Finding Beauty in the Messy Bits
Holistic Design Digest for February
This morning I was slowly stirring a bamboo whisk in the turquoise blue of my Night Swim East Fork Mug, and I noticed how dirty the coffee bar had gotten. I was making my Matcha latte, a newfound ritual, when I swiped my finger across the surface and it came away covered in speckles of brown and green grime. I grimaced.
I look over at the curtains that hang a bit too high after changing out the rod. I remember the scrapes on the bathroom walls from where the picture frame got knocked over not once, but twice, a few weeks ago. This was due to my lazy hanging job and balancing a big canvas on two tiny nails. I’m still yet to change it out.
Just like clockwork, my brain begins the checklist. A running tab begins to form of all the things I need to FIX.
But, thanks to therapy and a lot of hard work, I catch myself.
Time seems to stop for a second…
”Can I find some beauty in all this instead?”, I thought.
I start to notice the texture in the powders dusting the cabinet where we make the drinks that begin our days.
I smile at the morning light dancing under the drapery of the curtains that wouldn’t be there if they were the “right” length.
The memory of Ian and I laughing, comes back to me, a reaction to the picture frame falling and scaring the ba-jeezes out of me.
My home is far from perfect. But it is beautiful, in it’s own special way.
I bet yours is too.
Even as an interior designer who obsesses over the details, I’m learning to embrace the idea that it’s fine (and even dare I say… smart!) to break some rules.
WHY?
Well - perfection, as we all know but struggle to embrace, is absolutely impossible to achieve.
You could beat yourself up, striving an entire lifetime with daydreams of an ideal home containing zero cracks, perfect paint lines, and infinitely clean surfaces and you would never get there. All those potentials fogging up the mirror, all that hopeful humidity separating you from a clearer picture of home and what that really means to live.
I know it keeps me from my most peaceful, joyful self more than I’d like.
But what really matters, what really makes a home, is the life we live within these structures, and how the nests we’ve created help us become brave enough to fly.
Designs that inspired me
Well, holy moly y’all. This house is my dream house. You’ve got to give it a look! The article mentions it being 70’s style, but I almost find it leaning more toward cottage colors and it works so beautifully.
My home design projects
I recently found this GORGEOUS vintage shade at a local lamp store. I saw it sitting there, high up on a shelf, seemingly abandoned and forgotten about. I asked the young fella working if he could get it down for me. The scalloped edges are what drew me in first, but I also love the way it glistens, the way it looks fancy without being glam, and the golden brass details that line the A frame shape. I had to take it home.
My plan is to make it into a pendant light to hang over the chair in my reading nook. I’m getting close after finally getting the cord strung through the small spider hold of the shade (which wasn’t very easy), but I still need to figure out how and where to hang it. What do you think?
NEW ON THE WEBSITE BLOG
Shop Second Hand - Best Antique Stores in Asheville
As a local to the [Asheville] area who has roots in this culture, and a holistic interior designer with a deep commitment to sustainable living, I have always believed that using pre-loved items in a home holds the key to creating eco-friendly, soulful spaces….
Mood Boards
I’m a big ole’ nature nerd who loves to hike and be outside, and as a holistic designer I love the bring the indoors into my decor. So, that’s what I did with these bedroom mood boards! I designed a total of 10 to share based on some of my favorite native flora of Western NC. If you haven’t seen the past 3, be sure to check out my previous Holistic Design Digest posts.
AND - If you have a specific plant you would like me to base a mood board on in the future, let me know the comments!
NATIVE FLORA MOOD BOARD #3 - BLACK RASPBERRY
For those eclectic, moody design lovers: this is for you!
Color palette - Charcoal Grey, Forest Green, Burgundy, and Cream
LINKS:
Duvet Cover
Rug
Bed Frame
Throw Blanket
Lamp
Lumbar Throw Pillow
So much love to you all!
I’d be delighted if you told me about something you love about your home in the comments!
Cheers,
Kathryn