"The way to test which books have a good flavor, Lewis says, is to ask which books you reread. Having read a book once, you know the plot, so you know what's going to happen. Then why bother to read it again? You bother to read it again if you enjoy the atmosphere. You like being part of that imagined world. You can't be surprised by the events of the story, but you can be enthralled by its taste. In that sense, the atmosphere is much more important than the plot."
— Michael Ward, in The Narnia Code: C.S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens
So powerful.
— Michael Ward, in The Narnia Code: C.S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens
I see how this is true for places as well... I don't just love the comfyness of the hammock, I love the essence of what a hammock is. I swing in the hammock and feel like I'm on the beach. I like shopping at Target over Walmart (although due to price and convenience I rarely get to indulge that preference), but it's because of the atmosphere. Marketers of course use that knowledge to their advantage. It makes me think about the atmosphere of the home. Obviously we should have an atmosphere of love and joy. But what physical things can we do to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and aesthetically comforting and homelike? Obviously the first place my mind goes is decor. But most of the beautiful pictures I see are not really welcoming to real life. They embody it in a condensed form, sometimes...lots of beautiful foods and plates on a staged table, or a couch so full of beautiful pillows there isn't room for a toddler. So it isn't just a beautiful home that I'm thinking of. It's a relaxing one. One you want to be in.
We've been working on some renovations and decluttering (mainly that means we've demolished the downstairs bathroom and office...) and I'm really excited about intentionally quieting and simplifying and unifying our home this summer.
And painting it all a relaxing, peaceful color. Like this one...? :)
And painting it all a relaxing, peaceful color. Like this one...? :)
4 comments:
we've been doing that around here as well. so far what we have done has really quieted our home. we threw out almost all of the toys b/c the kids are generally either with me in whatever i am doing, reading books, or playing outside. so refreshing! makes the end of the day restore to order so much easier as well!
Hi Sarah! :) I think we're overdue for a toy purge too! I'm also thinking about doing a rotating system, where different toys get pulled out of storage & swapped out...
Ha! I thought you were gonna show us a turquoise room . . . :)
I have a friend that adamently proclaims that butter yellow is a warm friendly color that HIDES GRIMY FINGERPRINTS. I have yet to try it, but I'm oh so ready to see something other than off-white through the whole house!
Oh yes, check my blog for a birth announcement, and yes, I'm still on planet earth! :)
Rachel
Haha! Turquoise on the walls seems a bit much...even for ME. ;) I'm thrilled to hear that about the yellow, though...definitely being very drawn to the cheeriness of it! :)
(Congratulations on your sweet girl! Sorry for the sloooooow response to your comment...I haven't had computer access recently, only internet on my phone, so it's easy for me to see/read but hard to tap out anything much on my little phone screen!)
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