the why behind ‘creating restorative spaces’

Hello lovelies,

It’s been awhile since I have posted regularly, as I have been very busy behind the scenes the past four months updating my offerings and this website to reflect a new direction in my work. It’s partly the offerings themselves that are new, but also the approach. To be honest, it has always been there; my love of slow living, my love of balance and clarity. My ability to ‘cut through the clutter’. But I wanted to expand on my new tagline/mission ‘creating restorative spaces you love to live in’ because from the time it came to my mind last autumn, it is increasingly apparent we all need some restorative space.

restorative:

adjective: of or relating to restoration (a bringing back to a former position or condition)

noun: something that serves to restore to consciousness, vigor, or health

Fresh air, sunshine, quiet corners, empty surfaces, open space, meaningful treasures, well read books, favorite photos, expansive views, natural light, delicious aromas, birdsong, comfortable seating, tidy storage, artful pieces, room to breathe; these are some of the things that make up ‘a restorative space’.

Statistically speaking it is inevitable we will be touched by challenging situations; illness, financial hardship, legal battles, unavoidable crisis, unintentional poor decisions and ultimately death. This is not to paint a grim picture; this is to be honest about what living on this earth, at times, surrounds us with. You or a dear loved one will very likely brush against difficulties. Difficulties that are at times beyond bearable, beyond understandable, beyond quantifiable.

I have been working as an interior designer for over thirty years and my work has gone through many guises. I have been interested in and learned about many aspects of my field. I believe the past few years has brought me to this point of grasping even more wholeheartedly that our homes are our ‘safe landing place’, or at least (in my opinion) they should be. I am all too aware that many many homes are in some way the very epicenter of the struggle.

We are a society that hides our emotions, hides what is going on ‘behind closed doors’, hides what struggles are real and often debilitating. We show the world we can ‘handle it’ and ‘have it all together’. The truth is, this simply is not the case. We all have mountains to climb and valleys to wonder through, this takes strength and fortitude.

It may seem somewhat trite for me to express that a ‘restorative space’ can help alleviate the struggle, but I believe deeply this to be the case. When we have too much weighing on us ‘in the world’ it impacts us even more greatly to have too many distractions, possessions and disruptions in our homes. This hinders us in gaining clarity, focus and breathing space to collect our thoughts and be aware of our emotions. A cluttered and disruptive home adds to our cluttered and disrupted mind and ultimately expresses it in all manner of ways through our body. Overwhelm, confusion, sleep deprivation, anxiety, over eating, under eating, this list goes on.

Please do not think I am simplifying this to the point that ‘if your home is restorative’ all else will be ‘perfect’. Far from it, I am relaying what I know to be true, what I have experienced, with myself, others and my clients.

I have seen my clients move through challenging events and I too have been touched by each of the struggles I previously mentioned. Over the last eight years; three years were spent in continual legal quagmires, two were spent experiencing what terminal illness does to a family, one was spent helping a dear friend through more legal issues, two were spent caring about and for a couple that found themselves homeless in my neighborhood. Each struggle and situation came just as the last was ending. All taking more energy then I ever thought I had. All postponing other projects and our own home improvements. But this is what life is. And we need to do it well. We need to be there for others. We need to right poor decisions. We simply need to.

We also need to spend time with friends, gather with family, take breaks and have fun. We need to embrace the lighter side of things, although that at times may feel impossible. We need to have open time and space to make sense of it all. Take walks, take baths, take day trips and take time. We need to create breaks, soft spots to land in between it all. We need a restorative space to balance the shock of what can pop up in life. We need things around us that calm us, make us happy and bring contentment.

At the core of my being I am an advocate; I want to see change, I want to be the change. And with that I want to help you create the change and move in a direction that facilitates a more ‘whole’-istic approach to your life. I want to help you make life easier, more fulfilling, more engaging. Less stressful, less dramatic, less chaotic. I want you to live your whole life.

And part of that mission is to guide you in creating a restorative space you love to live in; something that serves to restore consciousness, vigor, and health.