Nature Minded Designs

If you've ever wondered how I get my inspiration for my next blogpost, truth is I wonder also! I just wait until I am inspired which is why my blog does not come out on any one day of each month, rather in the first week or so into the month. Well this month is no exception. With the crazy Spring weather which thinks it should also behave like winter weather with heavy cold windy rainy days popping up every other week, we all do not know what end is up lately. One day I'm sporting allergies to the pollen and grasses, and the next day I'm sniffling and setting the thermostat to heat again. My last blog post was all about outdoor designs which I enjoyed writing about a great deal. I like thinking about relaxing under umbrellas with cold drinks out in the backyard, so I couldn't bear to let April's posting go away too quickly. So.....I have decided that I still need to write more about the outdoors and how nature influences design, until Spring decides it's here to stay....maybe at least until Summer shows up.

I went to my local community's Garden Tour this past week and it was glorious. Ten home gardens, front and backyards both open for all of us to linger through at our own pace and admire the designs that each homeowner selected for their own personal retreat areas. How relaxing was this? Very much so. I realized that I have always loved flowers and always will. So much of my favorite designs in the past have been centered around artwork with subject matters of landscapes, mountains, oceans, trees, flowers, and architecturally beautiful buildings amidst flowers and trees. I've always been very fond of birds also...all kinds. Our own backyard nature is amazing and it seems most all design derives from nature with its varying colors, shapes, forms, and fronds. If you sit or walk quietly in a nature setting for a good 1/2 hr, you'll realize that all is right with the universe and that there is an order to it. Even the birds and rabbits which fly and run around our nature preserve areas really have a purpose and a routine which they follow intuitively. They also play joyfully and unexpectedly in between those routine tasks that drive them to keep so busy. I sit there sometimes and realize I am most certainly sitting in their neighborhood also (not just mine), watching their families grow and thrive and I sense a peace from it and new thoughts about design appear for me.

I am sure you've noticed when you're at get-togethers, that design conversations about home projects catch everyone's ears, light up everyone's eyes, and touch on their heart's desires to fix up their own homes. Everyone loves to design for themselves a better life or a more comfy abode. Home real estate has been a passion for me, but I've decided it is because I really enjoy viewing the layouts, creating functional space plans, and enhancing the colors, styles, textures, lighting and materials within that space. I like to bring the outdoors in and the indoors out so there's a unity and a melody to the design, like music that fills the room. And music is the most healing and inspiring sound which puts the finishing touch on your experience of the room as you sit with friends and family sipping drinks and sharing cutting edge, award winning ideas or just silly mind wanderings.

The photos I've posted this month are some of the wonderful yards we saw on the Garden Tour. These folks were inspired to create their own personal sanctuaries. Meandering through these yards was enchanting. It's no wonder we designers take our designs from nature and incorporate them into our area rugs and fabrics for the interiors. It is Springtime 2010. Enjoy your life and make the most of it every day.

Designer 4 You 4 Ever,
Pamela