space is a wonderful luxury
8th October 2015
Once a month I get asked by a local Leicestershire magazine to write an article on a specific question, such as ‘gadgets’ or ‘how to keep your kitchen pristine’!! this month it was ‘open plan living’ and as usual I think ooohhhh what shall I write. Not because I don’t like writing, but because the questions are often quite uninspiring. So usually I go off topic wildly and hope it will satisfy the magazine, but more importantly interest the reader. Just before writing the article I was looking at one of my favourite tumblr sites ‘brown dress with white dots‘, it’s a delightful place to find happy calm images and beautiful sentiments, give them a look. Also, do take a look at our deVOL Tumblr site and sign up here so you can get regular images to inspire you. I really like Tumblr, the images are usually much bigger and it’s a little less frantic than Instagram or Pinterest, it kind of serves a different purpose I think. Anyway, I found some inspiration on ‘brown dress with white dots‘ and it gave me that little nudge to get me started.
The Article is entitled………………………… Space is a wonderful luxury
I remember someone once saying to me that space was a luxury and I thought ‘what a strange thing to say or even think’, space is just space, fill it or do whatever with it. But now, maybe 30 years after this persons comment, I totally get it and understand the huge importance of the sentiment. I’m not sure if the person who made this comment was also talking about space in your mind, but I like to think he was. Imagine a life with space in your mind to think clearly, space in your home to live easily and space in your day to day life to take stock and enjoy.
It’s funny to imagine that interior design has anything to do with the mind, but the more you understand how your day to day living affects your happiness, the more you understand the connection.
Space, I don’t think it is about having loads of it, big rooms, big gardens, big houses, I think it is about creating room to live simply and comfortably in the space you have available and filling the space in your mind with good thoughts.
Big spaces can be great of course, room for huge sofas, beds, family tables and oodles of storage, but the most important thing is creating spaces that work. I think open plan living is a wonderful way to create space in your home and to make your life more enjoyable, seems a big ask of a space but it really does do this for you.
The perfect scenario for me is – Kitchen at one of end of the room, all the busy goings on, the beautiful aromas and the comforting background clatter of someone close to you pottering about. Then the table, a small round one with a selection of odd chairs or a huge scrubbed pine old one with a sense of history, near the kitchen, near the window and near your current selection of books and reading material. It maybe kids sitting up at the table doing homework or it may be friends popping in for a chat or best of all a simple family dinner where you all chat about your day.
This simple way of living in one space allows you to stay together while still doing your own thing. I don’t know if it’s just me but I find it much easier to do chores if someone else is around, I have no idea why but it just seems more enjoyable, they don’t even have to talk to me, just being there is enough.
Then there is the comfy area, squashy sofas, and an open fire or wood burner, a basket of logs and table for your cup of tea. This formula for downstairs living is so important for keeping people connected, keeping life fun, stimulating and conversation flowing when required.
I don’t think open living should extend to other rooms in the home necessarily, in fact quite the opposite, everyone needs their solitude and privacy too, it’s absolutely just as important. Again it goes back to space, small private comforting, welcoming spaces are just as important, they allow you room to make the other space required, the one in your mind.
