Give me space
Some thoughts on interior design and why it means more than just pretty things in a room
Dear readers,
Summer is often a time for slowing down but in our household the opposite seems to be true. No doubt the number of little people in our home creates some of that frantic (and happy) energy and movement, but because of that chaos, I grab the fleeting moments of reflection when they arise.
One such moment involved the rather laborious but cathartic afternoon my six year old daughter and I spent re-arranging her room. At her request, she wanted to re-arrange the furniture and “make some changes”. As it is for so many, her bedroom is her sacred space.
Her little brothers are not allowed in there unless invited and chaperoned by her. It is the only space in the house that is distinctly hers, not shared or influenced by others’ design points of view (i.e., me).
This little girl really seems to have a penchant for interior design. She was by my side as I designed the house we built (and in which we now live) and no doubt observes my never-ending futzing with our home now. She does seems to have a natural flair for texture, color and pattern as well as some intrinsic understanding of furniture placement. Her opinions and ideas are genuinely good and often implemented in our home.
So when she said she had some ideas for her own space, I was intrigued.
The results of our 3 hour marathon cleaning and organizing spree were multifold: immediately she seemed calmer, more sure of herself and more at peace in her room. She had clearly been mulling these changes over internally for weeks beforehand but just need the physical support to get it going and literally move furniture (although I just found her moving her 4 foot bookcase by herself yesterday, so maybe she didn’t need me after all?).
A logistical benefit: clearing out an endless amount of clothing and toys she no longer used or needed that have now found new loving homes.
I love this age for her — and for me, as her mom. I love watching her discover herself — what she wants and why — and giving her the space and support to make that happen (when safe and within reason, of course).
I’m not sharing any photos of her room to protect her privacy…the room is also an enormous mess at the moment. Suffice to say, however, the bedroom re-design was a defining moment of our summer.
She is moving from a little girl into her own girl and this makes her mom very proud.
Adventures in the Kitchen
As I had hoped, this Substack really is helping me be more adventurous and creative in the kitchen. Recently I have tried to make whipped cream from scratch and vanilla pudding from scratch!
It never would have occurred to me to make either of these tasty treats myself even a year ago, but, you know what? They were honestly EASY and delicious. I can’t admit yet that I enjoyed the process of making them, but I didn’t hate it.
Nor was the process particularly neat, as the above photo suggests. Messy and delicious works for me.