Home As Sanctuary
A home is a sanctuary and it is sacred whether we are aware of it or not. A house is just pieces of materials and for the people who live in a "house" there is no spirit and there is nothing sacred, in fact the folks who live in them deface them by keeping them untidy and dirty, disorganized and lack luster, cheap and without artistic flavor. A home is a very different horse of a very different color as they say. I learned as a child that a home is a place where there are not just objects that cost something but rather artifacts that have meaning. My homes were always ones where everything in it had meaning and a use. Everything was taken care of because it took care of you from a toaster to a sofa or a bed. Everything in our home was sacred and was to be cleaned and tended to. Perhaps to a fault but then again it taught me the value and the wonders of a home. How one can make a house into a home was something we learned very early in life. It was a given and today I know how to treat a home with the honor and respect that it deserves because I appreciate it.
Today I would like to talk about the kitchen where food is made. The key word here is food. Where there is food made there is a sense of love and of appreciation for the person cooking it and the kitchen utensils and the appliances. In a kitchen one should keep the big serving spoons in one area and the everyday dishwear in a paticular cabinet by size and use. Interestingly there are many people who will serve a dinner with a salad fork or serve a salad in a cup saucer. In my ktichen these items are all stacked together: the buffet plates, the salad plates, the bowls and the dinner plates. I like all white because when one plate breaks it's not such an ordeal buying another white plate. All the plates can be white and not be completely matched and in fact it adds some interest to the table setting. The pans should be under the island portion of your kitchen where they are easy to grab when you are starting to cook. The every day glasses should be closer to the sink in that cabinet. The fine crystal can be up higher if you don't use them all the time and the cloth napkins can all be in one drawer. The kitchen towels in one drawer. The tupperware containers in one area, hopefully with a gliding shelf. Those are a must in a kitchen. The vases I keep in that corner unit that swivels. The appliances are in one cabinet or two where they heard of but not seen. I like a nice clean counter with just a coffee maker on it and maybe a bread box if you need it. I would even say that I would like a TV under a cabinet before I would place a lot of things like a mixer or a toaster. I am a bit of a snob about what gets featured in a kitchen and what is hidden in the pantry. My kitchen has stainless appliances and is destined for two different counters: one on the island and one that combines with it on the rest of the counter space with a spray tall faucet and a deep double sink. No kitchen should have what I refer to as formica. I absolutely would rather it be allmost anything but that. The fact is that it is not attractive even though it wears well. If you must I would say do a white one and dark cabinets so as to give the illusion of good taste. The kitchen is the most sacred space after the bedroom. My kitchen has dark chocolate wood cabinets but white has made a come back and looks great too. I especially loved the kitchens in the Hampton's that had white cabinets and white marble tops. It was fresh and beautiful every time. Funny who people with money don't neccessarity go for the most expensive counters. Marble is beautiful and priced better than granite. With white it looks delicious. The kitchen is where love is served and the floor needs to be swept as many times as needed usually I do sweep mine twice a day. My kitchen has dark manufactured engineered floors so everything shows up on them but it's worth it because they look great. In the kitchen area there is a large and long table (oversized) with six chairs in white leather on the two sides only. There are no chairs on the ends. It looks crisp and the wood on the table is very defined in it's grain. The white chairs with metal legs look fantastic with that wood. On top of it there are three identical white vases with a flute top section. They are shaped like a garlic at the bottom. At the end of the table there is a sphere in metal in a rusty orange with a bird inside of it. I love the whimical look of that. Then next to it is a stack of coasters by Nambe that were gifted to me and a laquered striped box with white, rust and a little black in it. The box has cocktail napkins inside of it. Always there is a purpose or at least whenver possible. I like to use boxes to hide things in them or place something I love inside like spiritual words. I love to add meaning to things. Once I put a poem inside a box in the bathroom. That is what makes my home sacred and meaningful. It transforms a house to a home when you put all those things inside of it that mean someting and that you care for and are creative. On the wall there is a very modern oil painting I had someone paint for me. It has a beautiful blue color with an orange background. I love modern art and feel like it simply says somehing different like I get out of the box and I take risks. To my friends that is not a secret and in fact they will make comments about my decor and use ideas of mine all the time, even buying some of the same items I have in my home. I consider it a compliment.
to be continued...
Today I would like to talk about the kitchen where food is made. The key word here is food. Where there is food made there is a sense of love and of appreciation for the person cooking it and the kitchen utensils and the appliances. In a kitchen one should keep the big serving spoons in one area and the everyday dishwear in a paticular cabinet by size and use. Interestingly there are many people who will serve a dinner with a salad fork or serve a salad in a cup saucer. In my ktichen these items are all stacked together: the buffet plates, the salad plates, the bowls and the dinner plates. I like all white because when one plate breaks it's not such an ordeal buying another white plate. All the plates can be white and not be completely matched and in fact it adds some interest to the table setting. The pans should be under the island portion of your kitchen where they are easy to grab when you are starting to cook. The every day glasses should be closer to the sink in that cabinet. The fine crystal can be up higher if you don't use them all the time and the cloth napkins can all be in one drawer. The kitchen towels in one drawer. The tupperware containers in one area, hopefully with a gliding shelf. Those are a must in a kitchen. The vases I keep in that corner unit that swivels. The appliances are in one cabinet or two where they heard of but not seen. I like a nice clean counter with just a coffee maker on it and maybe a bread box if you need it. I would even say that I would like a TV under a cabinet before I would place a lot of things like a mixer or a toaster. I am a bit of a snob about what gets featured in a kitchen and what is hidden in the pantry. My kitchen has stainless appliances and is destined for two different counters: one on the island and one that combines with it on the rest of the counter space with a spray tall faucet and a deep double sink. No kitchen should have what I refer to as formica. I absolutely would rather it be allmost anything but that. The fact is that it is not attractive even though it wears well. If you must I would say do a white one and dark cabinets so as to give the illusion of good taste. The kitchen is the most sacred space after the bedroom. My kitchen has dark chocolate wood cabinets but white has made a come back and looks great too. I especially loved the kitchens in the Hampton's that had white cabinets and white marble tops. It was fresh and beautiful every time. Funny who people with money don't neccessarity go for the most expensive counters. Marble is beautiful and priced better than granite. With white it looks delicious. The kitchen is where love is served and the floor needs to be swept as many times as needed usually I do sweep mine twice a day. My kitchen has dark manufactured engineered floors so everything shows up on them but it's worth it because they look great. In the kitchen area there is a large and long table (oversized) with six chairs in white leather on the two sides only. There are no chairs on the ends. It looks crisp and the wood on the table is very defined in it's grain. The white chairs with metal legs look fantastic with that wood. On top of it there are three identical white vases with a flute top section. They are shaped like a garlic at the bottom. At the end of the table there is a sphere in metal in a rusty orange with a bird inside of it. I love the whimical look of that. Then next to it is a stack of coasters by Nambe that were gifted to me and a laquered striped box with white, rust and a little black in it. The box has cocktail napkins inside of it. Always there is a purpose or at least whenver possible. I like to use boxes to hide things in them or place something I love inside like spiritual words. I love to add meaning to things. Once I put a poem inside a box in the bathroom. That is what makes my home sacred and meaningful. It transforms a house to a home when you put all those things inside of it that mean someting and that you care for and are creative. On the wall there is a very modern oil painting I had someone paint for me. It has a beautiful blue color with an orange background. I love modern art and feel like it simply says somehing different like I get out of the box and I take risks. To my friends that is not a secret and in fact they will make comments about my decor and use ideas of mine all the time, even buying some of the same items I have in my home. I consider it a compliment.
to be continued...
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