I AM OVER THE MOON excited to announce that Clodagh will be writing the foreward to my book. 

Clodagh is the Beyonce of wellness design! 

Clodagh passionately believes that good design supports well-being and that it can transform people’s lives. She feels that clutter can undermine serenity, but minimalism should not be self denying. The experience of entering a Clodagh designed space is one of blissful serenity.

A believer in the tenets of integrative medicine which addresses the entire body and psyche as a whole, Clodagh embraces both ancient and cutting edge methods in an effort to comfort not only the body but also the mind.

She was among the earliest adopters of feng shui in her design practice. Clodagh is once again ahead of the curve by now incorporating such cutting edge modalities as chromatherapy and biophilia into all of her projects.

Life takes such synchronistic turns. I traveled with Clodagh to Menla resort, called Tibet in the Catskills,many years ago as part of a press/blogger junket. I always admired her work and was inspired by her mission to marry wellbeing and interior design but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined our paths would cross again many years later in this way.

After a two and a half year journey writing Om for the hOMe, I am so grateful and humbled that Clodagh agreed to do this for me.

There will be much more discussion around The power of hOMe™ in future posts. 

XO

Go Green and DIY Clean

All this need for cleaning is disconcerting when you are trying to lower your toxic load.  

DIY cleansers not only do just that, we most likely have these ingredients in our home, it alleviates some stress of even trying to find cleaning products that may be sold out.

I always refer to the Environmental Working Group website  (EWG) for information about everything from foods to beauty to home health care.  It's a conversation for another day.

 This is a quick tip that I am going to concoct tonight.

Brought to you by Fiberseal.


Stay Well, stay safe, stay home!

Like a Phoenix I Rise

2020 is off to a hectic start, but I'm not complaining because I FEEL GREAT!

By now I would have talked about my word of the year, but this book writing is very time consuming!  It's funny when I think back to my recent past word of the year words.  In 2018 it was disrupt and in 2019 it was rebirth.  I was merging coaching and interior design into what I now call holistic interior design.  I thought I would disrupt my business (in a good way).  Little did  know what was disrupted was my business (in a bad way) and everything else in my life due to my health and the death of my dad.  They wrecked me.  I may have been a bit premature with my 2019 word which was rebirth, although there was definitely movement in that direction towards the end of the year.  While things can always be worse, I was at a pretty low point, so there was only 1 direction to go, and that was up!

My 2020 word is Phoenix, renewed and reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes, ready to soar into this new decade with more vigor and enthusiasm than I have been able to muster in a long while. I want to get back on track and am excited to step into the unknown future that was waiting on the other side of the darkness.

Since I share so much with you and many of you have been on the journey with me understanding I was struggling with my health, I am happy to report I finally got to the bottom of all my suffering.  I was so inflamed, my joints were stiff, I had to get my knee drained of fluid once a month.  From my feet to my teeth breaking in my mouth, to hair loss and more, I was suffering from a nut allergy.  I was feeding my inflammation everyday with almond milk in my coffee, and in my smoothies.  I ate a lot of  almond butter, raw almonds were a snack staple, and Kind bars.  I am almost embarrassed to say it out loud.  I went to 20 doctors!!  This should have been caught so much sooner.

I tell you this because if you or a loved one has not been feeling well and the symptons seem to be a mystery or look like autoimmune disease with much inflammation possibly mimicking Lyme disease as well, I suggest an aggressive elimination diet.  I had already cut out everything fairly early on in the process except eggs, nuts and seeds, and coffee.  I stopped them and within 3 days I started to see a difference!  Three months later with nary an almond in sight, I am back to high impact exercise and can think about traveling and getting back to the things I love.

Onward and upward!  My book Om for the Home will make its debut this year and I am firming up speaking engagements.

If you are in the Port St. Lucie area, I will be speaking at The Awaken Fair.  Being mindful of mind, body and spirit must include our space!  Our environment is part of our holistic journey because  everything is intertwined.  The state of our home tells us a lot about the state of our life.  I will be speaking at  2:00 and am looking forward to seeing lots of smiling faces.

Another thing I learned was, if you need help, ask for help.  It can be hard to acknowledge, but accept a helping hand when it's offered.  Being independent doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself.  The people around you who stand by you and support you want to be of help and not feel helpless.  Let them support you.

Now I can put all that in the past and think about my son's wedding on the horizon.

Beautiful Illusion

 "My houses are more than homes— they are temples.  Wherever I go, I create them.  I live in my own temple within my own time, my own music, my own art, my own loved ones. Each element that I select has an aesthetic power or spiritual significance that elevates me.  I don’t think in terms of design, but rather in a layering of my life experiences.  Spaces have their own energies, and each layer that is added changes and influences the energy of a place. "

I was reading an article about Argentine hotelier and real estate developer Alan Faena recently in Elle Decor and everything this man said struck me.  As I get ready to head south for the winter visiting the famous Faena hotel is on my "to do" list.  If you don't know him, you may  know his over the top properties.  He created an entire FAENA district in Miami, encompassing a hotel, event spaces, retail and restaurants making an immersive experience the goal.

Mr Faena's own Spanish style Miami home, designed with the help of Diego Pereira Luchetta, expresses his desire to arrive at what he calls, his beautiful illusion.  Alan says over the top interiors energize and delight him!

Each piece of furniture whether it be Regency, Louis XIV, Spanish, English, Italian Rococo or a custom Faena design gives energy to another, influencing one another, and the addition of bold art intricately fills in the pieces of a puzzle of a life fueled by authenticity, curiosity and creativity.

Alan Faena's thoughts, values, art, perceptions, religion, spirituality, and desires merge together into some kind of beautifully chaotic harmony.   The deep colors and rich layers are like a tapestry evolving over a lifetime.

Nourishing a childhood dream, a desire to be transparent and magical thinking have given Alan the push to be creative and create.  When thinking about his own home, creating a temple where one is renewed, is a sort of a layering process.  Each piece, each experience, family and friends bring a richness, another layer to the whole.  Every space has energy.  Alan feeds off of the energy he creates.  Spiritual deities and crystals are seen in many of the rooms.  They really speak to energy and not religion.

There are so many great quotes in the Elle Decor article, but I will leave you with this last one.

 "I am who I am because of the spaces I create - they allow me to live in absolute peace with myself and the exterior world."         

OK, one more, " What matters most is not the end goal but rather my daily transformations along the way"

I like this man's energy!!  


   #Amen



photos:Douglas Freidman

Health is Wealth

Do you read House Beautiful?  Have you noticed they are deep into the wellness conversation, particularly how awareness around a holistic home is good for our overall wellbeing?  It's a feature they call the whole home project.  Every time I pick up the magazine now, I am so charged!  I can't help tweeting to Sophie Donelson, the editor in chief.  Their theory (and mine) is that investing in your home is an investment in yourself.  Months of magazine articles with talking points about how health is wealth is culminating into a custom built concept house in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta.  The primary focus will be on the importance of a calm and healthy environment!

“The Whole Home Project Concept House will show readers how strategic design choices can deliver more than a pretty space—they can help you live a smarter, happier and healthier life,” says Donelson. “It’s our core belief at House Beautiful that happiness begins at home—and with this project, that the well-being of your whole self, from health to energy to your outlook, are informed by our homes.”

What began in this past March's issue with talking points around the idea of calm and each month thereafter focusing on a different "chapter" really gives the reader a comprehensive look at the idea and execution of a holistic home.

Chapter 1  Calm

Chapter 2  Health

Chapter 3 Unplugging

Chapter 4 Revive and Recharge

Innovations in technology along with the idea that we must create calm spaces for living our best lives from a place of more joy, better health, and less toxicity improves all our lives and helps us thrive!
It's true what they say ~ If you don't have your health...

I am so excited to see the house and all it entails!!