The Divine Home

In my opinion, I think one mistake people make when trying to design their interior is not knowing what direction to go in.  Life offers us so many different beautiful styles and options and it is so tempting to want to dabble in a little bit of everything you see.  It is not that one style is necessarily better than the other it is simply that one may be a better fit for your family, your lifestyle and your personality.  I think the most difficult part is LEARNING TO FEEL what style suits you and your loved ones the best.  Do not get me wrong, I love to blend a variety of styles and periods but this is harder than it looks.  You must know what the right balance is and how to blend them correctly so one compliments the other, not allowing one to overbear the other. There is a fine line in mixing.

My first suggestion in learning your own personal style is to research many publications and books.  Create your own binder by making tear sheets and bookmarking pages that you are drawn to.  Write notes on each page describing why you are drawn too the image, ex. the overall style, the colors, the arrangement, the clean lines, the movement, etc…  Secondly, create catagories within your binder, remember that different rooms bring forth different feelings.  Thirdly, build up your binder over time and study it.  Leave your binder open to certain pages for a lengthy period of time, place it on a table and look at the image every time you walk by.  Take note of how that image makes you FEEL and pay attention to the longevity of that feeling.  Is your feeling consistent when you see the image?  Is your feeling fleeting?  Do you feel happiness, peace and serenity?  Do you feel too much drama, action and boldness?  Do you contemplate if you REALLY like that image?  Do you have thoughts of, “I like this image but I can’t live with it?”.  If the style is in question time and time again, remove it from your binder.  If you can’t live with the picture you certainly can’t live with the subject.

Once you have learned what your leading thread is, GAIN CONFIDENCE, GO IN THAT DIRECTION and ALLOW IT TO TAKE ROOT!

FEEL YOUR STYLE.  EMBRACE YOUR STYLE.  LOVE YOUR STYLE.

One of my favorite quotes that I have read is “We learn to live differently BY LIVING DIFFERENTLY, not by thinking about living differently.”.

ACTION is a motion.  ACTION is moving.  ACTION requires more than just thinking.  ACTION is putting thoughts into motion.  ACTION is work.

I know how simple it is to THINK.  We all THINK too much.  We THINK about wanting to change.  We THINK about what dreams we want to live.  We THINK about what we believe love should be.  We THINK about who we really are.  We THINK about what we should be doing with our lives.  We THINK about where we should be in our lives.  We THINK about how can we make a difference in this world and most often we THINK about why some people have all of the luck.

Why is it so easy to think and so difficult to act?  Are we really that lazy, frightened, scared and weak?  Why are we afraid of receiving love, peace and joy?  Why are we afraid of success?  Why are we afraid of fulfilling dreams?  Why don’t we have the energy to change what we know needs to be changed in order to live the life that we dream of?  Why do we punish ourselves and feel unworthy of what God wishes for each and every one of us?

It is time to start BELIEVING!  It is time to start RECEIVING!  It is time to start putting thoughts into ACTION!

I have been thinking for the past thirty-eight years of my life.  I am tired of thinking.  I am willing, eager and determined to take action.  I am worthy of God’s love, greatness, power and abundance.  With God’s help, I WILL SUCCEED and fulfill the desires that He has planted in my heart.

I do not believe in luck.  I believe in work.

Ready, set, action!

Featured Artwork: Laura Painter Stafford, Memphis TN

The most frequent comment people say to me is, “I do not have a talent.  How did you find your gift?  How did you get started?”.

It all starts with a solid foundation.

Just as in home building, the foundation is the most critical support of all that follows.  It does not matter how beautiful the windows, doors, draperies and furnishings are if the foundation is not solid and strong.  You can try to mask mistakes and take short cuts in an attempt to save time, money and effort, but inevitably the mask peels away and truth reveals itself.  The neglect can often be costly and it can cause great suffering, more money and much more time.

So what constitutes a solid foundation?

A solid foundation is truth, brutal honesty, self reflection, vision, establishing guidelines and discipline in sticking to the goal.  It will require compromise, budgeting, persistance and endurance.  I grew up hearing my dad repeating his famous words, “Do it right the first time so you do not have to do it a second!”.  Well, as you can imagine, I always had to do it a second time.  My famous quote is, “Practice makes perfect!”.

In my past, I was always racing against time.  Now, time is my precious and cherished friend.  Forget instant gratification it only leads to mistakes!  Instant gratification only fills a very temporary void and at the end of the day you are stuck with a visual and emotional reminder of , “What was I thinking?”.  What is even worse is that you still feel empty.

STEP ONE.  Take your time with plans and ask for professional help, “Hello, Jesus!”.  Get comfortable, silence everything around you (including your own thoughts) and breath!!!  Relax your body and let go of everything.  Simply sit and ask God to infuse you with His wisdom.  Do not tell God what YOU want.  Your wants may not be your needs.  Instead, ask God to SHOW YOU what your heart’s greatest desires are.  ASK HIM TO SHOW YOU what you are looking for!  Remember, HE knows us better than we do!  God also knows others better than we do!!!

TRUST IN GOD.  Know that He has your best interest at heart.  He makes no mistakes.  Isn’t that great to know!!!!

LISTEN. Be attentive.

WRITE.  If a thought comes to you write it down in a journal.

REFLECT.  Let it soak in.

BE CAUTIOUS.  Our heart’s desires can often be filled with lust, greed, envy, jealousy, etc..  Ask God, over and over again to place your TRUE desires in your heart.  Pray on this as much as possible!  This is when I will tell you my famous quote again, “Practice makes perfect”.

BE PATIENT.  This is when you need your friend, Time.

TRUTH.  It will be revealed if you ALLOW it too.  TRUTH may not always be what you want to hear.  TRUTH may cause you to change YOUR PATH.  TRUTH may cause temporary discomfort and pain.  TRUTH will lead to FREEDOM, PEACE, LOVE AND JOY.

Based on my experience with in-terior design, I strongly encourage you to HIRE THE ULTIMATE ARCHITECT.  His name is GOD.  Give Him the opportunity to show you what plans He has drawn for you.

I can promise you one thing…

You will LOVE your new home!

How does one accomplish fulfilling so many desires all into one simple, cohesive and elegant package? This has been my struggle. My passion, desire and appreciation for so many things in life, both external and internal, many of which are contradictory to each other. Not only bringing them all together, but balancing them out as well.

What I continued to ask myself is how do I fulfill my appreciation and love of beautiful “things” while being true to my beliefs? My belief in that the true “treasures” in life are not found in a store but are found through intimacy with God. The true “possessions” in life are not bought but are earned by having a personal relationship with God.

I asked God. He answered. Little did I know what He was going to show me.

I knew exactly how I wanted to feel. I could easily create my surroundings into a stage of emotions. My home was simple, clean, fresh and grounded with hints of tradition while unexpected hits of whimsy and color rippled evenly throughout. I wanted to live in a paradise of peace and tranquility, an escape from the commotion that life inevitably throws your way, all while remaining balanced in a symmetry of light. I set the stage. God produced my dream into a reality.

While I am a professional at renovating and restoring homes. God is the professional at renovating and restoring souls. I did not need a simple make over, I needed a gut job! Just as in a home renovation, a soul renovation requires professional help (thank you, Jesus!), hard work (practice! practice! practice!), dedication (prayer, meditation and adoration), long hours (more than you ever anticipate), many tears (I cried myself a river, just like Justn Timberlake!), the will to let go of all that once stood as a representation of myself (bye, bye, ego!) and trust (for we walk by faith, not by sight), which is especially hard for a designer because for me, seeing is believing!

My desire is simply to inspire others to live the life that GOD DESIGNED, specifically for you.