Good morning my dears,
Yesterday, I filmed a kitchen tour for you all. I've never done a voiceover before, but I wanted to talk about what we have behind every cupboard door and drawer. Hope you enjoy.
Showing posts with label Interior Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interior Design. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2019
Monday, January 30, 2017
Designing for the King: Bringing Christ into the Home
Good morning my dears,
I recently read this article on the CBN. It resonated with me, both as an interior designer, and as a Christian wife and homemaker.
Designing for the King: Bringing Christ into the Home
by
Deana Murphey
"What do you generally think of when hearing interior design? If you’re like most people, you think of decorating a space and making an environment beautiful. More importantly, interior design carries the responsibility for everyone’s emotional and spiritual well–being. I see a real need to not only make our places of habitation functional and beautiful, but also to bring order to the environment so that it can be the safest, happiest, and most fulfilling environment we know.
Imagine living in the same environment year after year without adapting it to personal lifestyle changes, desires, needs, comforts, growths, or expansions. Imagine designing only to fulfill your selfish motives. Imagine not engaging in the design decisions of your home. Imagine your home void of family unity and deprived of peace and safety. Imagine expecting a spiritual foundation in the home while only living and designing by the world’s standards. Imagine your home environment as one of chaos, fussing, and arguing with no signs of peace.
Chaos? But I’m a Christian!
Yet this is occurring in Christian homes today. A beautifully designed living or working environment is not necessarily an orderly or peaceful place. A simple solution may seem to be designing your environments in the latest trends; rearranging some pieces; making upgrades; purchasing new furnishings, big screen TVs, and toys; changing the colors; copying the designs of someone else; replicating a design from TV or a magazine; or perhaps removing a wall to expand a space. Then your new upgrades may temporarily appear to reorder the fragments of your emotional life. But without inner restructuring, you will, over time, become discouraged with the further likelihood of being frustrated and stressed, which, in the end, leads to chaos.
Chaos is an appalling, unsettling word, creating feelings of confusion, disorder, disarray, turmoil, and pandemonium. No one wishes to be associated with such a word, let alone connect it with your living spaces. Chaos suggests designs that disconnect you from your lifestyle, history, memories, values, personal tastes, disciplines, social needs, godly desires, and God. Chaos connects you to selfishness and leads you into deception. You then become void of peace, wholeness, individuality, morals, and celebration of self. You live in chaos as a result of the way you think, which results from what you have been exposed to. You must change this because it robs you of the values of life. It opens the door to fear, and fear is a direct weapon the devil uses to deceive and steal from you.
The Christian Home
Your home environment should reflect the same nature and genius of God. It should embrace order and life. And it is much more than just having everything neatly placed, put away, or organized. Many people think of chaos as untamed space filled with clutter that can alter the crisp composition of a design. But there’s chaos in people’s homes, whether it’s visual, atmospheric, audible, physical, or environmental, simply because of the way the world system is set up. But if you are a born-again child of God, though you are in this world, you are not of this world. And your assignment here is to first bring order to the chaos within for a clear behavior path to bring order where you live.
What if you could move beyond the limitations of your mind, remove the anxieties and negative emotions, and design your home to please all of its inhabitants, enhance your relationship with your family, and develop a deeper friendship with God? You can infuse your living environments with peace, experience joy, and become energized with the power that’s linked with design solutions and spiritual well–being.
After five years of researching, studying and praying about the Christian home, I finally was led to create a step-by-step guide on designing a sanctuary to escape the stress of this world! Do you want to reverse the chaos in your life? Would you like to create a home that is beautiful, yet functional? How about designing a healthy, stress–free, peaceable, orderly, fun, and spiritual environment?
The Answer
There is only one way to accurately answer these questions. You must go to the place where design originated—creation in the Bible—to see how design was divinely introduced and brought order to a chaotic environment—and ultimately to your life. It is best summed up by the InterVarsity Press Bible Commentary on Matthew 15:
Among those who accept the Bible as God’s Word and as canon (a measuring stick), the test of a statement’s authority should be its conformity to biblical principles. Yet many of us, for all our insistence on the authority of Scripture, pay surprisingly little attention to it; little time researching context, background or other factors essential for understanding the Bible. We may work hard to assimilate various trends of popular culture yet spend little time assimilating our lives to the Bible’s teachings.When divine order and structure prevail where you live, it is evident that first the same emanates from within. This is how God designed you and the way he desires you to live—out of the good treasures of your heart. The present world does not reflect the kingdom order originally intended for your enjoyment on earth. Designing your life and your home the world’s way enslaves those who participate in it, thus controlling you and becoming your master, falsely promising freedom. The Bible clearly reminds us that no man can serve two masters, either he will hate one and love the other (Matthew 6:24, NIV). However, all of God’s children have the creative ability to eradicate chaos and create order in the earth by design. The design begins within your heart and spills over into your home environment. This becomes the spiritual aesthetic element in your home.
Integrating your Faith
The spiritual application of design also begins within. My Designing Within S.Y.S.T.E.M. helps you Shape Your Spirit To Eliminate the Mess so you can:
- Fill your thoughts on God’s word;
- Direct your conversations based on God’s truths; and
- Determine your actions in accordance with God’s direction
“The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home.”
Harold B. Lee
~Kiki Nakita ~
Friday, May 10, 2013
SUYL: 7 Tips to Enjoying What You Do
Today, I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner for the SUYL tips for finding jobs.
I am one of those few people who loves what they do for a living.
I studied Interior Design for 5 years, and had two degrees by the time I was twenty-four.
It has been a few years since my college graduation, and I have been a busy bee ever since.
I've worked in showrooms, for model homes, builders and on my own online magazine.
I'm a typical Gemini, with a got to get 'er done personality.
So here's what I've stumbled upon learnt along the way:
1.
Always start.
Sounds silly, but the first step to ever achieving anything is to stop talking about it and just start.
2.
Be mindful, thoughtful and always keep trying.
Always be mindful to be punctual and thoughtful to 'do' what you said you'd get done. It shows integrity. If all else fails. Try again!
3.
What...the what?
If you really can't do something, then don't. Ask for help. We can't all be perfect at everything all the time.
4.
Change it up.
Look and feel the part. Be comfortable with who you are, and let it show. Times when your feeling bad and don't care to dress up...smile. Or get a treat, like a latte before or after work.
5.
Breaks.
Taking breaks, for a walk outside...away from that fluorescent light can refresh the mind. I don't know about you...but I have light sensitivity and can get headaches, nausea, or dizzy if I don't have enough natural light.
6.
Be entrepreneurial.
Do more than what's asked. Step out the box. Start a side business, or read about how you can improve. Some of my favorite's are The Business of Bliss and How to Profit from Doing What You Love by Victoria Magazine and The Boss of You by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears.
7.
Keep updated.
No matter our age, we can always learn something new. Take a class, keep up with social media and don't post something you wouldn't want your grandmother reading. Keep opinions/thoughts to yourself unless their nice...or your doing one of Kelly's coffee mornings. :)
To be honest though.
I am not a morning person, so any job that requires me to be there early...isn't going to get their money's worth. That's why I've chosen to be entrepreneurial and make money doing what I love.
Luckily, for me I found a job where I show people around model homes, design flyer's, make preliminary design changes, help homeowners select materials and colors for their new homes...and up to a month ago, I did most of the work on the weekends. I always kept on top of it all...so when my fiance got transferred 2,500 miles away, they graciously kept me on.
I now do the plans, come up with schemes and do the paperwork online...for 25-30 hours a week.It's nice to be able to enjoy what I do...
Well, I'm looking forward to all your suggestions...hope you too, are doing what you love...and have figured out a way to be paid for it!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
What Am I Reading?
It has been awhile since I’ve blogged on one of my favorite subjects; Interior Design.
Currently I have been reading A LOT of Interior Design books. I have been fascinated with all the books on the subject and cannot resist scanning pages from the books and sorting them into my “ideas sketchbook”. It is a large sketchbook with images, fabric samples and blurbs of all my favorite stuff I’ve found over the past few years.
My first book I’d like to talk about is called ‘The Business of Bliss’ How to profit from doing what you love. Authored by the editors of Victoria Magazine.
It is so compelling and really fuels my ambition; of one day having a unique Interior Design store. There are short story examples of how these ladies went from making things for friends, to eventually setting up their own businesses, and the BEST thing they all Love what they do. Rachel Ashwell even talks of how she set up her business ‘Shabby Chic’ which now sells her products in Target stores, nationwide.
It also goes into the basics like choosing a name for your business, location and choosing staff. It’s so impressive it was even featured on Oprah.
Lastly I’d like to say the Business resources list is impressive and they outline magazines to read, associations to join, and hold a business directory of all featured within the book.
Tip: Buy it from Half.com. I checked and there are two copies for as little as $0.75
Another book I’m enjoying is American Farmhouses Country Style and Design by Leah Rosch. It also has Amazing photography by Keith Scott Morton.
Kitchen Culture reinventing kitchen design by Johnny Grey. It's definitely a new perspective of how kitchens of the future could be. The book has wonderful freehand sketches, photography and floorplans. Although the floorplans are not at all what you’d expect. They have flow, function and lastly are a question of taste.
Country Living’s Stylish Renovations, Design Ideas for old and new houses. I found this book easy to read; actually it only took me a few hours as it’s captivating yet had many insiders’ advice pages. Again I chose it for its fabulous photography, which if ever you take a peek check out pages 62-63. The living room is so bright and airy, and has wonderful views of woodlands. The fireplace stones were collected from a nearby creek. Who’d have thought? Furnished with well appointed furnishings on hardwood floors, and lastly there are tips for anyone wanting to purchase an older home. On how to carry out inspections, and helpful resources.
And last but no least I have French Country at Home, by Kathy Pessero. Adorable French farmhouse photography fills almost all the pages, and she goes into depth on color, pattern and French furniture. The source directory also features Antiques and architectural elements.
Some websites featured in the books I would like to share are:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
