Why I Love Creating Personal Environments

A little heart to heart:  As an interior designer, I am so constantly moved by different environments–how I feel in the space, how I feel leaving the space, how I feel the space could be improved, etc.  We see shows on TV about hoarders, and how their living spaces became a refuge or hideaway from the world but actually are more disastrous and unhealthy than helpful.  In my profile whether on my website or my blog, I have stated how I believe we are all strongly affected by our environments, whether we are aware of it or not.  Each environment, like most everything else in life, is subjective and relative in the degree of change desired, as well as to the needs of the individual.  For example, the hoarders environments’ on TV are improved just by having all of the junk and garbage removed, and the place cleaned.  It doesn’t matter that the fabrics are dated and do not match.  On the other spectrum, a space that may look beautiful, but perhaps is outdated or “just not right” will still give the homeowner a renewed sense of energy, positivity, and personal ownership by being updated and/or remodeled.  This is the fulfilling need for this individual.  Each example is a huge and important step for how that occupant feels when entering and spending time in that space.  Its a long spectrum from one end to the other, but all of it so important for each homeowner.

I get more joy out of seeing my clients thrilled at their new space than I do out of redoing my own home, funny as that may sound.  I know deep down how it feels to have a new and renewed space, and I want to share that uplifting feeling in the best way I can.  I love what I do, and fortunately I get to do what I love.  What brought this to my mind was that recently, my cousin, who is a couple years older than me has been going through horrible medical issues starting all the way back to last November when out of the blue, as a healthy adult, he had an aneurysm burst near his heart, and shortly after entering the hospital, a few small strokes occurred.  Since then, its been a process of two steps forward and one step back.  He has been in and out of hospitals, numerous surgeries, as well as a couple different assisted living spaces.  As soon as everything seems to be working, something else starts not working.  Recently, he moved into an assisted living space that does not feel like just another wing of the hospital or the step prior to a nursing home, but is actually a delightful place to be.  My parents live not far from him, and my mother has been helping him out as the rest of his family does not live in the vicinity. She is noticing a dramatic change in his recovery.  She said the new space has made such a positive change, it’s amazing.  Immediately I thought about why I do what I do.  I am not a medical person nor a therapist, so I can not directly help someone to be lifted from their physical or mental anguish, but I can indirectly help people to have an environment that feels right for them, and helps to support them to become the person they want to be by giving them a safe and positive environment in which to rejuvenate their energy.

I hope you will look at your space as not just a place to eat, sleep, and store your personal items, but as a space that can be utilized as a positive mood improving place in which to reenergize your soul.