I received a nice email today from Jessica who is a jewelry designer and blog founder/author of Makeunder My Life. She wrote in to invite me to be part of her series of interviews called Design My Life which focuses on, “Sharing your intentions for your life and how you design your life around those intentions.” I like the idea so I couldn’t reply fast enough, yes!
If you are interested in reading what her current Design Your Life guest, Summer Thornton of Summer Thornton Design, has to say on this topic you can certainly do so here. Above you can see Shannon’s beautiful living room and if you visit Apartment Therapy you can take her home tour which is just fantastic.
And this makes me think of something… designing your life. What are some of your intentions and how do you do design your daily life in order to meet those needs, reach your goals, etc.? You can comment below over just ponder over this question for a moment on your own because I think it’s a great thing to really STOP and think about on a regularly basis, don’t you?
(image: summer thornton)
March 4th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Love the idea of deigning around your life and I think it happens without us even realizing it. I fought the idea of having a family room where we ate on the couch for sooooo long and then finally realized it was happening anyway. Why not create a space that works for that and is still stylish? Afterall, what is movie night, if not curled up with a bowl of popcorn! Can’t wait to read your interview!
March 4th, 2010 at 11:29 am
I try to always keep my activities in line with my values and goals. In order to do that I write things down a lot – I journal, make lists, blog, etc. In Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert talks about asking herself “what do I want right now?”; I try to use that as a daily check in to be sure that what I’m doing will get me what I want out of my life.
.-= Bobbi´s last blog ..Birthdays and Baby Girls =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Designing with intention! Now that’s something to read about. One of my goals this spring is to create a music room for my husband and daughter after I move into my new studio. I’ll be referring to summer’s blog for inspiration!
.-= Jen Singh´s last blog ..Winter wind…original watercolor =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I LOVE the way they wallpapered a section of the wall above the sofa. What a great way to add a focal point for very little money.
.-= Lori´s last blog ..Super Cute & Easy Apron Tutorial =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
What a great idea, so looking forward to reading this sereies.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I love that blog!
March 4th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Lovely! And what a clever use of a file cabinet.
.-= LD´s last blog ..York Wallcoverings: Inspired by Disney =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
love the chandelier! also, is that wallpaper on the wall behind the sofa?
xo,
cristin
.-= cristin @ simplified bee´s last blog ..Baby Bird and Spring Green Meadow Gender Neutral Nursery =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
good question and it certainly involves a lot of thinking…
Professionally I read a lot of blogs and try to observe why I like the things I like about them and that I know that work for them, learn slowly.Step by step. Also take wonderful, amazing e-courses ; ) that go beyond expectations.
Personally apply one simple rule Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: “Live every moment of your life with love and joy”
March 4th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
What a gorgeous looking room! Love the wallpaper, cushions and fabulous chandelier.
.-= Fresh Design Blog´s last blog ..Luxurious cream leather TV bed =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Love this room!! At our site we are sort of doing a similar thing- exploring the self using the portal of interior design and style. Exploring the depths of YOU can be a little less scary when approached from somthing so innocuous as “why do I like birdcages and gilded mirrors”? Come and join the party and please come as you are!
March 4th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
wow… deep question and easier said than done i suppose. I have a lot of goals… but I find it hard to manage and maintain them… it almost seems overwhelming sometimes… i suppose looking at it this way, could make them more achievable. can’t wait to hear your story.
.-= Michael – Innkeeper´s last blog ..poop cookies =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
oh, and the two colored lampshades! hello! as she says… ‘better bold, than borning.’
.-= Michael – Innkeeper´s last blog ..poop cookies =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
ooh, i love-love-love this living room!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Designing your life and the spaces in which you live your life to reflect your goals or intentions is something we probably all do — usually unintentionally at least. Our tastes and preferences (design) are made up of our experiences and aspirations.
Let’s turn this around. I immediately thought of jellybeans when I saw the colorful display of toss pillows on the white sofa. Wonder what my inner landscape is made of?
March 4th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
My intentions right now are set aside…we are preparing to move from TX to ND so I have a lot of decluttering and packing to do. However, I am envisioning the move as a new start to live the life I dream of…days filled with laughter, happiness, memories, and love with my three children. I don’t want my “things” or nice furniture to get in the way, there will be time for that later. When my house looks like a magazine picture, they will be gone. In the meantime, I creatively photograph and photoshop my pictures to look like magazine layouts…nevermind the mess just off camera!
.-= The Editor´s last blog ..It was you, blue kangaroo, and the squirrels did it, too! =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Every January 1, I set my goals for the year. That keeps me on track. When I was in my last year of business school and just dating my now-husband, I thought a lot about this question. I knew that he loves his profession, which requires long hours, so if we were to stay together and have children, he likely would not be the primary caregiver. I would like to keep working when we have children, so I’ve happily pursued a career with more reasonable hours, and I may be able to work part-time or from home in the future. When we got married and bought our apartment here in Brooklyn, I purposely decorated and designed the space to be a place we’ll want to live in for a good while. We love to have friends and family visit for a few nights and to be a comfortable place that friends can just drop by. My husband adores soccer (he’s from Mexico), so we have a comfy place to watch games, and he likes to cook (and I like to eat), so we have a big dining table. Design itself has positively influenced how we live and act when we’re home alone and with friends or family. So much to say on this topic! Can’t wait to hear what others think.
.-= Lizzy´s last blog ..safe travels – mexico =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
love it! any idea where she found the lovely chandelier and curtains with the bright teal??
March 4th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Designing your life…
It sound so beautiful and easy!
I find it very hard to keep track of the things I want to or have to do, so I’m an avid list-maker. I leave a list on my table, so I can go over the things I need to do every day while I’m having breakfast and reading blogs for inspiration. What I generally find most challenging is fitting creative aspects into my daily life, prioritizing and making time for everything.
That being said, I’m off – back to my daily routine ;)
.-= Naomi @ NIMO.´s last blog ..Because Beauty is in the Basics =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
One of the way i am intentional about my life, is to have regular routines in my day. For example, it is early evening and my husband and I just shared a delicious cup of tea. Every morning my husband, brings me a cup of tea while I am still in bed. Since we do this everyday, we don’t have to think about it – it happens.
.-= Glenda´s last blog ..Gg: Cc is for creativity =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
I just adore Jess, she is so incredibly giving and sweet! Whenever I visit her blog I always walk about feeling inspired!
As for the way I Design my life – I try my best to surround myself with positive images, people and experiences. Whenever I get off course I always feel awful and completely drained. When possible I try to slow down and appreciate the fact that I am living my dream and designing for people who truly appreciate it. The good things in life can so easily be taken for granted!
I am excited to see your post over at “Makeunder My Life”!!
March 4th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Very intriguing, never taught of “designing” my life but that’s exactly it. Holly, your question made me think of motivation boards with all kind of nice things you want to do, reach, have or experience.
.-= Yasmine´s last blog ..Is Blue Your Favorite Color? =-.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
umm…I want her place!
that is a wonderful thing to ponder and as of late I have been doing just that. Hard to put into words though. There’s so much I want to do and accomplish in life…I have a hard time believing I can do it all before my time is up. I guess that’s where “daily” comes in. Take it one day at a time, wake up smiling (been trying that lately…EXTREMELY difficult since me and morning do not get along), and live. Just live. O.K. I’m off to practice what I preach ; )
seriously though, just smile at people. It’s a win-win.
.-= stephanie´s last blog ..ask me what I did yesterday!! =-.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:19 am
love love love love love the big yellow print on the wall!
~Morgan
.-= Morgan Bradshaw´s last blog ..Ruby Red Slippers =-.
March 5th, 2010 at 8:10 am
I love the wallpaper. We have the same magnolia print on the walls at the restaurant I work at :)
March 5th, 2010 at 10:47 am
This has been my favorite house tour on apartment therapy for a long time and I try to look at all of their hour tours. I just posted a shot of her apartment on her blog today and then I checked out your site (which I try to do daily) and saw that you have the same shot. What a great living room!
.-= Kate Collins´s last blog ..Happy Weekend to All =-.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:07 am
See the file cabinet by the sofa? It just blends in like an end table, but clearly there’s some work being done in that room. I’m going to have to head over to the full tour to see what’s going on there.
.-= Alison´s last blog ..The 2 best marketing blogs ever =-.
March 5th, 2010 at 11:51 am
I love that chandelier! I also love the idea of one in the living room. The only problem with it is if you want to move your furniture around. I guess you’d have to just keep it centered in the room all the time.
March 5th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
love love love this!
March 5th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Some days it’s a challenge, but I do my best to work towards my goals each day. Even if it’s just a little something, like returning a phone call or jotting something on my calendar. If I touch my goals each day, I find that eventually–I reach them!!
March 6th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Holly – I was recently part of this series, and I think Jess is doing such inspiring and important work. I work very hard at living my values, and revisit my personal mission statement (which I blogged about recently) often to make sure I’m on the right track. I can’t wait to see yours!!
.-= Brigitte´s last blog ..Say It’s Your Birthday! =-.