder, and reflect on what it is to have a home that is a GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!
