Hello lovelies! As you may know, a few years ago I transitioned professionally from working in the fashion industry for various years into the interior design field. Since I was a little girl, whenever I entered a room I loved to play a game where I would imagine and visualize in my mind how it could be beautified and I would draw floor plans of homes on paper thinking of how the spaces would be used according to what kind of family lived there. I could observe my father for hours as, although he was an engineer and fully dedicated himself to his passion for classic cars, his second calling had always been designing Scandinavian furniture and integrating carpentry in our homes to make them more functional and beautiful.
This desire to make spaces aesthetically more pleasing came naturally to me as years went by, and it was fulfilling to become more and more aware of the power that interior design has in making spaces more compelling and why it is a vital part of wellbeing in the world we live in today. On this occasion, I teamed up with my dear friend Manuel Martos to create a photoshoot personifying the essence of wellbeing, interior design and architecture in a marvelous surrounding on a relaxed sunny afternoon in Marbella.
This month of August, I wanted to write truly honor the role that interior design has in enhancing people’s lives, as gone are the days when it was thought that interior design was just a pompous expression for good taste in decorating a space and being a reserved luxury for the elite. Nowadays, there are more and more people who realize the true importance and the power of creating a home that embodies their lifestyle, personality, style and values.
CREATING A HOME
Over a number of years, usually with a lot of thought and considerable dedication, we choose furniture, art, rugs, vases and so on into a distinctive constellation we mark with the word home. As we create our rooms, we reflect profoundly on the atmosphere of a picture, we ponder the relationship between the colours on a wall and we ask with care what books really deserve our ongoing attention. As a result, with time, what our homes are helping us remember is, strangely enough, ourselves.
We can see this need to anchor identity in the history of religion, as humans have from the earliest of days expended enormous care and creativity on building homes for their gods. They haven’t felt that their gods could live just anywhere, but that they needed special places where their specific characteristics could be stabilised through art and architecture. Similarily, our homes are also our temples – they are our temples to us. A place that adequately embodies our values, merits, experiences and puts us back in contact with ourselves, away from a fast paced and over-stimulating exterior world.
Below: Leman Armchair in leather with dark steel frame from Camerich
“Objects are, in their own way, all hugely eloquent. In this sense, two chairs that perform much the same physical role can articulate entirely different visions of life.“
INTERIOR DESIGN AS A VISION OF LIFE
Creating a home is frequently such a demanding process because it requires us to find our way to objects that can correctly convey our identities. We may have to go to enormous efforts to track down what we deem to be the ‘right’ objects for particular functions, rejecting hundreds of alternatives that would – in a material sense – have been perfectly serviceable, in the name of those we believe can faithfully communicate the right message about who we are. We get fussy because objects are, in their own way, all hugely eloquent. In this sense, two chairs that perform much the same physical role can articulate entirely different visions of life. The smallest things in our homes whisper in our ears, they offer us encouragement, reminders and comfort, as we go about making breakfast or unwinding in the evening.
This quest to build a home is connected up with a need to stabilise and organise our complex selves. It’s not enough to know who we are in our own minds. We need something more tangible, material and sensuous to pin down the diverse and intermittent aspects of our identities. Home means the place where our soul feels that it has found its proper physical container, where, every day, the objects we live amongst quietly remind us of our most authentic commitments, loves and true selves.
3 REASONS WHY INTERIOR DESIGN IS IMPORTANT FOR HUMAN WELLBEING
I. FUNCTION AND BEAUTY
On the most basic level, a good interior design improves a space by making it better suited to its purpose. For example, if designing a bedroom you will make decisions that lead to it being more relaxing, and for an office, good design will make it more focused and efficient. When a space is well-designed, it doesn’t just look good – great design goes beyond to ensure that everything in the room serves a function.
II. INTERIOR DESIGN WITH A SOUL
Another thing that interior designers understand about their art is the ways in which you’ve decorated your space allows you to show your personality. Think about the last time you had visitors to your home, or when you saw a friend’s home for the first time. What can others learn about you from your space? What have you observed about others from theirs? Whether designing a living space or a commercial office, interior designers carefully consider the message that a space sends. Great design enhances the good qualities that a person, family, or company already possesses, giving them a tangible form in space.
III. MAXIMIZING SPACE
Finally, working with an interior designer is a wonderful way to get the most out of your space. A smart designer will find ways to make your space flow easily and to make your life more convenient. Plus, a great design will be tailored to your exact lifestyle and needs – a designer won’t make the same choices for a newlywed couple that they would for a family of five. In each case, they will work with the space in a way that best suits their client.
In essence, interior design is a beautiful profession that has the power to make a positive impact in people’s experiences and overall lives, from the small daily rituals we make in our homes to set the tone for the day, to making the most of our time with loved ones in comfortable and beautiful spaces.
We are lucky to live in beautiful Marbella where there are so many talented and professional interior designers and architects. There is a power in an abundance mindset, and therefore I believe in community, not competition in the interior design industry. Choosing to work with an interior designer that suits your style and embodies your values is a marvelous decision, as having a professional guide and bring your vision to life is something you will treasure for the upcoming years when you are creating unforgettable experiences and memories in your dream home.
Stay tuned to find out how colour affects the mood of a room and our own wellbeing through Colour Psychology in next week’s post and published in Society Marbella Magazine!
HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE POWER THAT INTERIOR DESIGN HAS IN POSITIVELY IMPACTING YOUR WELLBEING? MAYBE YOU HAVE A SPECIAL SPACE IN YOUR HOME WHICH HELPS YOU UNWIND AT THE END OF A BUSY DAY, OR YOU’VE HAD AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE IN A SPA OR HOTEL WITH AMAZING SENSORIAL INTERIOR DESIGN. I’D LOVE TO KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Featured in Society Marbella Magazine
Photography: Manuel Martos
Image 3: Courtesy of Camerich
Images 5 & 6: Sourced from Pinterest
Leave a Reply