THIS BEAR JUST NEEDED SOME LOVE

These are Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dog in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay.  The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the bear wandered in.  Instead he came to play with the dogs every night for a week.

WHAT IS HOME?

Is your home merely a place to sleep and eat?  A home is more than a place of shelter, storage and eating.  It should be a place that supports our needs & nurtures our spirit.  Home should be your shelter from the outside world, it should be a place for sanctuary and retreat, fun and joy. Your home should function in harmony with who you are.

For those of us who are seekers of a deeper truth to who we are, our homes and offices should be a support system to our deepening awakening , awareness & sensitivity.  What may have worked for us even a few years ago may not support who we are today.  We are all waking to the truth of who we are.  We are being taught to go deeply within to hear, see and feel what is real and true for each and every one of us.  Although we are all one in the deepest sense, no one is the same and no one has the same needs, dreams and desires. 

 Because each one of us is unique, there is not one approach or solution that works for everyone.  I am  not a follower of RULES.  I do not follow or practice Fung Shui because it does not resonate for me, thou it may for you.  One size fits all is not my path.  I am here to honor the individual and to find out what works best for them.  I dig deeply, I question a lot and I come up with possibilities.  I return to the drawing board if it doesn't feel right to my clients.

I will fight, for only so long, for what I believe is right but at the end of the day, the truth is that it is not my home and it is my clients who have to be happy.

My clients are drawn to me because of my style and creativity.  They like that I custom  design furniture that is just for them and no one else.  They know that I love playing with color, but most of all they know that I will listen to what is most important to them and honor them.

Tapping into Inspiration or Not!

I'm preparing for a new series that I will be writing for Jennifer McLean's upcoming membership website. My section will be "Your Spiritual Home".  I'm excited and nervous.  Hoping that Spirit will guide me with enough inspiration to keep up with a weekly column.

When I first agreed to do this I was off the wall with excitement, knowing that this was the next step in going public in merging my spiritual self with my designer self.  The next 3 days were filled with panic, fear and exhaustion worrying that I would not have enough inspiration to write every week about an area that I feel is very sacred and important.  Writing about the next pretty chair or accessory?  EASY!  Writing about stuff of the heart and soul and how it relates to your home environment......  OH MY GOD!  

I'm very curious how any of you have dealt with this. 

CREATING A SANCTUARY FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS

I just finished listening to Neale Donald Walsch of the "Conversations with God" book series.  In his forthcoming book, "When Everything Changes, Change Everything" he talks about peoples tendencies to isolate themselves when  they are going thru rough patches.  He spoke of  the time that rather than calling his father for help, he stayed homeless for close to one year.

Those comments got me thinking about the small things we can do for ourselves and others who may be facing uncertainty and fears during this big shift on our planet.  Even if you are not living in your dream home, even if your home is less than ideal and even if you are going thru your own scary times, you can cut some fresh  flowers, light some scented candles, put on some heartfelt music and share a cup of coffee or tea with a friend.  Shift the energy by talking about your dreams and your future self.  Neale suggests that you stop everything for even 10 seconds and breathe in the moment and be with the silence.  He says that you will find "wisdom in the silence".

I promise you, your friend will not care about the worn out carpet, the mess or whatever it is that keeps you from sharing your home.  What will matter and remain is the kindness that you showed and that, if only for a few moments, your friend was supported by love.

HIRE A DESIGNER WHO LISTENS TO YOU!

Unless you want your designer to take on the full responsibility of how and in what style you should live, I  don't recommend working with designers whose egos are equal to brain surgeons. We are not talking about saving lives here!

I've worked for many busy people who do not have the time or inclination to go over every selection.  They have hired me because they know that after we have gone thru their likes and dislikes that I will do what is right for them.  Others want to be involved down to the last detail and that is their choice and their right.  It is our jobs as designers to glean as much information from our clients as possible in order to create an environment that not only functions for their needs, but also brings their dreams into a living reality. 

I have been called upon, too many times to count, to salvage another designers work.  You need to make sure that you are not bullied into agreeing to something that feels wrong.  It is our job to push our clients past their comfort zones because they usually don't have the vision that we have and that is why they have hired a professional.  However, it is our job to listen to what our clients are telling us and hear what they may not be able to express.  One project that comes to mind is a client who had been preoccupied with her dying mother and was not available physically or emotionally during a remodel of a new home she and her husband had just purchased.  They wanted a more contemporary look and she had expressed to her designer that she wanted clean lines and light woods to go along with that style.  What she got were old world style cabinets with loads of trim stained a dark walnut color.  When I was brought in to see what could be done to fix things, all I could think about was what was this designer thinking?  Did it even matter to her what her client wanted or did she just design in a style that she was more comfortable with?

What You Feel Inside, You create Outside

 I went to a dear friends home for a Passover Seder.  She has designed a beautiful modern home that is filled with exquisite art work.  Ellen and her husband love sharing their home with friends and she goes to great lengths to bring out different accessories and dinnerware patterns depending upon the occasion and the size of the group.  She always creates a very festive environment and the lucky ones who have been invited over always look forward to see what she has come up with each and every time. 

As we were all seated, Ellen spoke of her joy in shopping for flowers, selecting a very creative menu and arranging everything to perfection to share with her friends and family.  She acknowledged that her very modern style did not not appeal to everyone but that they could all FEEL the love that was there.

I was stunned, for that was exactly the word I had just written about a couple of hours earlier in my latest blog post. It affirmed that I was on to something as well as knowing why this lovely soul and I are friends.     

The Hidden Secret to Design

Have you ever walked into a perfectly decorated house that had no spirit in it or that felt dead? It is usually for what can't be seen that you are hiring a designer.  Of course you want a beautiful and comfortable home and of course it has to function for your lifestyle and budget. The hidden secret for me is how will it make you FEEL?  Do you want a home or room that aids you in calming down after a hectic day or do you want a room that makes you feel alive and energized?

Your home is about you and the people who live with you.  It is not about what your friends are going to think or say.  They can have their own style at their house.  If someone else's environment deeply speaks to you, look at what it is that you like.  Is it the style of architecture, the type of furniture or the colors?  Go inside of yourself to become aware of what you resonate to.

I usually have clients tag pages in magazines to show me what speaks to them, and when I have asked what it is in the photo that they respond to,  I often hear that they don't really want the featured colors, style of furniture or architecture for themselves.  I usually is always about the MOOD of the space and how it makes them FEEL.  

Honoring those who seem invisible.

I've noticed on construction sites that the men who are actually doing the labor are usually pretty invisible.  We spend a great deal of time looking for the perfect contractor to do the work on our homes, but they usually are running from project to project checking in with their subs (sub-contractors) and then they are off to the next site.  Sometimes these subs are actually installing the plumbing,  setting the tiles and painting, but very often it is their crew.   They are on the bottom of the totem pole, but it is their care, dedication and pride of  craftsmanship that leads to a finished product that you are happy with or not.  So next time you are re-modeling or building a new home think about acknowledging them, thanking them for their good work, filling a fridge with drinks and snacks that they like. 

 One of my friends who is a serious cook, would make the workers gourmet burritos and other foods from their country every day.  She watched them toss their food into the trash while relishing her delectable meals.  Now when something wasn't done to her satisfaction,  do you think these guys grumbled and groused or were they eager to please her?

  It's amazing how far a little kindness and thoughtfulness goes.  While most of us don't have the time or talent to do this,  you can make arrangements to treat them to a special lunch once a week.  You can make a difference in their lives.  The shift that is going on right now is to remember that we are all brothers and sisters on this physical path and that our work here is to recognize that and honor one another.

Your Beliefs in Action!

As a practicing interior designer, I've often wondered why some projects go so smoothly while others seem to be filled with problems, mistakes and delays.  I always look to myself first to see if there are areas where I have gone unconscious, gotten lazy or maybe just had a bad attitude about a particular client.  I'm still working working on why I have attracted some of these difficult people or projects and what each lesson is here. 

 But one project stands out from all of the others.  The client was very nice, was very receptive to my ideas and was willing to spend money on purchasing good quality furniture, while we re-worked some of her existing pieces.  She seemed like the ideal client.  Although everything was corrected immediately, I was aware that it wasn't just me making mistakes.  I measured and re-measured walls before ordering custom sofas that came in too long or short, my brilliant furniture maker of 20 years who never before had made mistakes with his measurements, made pieces that were off, the dining table came in with scratches on the top and a few dining chairs needed to be re-finished.  I'm used to one or 2 things needing repairs but this was just too much for a project of this size. 

 I started wondering if the client had certain sub-conscious beliefs that were attracting these situations into her life.  Did she have fears or expectations of things going wrong?  Did she have trust issues?  What was she thinking and feeling at the time?  She was not the type of person who I could talk to about the Laws of Attraction so I never found out.  I worked with a very famous person who did have the belief that he was the only one who could do anything correctly, and his assistant informed me that he proved himself right time and time again. 

 

Luckily, most of my clients are pretty positive people, have kind and generous hearts and their projects go smoothly.  If something comes in that isn't perfect, they don't freak out, get angry or go into a blame game.  They understand that sometimes things happen other than how it was expected or hoped for, and we just fix it and move on to the next moment.

If you are thinking about doing work on your home or office, I would suggest that you sit quietly and become aware of the intentions that you are setting, notice what beliefs you may have, both positive and negative and what The Big Picture looks like.  In the world of construction and furniture making, there are so many steps and people involved that sometimes things go wrong.  What a non-professional may see as delays or seeming problems is usually seen as standard operating procedures by the professional.  Bumps along the way may look to you like very big hills, but in fact are just the nature of this business and your choice is to feel angry and upset or to stay focused on feeling good while solutions are being found.  Always try to keep The Big Picture of you finally sitting in the home of your dreams, having a drink and good laughs with loved ones.  Some of those "situations" may provide the best laughs of all.

Our physical environment can support us in this evolutionary shift

I firmly believe that our physical environment can support all of us while we are experiencing this major evolutionary shift that is taking place right now.  We can look at what is going on in our personal and collective world with dread and resistance or we can welcome this time of uncertainty for the possibilities that can open up in our lives.  When I get into that energy of fear, I have to become very still and quiet.  My home supports that.  I'm not at all finished with what still needs repair and replacing but I do have my special areas.  My living room is filled with art that quiets me .  I'm an urban dweller and there are buildings about 10' away from me on either side, and I have no way of hiding them unless I shut out the daylight with window coverings which is  not an option for me.   I knew that what was most important to me was to splurge on creating a sanctuary in my back yard.  The bamboo now hides all of the really really and I do mean really ugly buildings and phone wires and I am able to focus on the stream that I had built and watch these adorable little birds come by to bathe, drink and sit on the rocks. The interiors satisfy my designer self, this outdoor space was designed to nourish and feed my soul.  Some of my friends have asked why I spent so much money on landscaping instead of air conditioning.  (I own a large 1926 duplex and wasn't in the position to do both after a major re-model of the upstairs unit and transformation of spaces in my unit).  When it gets unbearable for those few summer months, I just soak in a cool bath as often as I need to and I have this incredible paradise all year long.  I know I made the right decision.   

  

Conscious Designing introduction

I had long ago been shown that death as I had known it did not exist.  So when my big brother, who was also my best friend and business partner, was dying it was relatively easy to let him go because I knew that his pain would be over once he left the physical realm.  What I was totally unprepared for was the loss of my business partner.  He was the one who saw what a room would look like like in an instant flash of mental pictures, he could guess correctly what a project would probably cost.  I was the one who could design furniture and answer most of the architectural questions.  I didn't have visions and I had no memory for numbers.  I was terrified, to say the least.  Begging source for help and guidance, I was informed that this was to be my "rite of passage".  Like the tribesmen who did their walkabouts to come into manhood, I would have to venture into the most difficult test of my life and that there was no other choice but to "rise victorious".

So with no vision and no confidence I'd go into the showrooms and start going thru fabrics, pulling out whatever just felt right.  I would yell at my brother that selecting wallpaper was his job and how dare he die and make me do this, I hated wallpaper.  After being raised in a home that had been "decorated" with sometimes 2 different patterns in one room, it was no easy thing for a minimalist like me.  I couldn't find any spiritual justification for interior design, it seemed superficial in the scheme of all things that I considered spiritual.  Then a funny thing happened.  I received phone calls from the first two clients that I had worked with on my own.

Both said that they didn't know know what it was about the rooms I had done, but they never wanted to leave them and that they would just sit there.  They would walk by the room(s) and just stick around for a while.  That was the moment that I realized that I was not alone.  Spirit was guiding me, working thru me to bring in an energy and vibration that each client needed.  This was the moment that I knew what my work here was and that my gift was to be shared with the people who would be coming into my life.  That was when I accepted the importance of what conscious interior design can bring to another human beings life.  That was in 1984 and I've been working with these masters of design who are in the non-physical ever since and I'm guessing that my brother is sending me his input as well.

In my other blog:  www.leslieharrisinteriordesign.blogspot.com I address all things that I find beautiful and interesting.  I want to approach this blog site from the point of view of my spiritual self to those of us that are or are wanting to be into conscious creating in one form or another.  Whether you care about design or not, whether you even notice your surroundings, I know in my heart that our environment has a tremendous effect on how we feel.  I'd really like to get some feedback from you as to areas you might like me to address.  Source has guided me to do this blog and I am very open to the possibilities of where it can go.  Maybe we can start a dialogue about ways that we can help our fellow travelers in this dance of life.