Filed under: and Doorways, art, Entrances, Feng Shui, Foyers, Living | Tags: doorways, entrances, feng shui, holistic house
How many of us come in through the back door of our homes, past piles of junk in the garage, laundry room, or mud room? Not all of us have a choice of doors – many apartments have a single entryway. If this is your situation, this post still applies to you, too.
The entryway sets the tone for our home. When we come home, do we want to be faced with the depressing and overwhelming tasks of cleaning up and organizing the piles of mail, shoes, random junk, and other things to be put away? Or do we want to come home and feel safe, welcomed, and at peace after a busy day? My vote is for feeling that our homes are a refuge rather than a burden.
I have two suggestions today. First, if you come in through the back door, I want you to start coming in through the front door, at least occasionally. Why? Because as we discussed in the last post, the front door is where we make visitors feel welcomed and honored. I want you to feel welcomed and honored as you enter your home, also. This is your sacred space, your sanctuary, your retreat from the world. It’s important, and you are important here. Remind yourself of that!
The second suggestion is to take some time this week and tidy up the entryways inside. I know we’re all busy, but the first thing we see when we come home should not be another pile of things to do. I;m not asking you to clean the whole house, don’t worry! Just inside your entryways. It’s a favor to yourself.
Now, when you come home after a harried day, you feel honored, welcomed, and comfortable. Much better than walking inside and immediately being reminded of all the things you haven’t done that you are “supposed” to be doing. It’s all about programming the house to support you.
This week – tidy up those entrances and remember to honor yourself by coming in through the “honored guest” door!
Next week – the main living space. Enjoy!
Normally these days I find the word “authentic” to be overused and watered down, but when talking about using hand thrown pottery in the dining room, authentic still says it best. Serving dishes, dinnerware, platters, plates, and drinking vessels take on a new importance when made of pottery crafted by a local artisan.
No piece will be exactly like the next piece, giving your dining table a uniqueness impossible to find anywhere else. Hand thrown pieces have a different feel under the fingers; the texture is rich and inviting. The echoes of the hands of the artisan who created the piece is still palpable in the hands of the recipient, creating that intriguing bond between artisan and user.
Here are some pieces done by my friend Elona Shaffert, local artisan. She makes great pieces and also teaches at her store, Creatable Crafts, here in Rehoboth Beach. I have enjoyed giving pieces by her as gifts, especially knowing that no matter who I was giving them to, that they weren’t going to get these items from anywhere else!
Look at these great ocean colors - perfect for seaside dining
I can see loaves of homemade bread, all thick and texturey and slathered with herbed butter, looking just right served on this dinnerware. The bread would rightly be joined by hearty soul-warming soup and a salad of fresh tossed spring greens with chunky croutons in those graceful bowls. These blues and greens and sand colors are cool, yet rich and full bodied. This series makes me want to redo my personal house in these great ocean hues. You could easily pick a set of pieces like this and use them as inspiration for redecorating your dining room or kitchen. And who would want to store these tucked away on a cupboard somewhere? With handmade pottery, you can store the pieces on open shelves in full view, or hang them on the wall, and enjoy them as artwork when they weren’t being used for their intended purpose. Two for one!
Here’s another piece – this one’s done with horse hair! Crazy! But look how amazing the result is:
The vase would do well as an objet d’art in the living room -but let’s not forget the kitchen! Handmade pottery creates a special feel in the kitchen, too. Hot French Onion soup out of the oven takes on a whole new level of deliciousness when the smooth melted provolone is dripping over the hearty texture of a handmade crock. Yum!
Go find a local artisan and give yourself the tactile and visual pleasure you have been yearning for!
