The Magic of Intentional Design — Home Living Experience
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Have you ever walked into a spectacular hotel room and felt uplifted? Like you were a bit guilty of being there but weren’t exactly offering to give it up for the night either.
Unforgettable spaces impact not only our experience but our souls. As a child, I’d rearrange my bedroom every 6 months just to experience this new perspective. Everything was different from this new angle even when it was the same bed, bureau, desk, bookcase, and rocking chair- the latter a hand-me-down from my brother that only the youngest child of four could truly appreciate.
It wasn’t the stuff that interested me, but the arrangement of objects that had me feeling a brand new experience. I, too, became new just as my childhood bedroom morphed like magic. It was just 8 yr old me dragging heavy objects over wall-to-wall carpeting catching rug burns on my knees and blistering my fingers but I had a vision. I was curious to change my environment and feel this new space that was full of vibrant energy.
My Mom would often enter with surprise. “Oh, you changed your room around. Are you sure the bed is ok there? It’s right up against the window.” Couldn’t she see I was thrilled? I didn’t care. I wasn’t worried about the rules and the space was simply perfect — even my pet canary, Caesar, would not be affected by the Winter draft of the large picture window. His cage was always strategically placed.
This was the beginning of my intentional designs. How I wanted to feel and what I wanted to experience became the map for my bedroom layouts. It became the map for planning and executing most things I desired.
Interiors are often showcased in glossy images and we focus on the descriptive narrative of materials used or finishes applied, yet how often do we get to the magic? The why? The true intention- the center of the tootsie pop? Intentional designs may focus on: gathering, displaying, comforting, uplifting, exploring, relaxing, etc. It’s the intent of the experience at the soul level that interests me and how these improvements elevate others. Just as our beliefs outline our experiences so too should our intentions outline our HLE — Home Living Experience.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, we designers are seeing changes to the importance of our clients’ personal spaces and how they now must uplift their souls. No longer are homeowners passing through on a quest for someplace greater. Nope. This is it! Home has a new meaning for all of us now. Along with practical home offices, multi-function rooms, and gyms, we also are witness to Prayers Rooms, Meditation Spaces, Yoga studios, Massage Rooms. It’s the experiences within the space which are beginning to dictate our built environments and it’s a radical shift to the residential housing market. It’s actually becoming more similar to commercial environments where multi-function typically dominates the design.
What’s the HLE that you’d like to incorporate into your next house? A Zen garden, a putting green, luxury bathroom, or an interior courtyard? Our homes are now about the experience because we have witnessed a major shift in ourselves and the built environments in which we live. We are now focused on a fuller Home Living Experience and how it will support our new normal.
