This week, our home is very quiet – the 3 youngest children have gone back to school, and the 1 that is home is the college kid. You know what that means…. all HE does is eat and sleep! I already miss the crazy fun of the holidays with everyone home, but I just have to say “Ahhhhh” to the joy and simplicity of the post holiday home!
All this extreme quiet made me think about the visual noise that bombards us in everyday life and especially during the holidays.
On a daily basis, most of us spend countless hours online, on electronic devices, watching TV, etc. Add to that all the over the top decorations that start going up in October in homes and in stores everywhere (some have even started putting out Christmas paraphernalia as early as summer). Glitter, gold, silver, color, lights, color, color, lights, and more color EVERYwhere. Yes it can all be very pretty and inspiring. We don’t always realize it, but it can also get to be tiring on the senses.
While taking down and storing my Christmas decorations, a full week late I’m not ashamed to admit, I was surprised at how peaceful it made me feel to see so much negative space. In the interior design and decorating community, we frequently talk about the eye having place(s) to rest, yet it is infrequent that I have personally had the time to stop, look, and listen to my interior environment.
To be clear, my personal design style is certainly not modern. In fact, I have a throw and a down throw pillow for every friend that will inevitably fall asleep on our big comfy sofa after 1 or 2 of the hubster’s incredibly FAB martinis! Nothing modern about that – other than the martini! But I digress…
My point is I love accessories and comfy-coziness, but I also NEED things clean. Uber clean. And seeing the top my mantle again – all crisp, white, and totally non-distracting – is almost soothing. So much so, that I have added nothing back yet except my 2 bamboo palms in their semi-sleek modified nursery planters (gotta keep the air clean). In fact, I almost don’t recall what was there before Halloween.
Food for thought: there’s a reason we close our eyes to pray and meditate and do so in total silence. Tweet this →We NEED to clear the visual AND audible noise to fully feed our souls and open ourselves to infinite possibilities. What is true in life is true in all the aspects of our lives. Aren’t our families and homes the biggest and most important ever?
When was the last time you were able to stop, look, and listen to your home? Do you find that there is no time? Leave a comment or drop me a line and I’ll help you out. Evaluate your “post holiday home” and create soothing spaces to fit your everyday life and style.
