Our Imprinted Past

It is hard to find the time to publish blog posts while trying to write a book.  This shit is hard!

I was so moved by Wendy Goodman's story in Elle Decor that I wanted you to see it.  Click here
so you can read the story in its entirety.  It is about Wendy's beautiful memories of her friend's and neighbor's home in Sands Point on Long Island Sound, NY, where she spent summers as a child.  The reason why I am so enamored with the story is that at this very moment I happen to be at the point in my book where I am discussing how our childhood memories of home are imprinted on us.  We carry many of those memories forward as we design our own homes.  The happiness and safety found in those early experiences influence us, envelop us in the warmth of our recollections of how we felt.  We often  recreate spaces from our past or take a cue from them ~ a color, a specific design aestetic and make it our own.

Wendy's vivd memories, as illustrated because there are no photos, tell a tale of mystery and adventure.  We sense the joy Wendy felt as she remebers the kitchen and the backyard with the smells and feelings it evoked.  Mrs. Harriman's bedroom was mysterious and left the impression it was a place of seclusion with its blue and white decor   ~  It's pretty powerful stuff!

Think about your own childhood environments:  your grandparents' or parents' home, or as in Wendy's case, the next door neighbor's home, that may have influenced you.  Can you trace back how you might have carried forth or been influenced by a beloved environment from your past?





illustration by Maira Kalman