Cultivating Joy: Why Design Matters

News Flash: Life is about the Journey.

Question: Are you enjoying it?

When you wake up in the morning and look around your bedroom, how do you feel? Energized? Excited? Or are you filled with dread? Does opening your eyes make you want to just close them again?

How about when you get home from work: Do you feel calm? Happy? Excited to walk into your kitchen for a cool beverage and sip it in your favorite chair? Or do you feel stress before even touching the door knob? Do you not own a comfy chair? Could it even be that coming home is *gasp* more stressful than showing up for work...?

So I'll ask again: Are you enjoying the journey?

Working in Design, I come up against the question of need, often. Like, Who "needs" a decorator? And I understand. I'm not working in an Emergency Room, and no one is ever going to come rushing like "I DONT CARE THE PRICE - SAVE MY HOUSE!" (ok, maybe one day that could happen.. but I'd have to be pretty damn good, and possibly a wizard of some sort).

But when it comes to the question of "need" I ask: What about Joy?

Is Joy not part of survival? After all, what is the point of living if we can't enjoy it?

Ingrid Fetell Lee, Designer and Author of Joyful, argues that the drive for joy is the drive for life {and} joy makes us healthier, more productive, creative, and resilient (and she's got a whole heck of a lot of research backing this).

Here, let's try this visual analogy:

You're driving through life.

Both of the cars below can get you from A to Z.

Which one do you choose?

The Ford on the left doesn't drive as fast, the A/C and heat are broken, the windows have hand cranks, there's no cruise control, and the radio only gets AM stations: $5,000 OBO +no warranty (and likely to have more than a few break downs)

The BMW on the right drives uh, super fast, with no faulty amenities, and the bluetooth radio will have you jamming all over the place: $35,000 +great warranty

Your choice: Inexpensive Ford? or Invest in the BMW?

And I'm not saying everyone should drive a BMW, but I am saying, that upgrades are worth it. So maybe instead, you take your beat-up ford and turn it into a newer VW Jetta ($19,000 +warranty). Yes, the Jetta doesn't drive as fast as the BMW, but it's in your budget and it has a heck of a lot more amenities than the Ford. And you know what? THAT will make a hugely positive impact in your journey/life.

The above before and after is a prime example of how powerful small changes can be. For more info 

CLICK HERE

There is much joy to be had in investing in our homes, because they are the vehicles to a HUGE chunk of our life (unless of course you're one of those magical Instagram people who travel for a living, in which case, I hope your hotels are fabulous).

So, let's make waking up in the morning a pleasant experience. And when you get home from a long day at work, I want you to bust through that front door and breathe in the beauty. Let's get you the right glasses for your evening cocktail, and the perfect chair to lean back in.

Getting your home right,  makes a difference INSIDE OF YOU. A difference that, up until recently, has been immeasurable. But as psychologists grow in their research on the subject, I am certain that every report will soon be screaming: FEEL GOOD IN YOUR HOME AND YOU WILL FEEL GOOD INSIDE YOUR BODY. You will LIVE LONGER and more JOYFUL lives (and you might even lose weight? and fight scary diseases? ... because joy is the best fighter for life out there).

So, do you NEED a decorator?...

Joy never hurts, and good design will always bring you Joy.

Until Next Week.

L