British author, illustrator and painter, Mary Eliza Haweis, wrote a series of essays subsequently captured and elaborated on in her books titled ‘The Art of Beauty’ and ‘The Art of Decoration’ published in 1878 and 1881 respectively. What about Haweis's work is the relevance that some of her ideas still have for our current experience. In particular, her discussion on the importance of thoughtfulness in design seems as relevant today as it was 140 years ago...
The experience of being human is an embodied one: we know the world through our sense. But as our digital and virtual worlds predominantly use only our visual sense, a grounding antidote to the flatness of our digital lives is to engage our other sense whenever possible. The way we design our homes can either help or hinder the process of engaging all of our sense daily.
It can be tempting to rush through the process of home-making. Sitting with something unfinished and undone, when we know what it could look or feel like, is difficult. Living in it, even more so. But homes crafted slowly over time, in accordance with the values and rhythms of the people who live within them don’t tend to date in the same way that spaces put together with haste do. For those for whom a slower approach to home-making feels meaningful, we have put together a list of tips that might be helpful in encouraging a slower, more considered approach to home-making.
In a world that is so saturated with both things and ideas, bringing our own unique perspective to the table can often seem like one of the few remaining ways to add value. Our homes are no different. Creating a home guided by our unique perspective is what is most likely to inspire not only others but also continue to inspire us. Global trends and mass production can often serve to undermine the very differences that make each one of our voices unique. Cherishing these differences, on the other hand, seems to carry benefits for us all. We discuss some of the issues of global mass production and ways we can avoid that feeling of sameness that can result from it.
There are two ideas that can provide the guiding principles for creating a home that feels authentic. Using these principals can help to empower us to make big decisions like how to design a new home, as well as smaller decisions like whether a piece of furniture or a decorative item is right for us. We present these ideas and share a FREE WORKSHEET that can help you to identify your own guiding principals for decision-making.