Tag: home decorating

Valuing Beauty

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Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. – William Morris

I love this golden rule. And I love and value all things useful and beautiful.

I am not always good at decluttering. I think, Wow, this old broken hand mixer might come in handy. Not!

Sometimes in our disposable and materialistic culture — YES! America, I mean YOU! — we need and want a quick fix, but beauty takes time. (So does decluttering and throwing away the old hand mixer!)

Yesterday, my techie son helped me download about 9,000 photos from my iPhone to a hard drive. He handed me the hard drive and said, “Here’s your life.”

Among those photos I noticed this random photo from the Stony Point Retreat Center. I thought. Wow. Beautiful sun room. Useful. I want my home to be as full of light as this room. I want to find beauty in my home. I want my home (my life) to be of use. 

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Making Beauty

Published on by mbcoudalLeave a comment

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A home should be a nest, a cocoon, a snuggly sanctuary. But beauty, creativity, comfort takes time. Three-day weekends are perfect for making the crib cozy.

Late Saturday afternoon, I was staring at our newly painted walls, thinking, “I should put some art up.” Several of my friends who are very good at decorating have offered to help. So I called one of them, my friend, J.

I hedged, “Hey, someday, could you come over and help me hang some art?”

“I think I can come tonite,” she said. Wow. I was in luck but I didn’t know if I was ready. I got H. to help me dig a bunch of paintings out of the top shelf of my cluttered dining room closet. J. mentioned she loves my art collection. But like a lot of my life, I find it embarassing and eclectic.

Another friend, L., redecorated my bedroom and H.’s room a few years ago. They look awesome. I’m incredibly lucky to have such lovely, talented friends!

After this Saturday night decorating session, the room looked great. But it took some time. That’s the thing. I usually slap things up on the wall but I’ve learned a lesson from my friends. You have to measure. You have to add and divide fractions. That is not easy for me. But it’s worth it. The room feels artsy Bohemian now.

I have one theory that travel begets travel — Like, when you’re on one trip, you should always plan your next. But I have a theory about art too. Beauty creates more beauty. Creativity inspires creativity. And art encourages art. And we should all beautify, create and indulge in art. The world would be a better place if we did.

Tonite the kids and I spent hours making art at the dining room table.