Thinking back, I have always created spaces. I didn’t make tall towers with my blocks but rather low buildings that spread out serving some purpose or design I had in mind. Even now, playing with our building blocks when the kids are around, my block buildings are similar to when I was little, while the kids are fighting to get their tower as tall as they can before their sibling knocks it over.
Growing up we also had Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Legos. With the Tinker Toys, I would make towers but then I would put books on the cross pieces to create floors so my dolls had spaces to live. Legos, at the time, came in boxes of miscellaneous pieces. You had to use your imagination and create things, there were no instructions. I would create houses that were fully furnished with Lego furniture that I had built and then I would draw a floor plan of what I had created.
After Girl Scout Cookie selling, there were always plenty of cardboard boxes that made great doll houses. The furniture, I made from stuff I found around the house like scraps of fabric, bottle caps, pieces of cardboard, etc. My mom taught me how to sew. Creating bedspreads, pillows & curtains were all done by hand.
As I got older, I started discovering famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Thomas Jefferson (two of my favorites). Most people don’t realize Thomas Jefferson was not only the third president of the United States but also an architect, inventor, diplomat, lawyer, and philosopher. When visiting his home Monticello in Virginia, I learned of so many little things he built into his home to make it more functional for all that lived there.
I have visited several of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings. His way of thinking and designing was so far beyond his time. I can’t imagine what he could have done with the technology of today. If you ever get a chance to visit Falling Water in Pennsylvania, I would highly recommend it. This summer home for the Kaufmann family is cantilevered out of the hillside over the water without actually touching it.
In college I studied Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning (DAAP). I have been part of designing retail stores, schools, offices, and many other spaces. My design skills have taken a different direction in my current career but still design nonetheless.
One of my favorite places to create space is my home. I have lived in very different sized and shaped homes. An empty space always needs to be arranged and filled with things that make it function and provide a comfortable space for me and my family. Our new home had a wood plank wall in the living room. While it was pretty, it was dark. I white washed it and added some shelves made from rough edge wood and black metal pipes I got at the hardware store. They have made a great addition to display our family memorabilia especially at Christmas.
When you move, the things in your home sometimes need to find a different purpose. We tend to look at pieces of furniture and have a preconceived idea of their function. Thinking outside the box and being creative with what I have brings me joy. It brings a touch of the unexpected to the space. Maybe that alternative way of looking at things comes from my grandfather, but that’s a whole other blog post for another time.
It’s always important to have things in your space that make you happy. My artwork and family photos are hanging throughout our home. Many of the pieces of furniture that we have were passed down from grandparents. I like that too because it brings memories of them with it and surrounds us with their love.
Home projects can be messy and require a lot of work but it is an opportunity to create an amazing space!
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