Hospitality Begins at Home
Some of my favorite coffee table books about homes: Barbara Westbrook, Phoebe Howard, Alexa Hampton - I use them for inspiration constantly!
Shouldn't hospitality begin at home? I know that if I can't find, see and be aware of the beauty and grace in my own home, then how could I possibly share? When I moved to New York in 2004, I think it was the first time that I really understood how much it meant to me to be surrounded by pretty things and a soothing, beautiful environment - I had to WORK to find it in my 800 sf apartment! I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina where beauty was so obvious with each vista and every detail - I completely took that for granted. Realizing this as an adult literally changed the way I experience the world; it was like putting on a pair of glasses, but never realizing that your vision was so poor.
From the time I left Arizona in 2004, lived in New York, and then moved to Atlanta in 2010, I lived in ten – yes, ten – different places – all rented. And that’s not counting the two different times I lived in hotels (they were my clients) for 6-10 months at a time. All of my belongings except seasonal clothes and some work items have been placed into storage four times during these thirteen years.
My courtyard (the BUILDING'S courtyard) in my last apartment in NYC.
And what is so insane about this behavior is that I love to nest! But, I learned ways to take tiny spaces and make them personal and beautiful. I figured out how to find the nooks, the specialness (not a word, but should be) of each of my homes. It was sitting in this courtyard in my last NYC apartment that I realized how important it was to me to actively find the beautiful and if I couldn't, then to create it. I became exceptionally creative in designing beautiful moments of joy in every corner of my home.
The cover of one of my favorite rooms at an Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Showhouse. Also, one of my favorite magazines - ideas and inspiration galore! (full disclosure, I also work with them - being surrounded by so many beautiful things is dreamy!)
I want my home to be a place of sanctuary - of comfort - of respite. A place where I can 100% be me (I know -- we should all be able to be ourselves no matter where we are, but......) I have the fortune to work with many interior designers and the ones whose work I gravitate to the most are the talented souls who create rooms and spaces that are beautiful yet still reflect the lives and the memories of those who walk across the floors every day. A place to calm one‘s mind and be refreshed. To create and entertain. To look around at objects and find a memory. A smile. Those are the places and parts of a home that I hope to share with you.
