Home Sweet Home
intro: a series on interior design
A few weeks ago, Gid and I returned from a six month trip: eight countries, over 20 cities, nearly 30 different beds. We didn’t set out intending to become international mattress testers, but it happened.
Growing up, my mother always made our houses feel like home. She has the touch, for sure. Some years we moved quite frequently, and still I remember feeling cozy and cared for. For my first apartment in college, we made a mirror mosaic together, with a red stained glass motif running through. We hung it on the back wall of my living room; I was so proud to be able to care for my own place, finally. And since then, it’s never stopped: no matter how tired I am, or how long I’ll be there, I’m grateful to care for the places I inhabit.
Returning to our home, to our furniture, our objects, our insanely comfortable mattress, makes it all the more clear how significantly the design of our spaces impact our well-being, our happiness, our ability to breath, reflect, and create. And it’s deepened my confidence in how important and challenging of a task it can be. Truly the options and levels of detail are endless.
I remember being touched by a conversation with a dear friend over wine one southern night in her backyard. The group was discussing purpose-driven work, changing food systems, personal health. There was a hesitance in her voice, as she questioned if her work, designing interiors, held the same weight. It’s surfaced in my mind so many times since that conversation.
Without a home that allows me to be my best self, it’s nearly impossible for me to bring value to others. These are the places that nourish, ground, and inspire us. Her work—and the work of all the other designers, makers, and craftspeople who contribute to our soul-filling spaces—make the world a better place in a very personal way.
So, for the next few weeks, I’m going to share some of the spaces we drifted through across the past few months and what makes them special, a selection of my most coveted interiors books, a significant amount of research on kitchen design I randomly did during lockdown, and a few of my favorite designers. Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Talk soon
xx
christie