A collection of nature's curiosities
The spider weaves an intricate web; the bird spins its nest out of grasses, twigs, and found objects; bees create glorious thriving hives, and humans build houses.
- Kathleen Hay
Spider web on farm gate
Mankind has been designing and inhabiting every manner of house since the dawn of time: stick-frame dwellings, brick houses, mud huts, igloos, even tents and yurts. Be it a web, a nest, a shell, or a house, creatures of all types crave a place to call home, a place that brings security and familiarity. In the best cases, a home should also bring beauty and pleasure.
With the birth of my first grandchild came a renewed desire for creating a safe, secure, and comfortable home, a nest where she could not only feel welcomed with the warmth of creature comforts but also enjoy rooms that would ignite her curiosity about the world around her. Isn't that what good design is about after all? The mission to create spaces that comfort and soothe, that invite and inspire, that hold us like a hug?
A basket full of found bird nests
A living room we designed full of beautiful objects and creature comforts.
During Covid, the mandate to build sanctuary spaces hit an all-time high. There followed a focus on wellness and the desire for clean, sanitized spaces that promote good health. “Stay at home” affected the way we lived and has continued to change consumer demands for durability and cleanability. Our homes need to support our well-being, so the focus on the use of toxic-free materials, including paints and fabrics that create healthier environments, emerged.
We have also witnessed a rise in the desire for outdoor living spaces, home spas, and bathrooms that mimic five-star hotel experiences. Spaces that combine indoor with outdoor living give us access to fresh air, sunshine (or rain) and landscapes that soothe and delight. We continue to see a blurring of lines with the invitation to commune with nature and the great outdoors. The use of large glass walls that open completely to the outside has become increasingly popular and there is a continued demand for exterior kitchens, spas, and outbuildings which allow for multiple places to live, work, entertain, and rest.
A recent project in Sarasota, Florida, Zig Zag House is a mid-century classic.
We have seen a return to classic interiors following the time spent living through a global pandemic. Interiors that provide a sense of familiarity and comfort not only in furniture and materials but in the atmosphere evoked provide us with security and structure. There has been a trend to vintage and thrifted furnishings that harken to simpler times. We have seen more rooms that mix antique and period pieces with modern furniture to create eclectic and interesting rooms that speak to the inhabitants and their interests instead of a need to be on trend. The use of antiques also encourages sustainability and re-utilization of resources, a notion that is gaining traction with young and old alike.
Beauty brings pleasure while luxury is a philosophy that captures the essence of that which is rare and special, unique and often unattainable. There has been a continued quest for both beauty and luxury. Luxury is not merely a collection of animate objects, but a lifestyle. We now search for uncommon and unique furnishings; we desire to surround ourselves with special and precious items that imbue our homes with our individual spirit.
A New England clapboard sits next to a venerable brick house on Main Street, Nantucket.
A quintessential shingle style house on Nantucket
Creating a more sustainable existence - a slower, more measured life - focuses us on locally made organic products that encourage awareness of our consumption and how it affects the world around us. We favor items that are curated and treasured, promoting longevity in our environments versus the disposable nature of previous decades. Less is more. Sustainable materials will continue to have a surge as we look for ways to create a greener world and a more meaningful existence in it.
This image, captured on my recent stay at Cellars Vineyard & Inn in Capetown, South Africa, is a beautiful example of distinctive Cape Dutch architecture.