Seeing 2020 in the New Year! Happy Well-Being!
“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.”
In years past, my grandmother often referred to a version of this quote, especially around the New Year. She also said, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” It takes some living to fully grasp the concept because one needs a little time and history to draw any comparisons.
When I started my design business, in 1996, I purchased my first PC. Who knew my current phone would be faster and smarter than that clunky machine?! Before the clock struck midnight in 2000, I had been told to backup all of my data because of an impending meltdown - also known as Y2K. Thankfully, it turned out to be more worrisome than a catastrophic event, but that back-up advice has come in rather handy. During those years, I also hand-drafted and rendered all the projects I presented to clients, never thinking I’d ever be using a computer to complete them. These days, almost all of my work is digital. My tech toys have also expanded to tablets, smart phones, and other things to make life and work more mobile and “easier”.
Now, I’ve signed up for a refresher course for rendering because of the desire to pull away from the computer a bit. I think it will be a therapeutic experience to nurture the artist within. I’m witnessing this happening among many of my fellow creatives in interior design and beyond. We’ve come full circle, so to speak. A mix of both old and new, of past and future. I see a strong leaning toward it in life, too. The more things change . . . my Gommie really did have the answers.
A digital rendering received a special, artistic effect to show my client a concept for her master bedroom refresh. It can be swifter to get information across. It conveys a higher-touch experience when the project literally becomes a work of art, though.
Speaking of experiences - the wellness movement and home.
When I think of therapeutic experiences, I also think of the buzz word we’ve been hearing more of regarding home and hearth - Wellness.
The definition of wellness long used by the National Wellness Institute is consistent with these tenets: “Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”
You can see the concept of wellness wasn’t much on our verbal radar for quite a few years. Interestingly many of the ideas about wellness have ancient roots.
This topic hits close to home for many reasons. I grew up in the “City of Medicine”, Durham, North Carolina. As a preteen, I was diagnosed with scoliosis - or curvature of the spine. Every six months, until I turned eighteen, I had follow-up appointments at Duke to monitor my back for changes that might impact my posture as well as initiate other health issues. The visits were daylong ordeals and, though tiring, I saw so many people with challenges more serious than my own. Back in the early days, hospital interiors were far from being physically or visually comforting. I had empathy for what they must have experienced during those lengthy stays.
Hospital white becomes a bit more uplifting with a red rose, don’t you think? A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found office workers who looked at roses felt more relaxed and comfortable in their work environment. Roses have other healing properties, as well. A win-win for both the patient and those taking care of them.
Coming from a family of medical practitioners, I was also encouraged to pursue a career in the healthcare field. I spent my first three university years taking a lot of prerequisite classes to enter into some aspect of it. I was fascinated by it but not enough to become a practitioner. (Yes, I even witnessed the dissection of a cadaver and didn’t faint!) The creative side of my brain was pulling – or pushing – me in another direction and I changed my studies to interior design. I must admit, there were times I wondered if investing in my previous degree program was for naught. Little did I realize; it was a convergence of these disciplines that would serve my clients well in the years to come. I both logically and intuitively understand their needs.
Every detail in our surroundings has an impact on how we live and work.
A snapshot of the evolution of wellness, according to the Global Wellness Institute:
There’s nothing new about practicing wellness. If you look at the abbreviated time table, below, our ancestors understood its importance.
“3,000 - 1,500 BC - Ayurvedic regimens are tailored to each person’s unique constitution (their nutritional, exercise, social interaction and hygiene needs) – with the goal of maintaining a balance that prevents illness. Yoga and meditation are critical to the tradition, and are, of course, increasingly practiced worldwide.”
“3,000 – 2,000 BC: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine, develops. Influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, TCM applies a holistic perspective to achieving health and wellbeing, by cultivating harmony in one’s life. Approaches that evolved out of TCM, such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, qi gong and tai chi, have become core, modern wellness – and even Western medical – approaches.”
The Evolution of Wellness in abbreviated form. To read in more detail, click on this image. Courtesy of GWI)
“500 BC: Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates – is possibly the first physician to focus on preventing sickness instead of simply treating disease, and also argued that disease is a product of diet, lifestyle and environmental factors.”
“50 BC: Ancient Roman medicine emphasized disease prevention, adopting the Greek belief that illness was a product of diet and lifestyle. Ancient Rome’s highly developed public health system (with its extensive system of aqueducts, sewers and public baths) helped prevent the spreading of germs and maintained a healthier population.”
Isn’t it fascinating, with all of the direction we’re making in technology, we seem to be craving age-old experiences that nurture us in a manner, removing us from that tech? Or, at least partially?
Fast forward to a growing focus for where and how we’ll live as we move into this new decade:
“2018: In January, the Global Wellness Institute released Build Well to Live Well, the first in-depth research to analyze the $134 billion global wellness real estate and communities sector. The report found that real estate and communities that intentionally put people’s health at the center of design, creation and redevelopment are the next frontiers in real estate.”
An example of a beautifully designed wellness community - Serenbe. On the outskirts of Atlanta, it includes everything from residential to business, food growers to restaurants, spa treatments to art experiences, and many other elements for well-being.
Coming full-circle. The ‘why’ behind how I design:
Though it’s been an intuitive part of the way I’ve designed home interiors, over the last twenty-four years, I’ve found a renewed interest in moving wellness back to front and center of my design practice. It’s multi-faceted and there are so many ways to consider applying it. From planning homes for different generations to creating spaces for introverts and extroverts to thrive. How we nourish ourselves, (kitchen design), to how we care for ourselves, (bedroom, bathroom and specialized activity spaces). The use of furnishings, be it creating family spaces with legacy pieces, passed from one generation to the next, or making new selections. By coming full-circle, I’m experiencing a renaissance in my work, my writing about it, and living in a more fulfilling way.
I hope you’ll join me in this next decade and my next journey. I’m sure it will evolve, but I can clearly see what’s old is new again is ringing true for 2020.
In the words of songwriter Peter Allen:
“Don't throw the past away. You might need it some rainy day. Dreams can come true again. When everything old is new again.”
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade! Thank you for reading along as my next post will address those post holiday, the-decorations-are down-and-now-what January blahs.