The trend of multi-generational living is gaining momentum, transforming the dynamics of family homes. Navigating this arrangement requires a blend of empathy, strategy, and creativity. This article aims to shed light on effective methods for organizing a home that accommodates grandparents, parents, and children, ensuring a balanced and peaceful coexistence.

Create Designated Living Areas

Allocating specific living spaces for different generations is crucial in a multi-generational home. This strategy ensures that each family member has their own sanctuary, fostering independence and privacy. By doing so, grandparents can enjoy their quiet time, parents can maintain their routines, and children can play without hindrances. Thoughtful zoning of the house not only respects individual preferences but also minimizes potential conflicts arising from overlapping activities.

Ensure Accessibility for Everyone

A home that is welcoming to all ages and abilities is a cornerstone of multi-generational living. Incorporating features like ramps, handrails, and wider doorways caters to the elderly and those with mobility challenges. Simple modifications can significantly enhance the livability and safety of the home, making it a comfortable space for every family member. These adjustments demonstrate consideration and respect for each generation’s needs, promoting an inclusive living environment.

Maximize Storage Solutions

Effective storage solutions are vital in a multi-generational household. Investing in clever storage systems helps in organizing personal belongings and reducing clutter. This approach ensures that each family member has their space to store items, maintaining order and cleanliness. Smart storage solutions also help in optimizing available space, making the home feel more spacious and organized.

Simplify Home Maintenance

Managing home maintenance in a multi-generational setting can be complex. Utilizing digital solutions to coordinate and track home repairs and maintenance simplifies this process. These tools help in scheduling services, monitoring repair progress, and connecting with professionals. Streamlining home maintenance tasks reduces the burden on family members and ensures the smooth functioning of the household.

Design Common Areas for Bonding

Shared common areas play a significant role in nurturing family relationships. Designating areas for family gatherings and activities encourages interaction and bonding among generations. Whether it’s a cozy living room for movie nights or a spacious kitchen for communal cooking, these spaces become the heart of the home. They foster a sense of community and belonging, which is crucial in a multi-generational setting.

For example, see this example of a home designed for mulit-generational living by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design with lots of common areas for being together, indoors and outdoors.

https://youtu.be/Th3wt3gv39U?si=AysTjVVHHN-tsH63

Personalize Private Quarters

Customizing private spaces is key to creating a comfortable multi-generational home. Personalization allows each family member to express their individuality and feel a sense of ownership over their space. Whether it’s through decor, color schemes, or layout, tailoring these areas to individual tastes and needs makes the home more welcoming and comforting for everyone.

Consider Joint Entrepreneurship

Embarking on a family business adventure serves as a powerful catalyst for reinforcing family ties across generations. The creation of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) emerges as a strategic choice, providing significant benefits, including limited liability protection, tax advantages, and operational flexibility. To streamline the establishment process, families may consider setting up an LLC through a formation service like Zenbusiness, which simplifies the legalities and paperwork involved. Engaging in a collaborative business endeavor not only unifies the family under a shared goal but also imparts crucial business acumen and life skills to its younger members.

Maintain Effective Communication

Establishing clear communication and boundaries is essential in a multi-generational home. Regular family meetings provide a platform for discussing issues, setting house rules, and planning activities. This practice ensures that everyone’s voice is heard and respected, fostering a harmonious living environment. Clear communication helps in resolving conflicts amicably and strengthens the family bond.

Creating a cohesive environment in a multi-generational home is a fulfilling yet complex task, demanding attention to the unique needs and preferences of each family member. By adopting these outlined strategies, families can cultivate a living space that harmonizes collective togetherness with personal autonomy. Balancing private and shared spaces, ensuring ease of access for all, and nurturing open communication are pivotal in this endeavor. Additionally, integrating tools like a home maintenance and repair app can further streamline household management. This approach not only fortifies family connections but also enhances the quality of life for every generation sharing the home.

Written for Northern Lights Home Staging and Design by Dennis Kane of the Winterize Guys at winterizeguys.com.

Create Your Perfect Multi-Generational Space

My Aligned Design philosophy aligns Art, Science, and Energy to make magic happen in your home and life.

I believe in creating beautiful, colorful homes that look and feel great and energetically enhance your life.When your space is better, you are better. When you are better, the world is better.

Now that you more tips to creating your perfect multi-generational space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? 

Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

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This week I had a design consultation that gave me a lot of insights into why people have ugly houses.

Attachment, attachment, attachment! Let it all go.

I have learned that attachment to people, things, outcomes, etc. is the cause of most of our suffering. We stress over outcomes and how people behave. We try to control things because we get “attached” to an end result we want. We expect people to behave a certain way because we are attached to our beliefs of how they should act.

We get attached to outcomes because we are afraid of the unknown.

Attachment steals our well-being. Letting go of attachment to certain outcomes, and of trying to control everything can make us feel so much better.

Control is just an illusion anyway. When it comes right down to it, we do not have control over anything or anyone. Things can happen in an instant to take away whatever control we thought we had.

Attachment can also affect the way our house looks and feels, and how likely we are to be able to create that perfect space we wish we had.

How to Release Attachment

Think about your own home. Are you attached to any of these things?

Let Go of Your Pain

During the design consultation, I realized that attachment would likely stop my client from getting the end result she really wanted.

She told me she had never liked the house and had been pressured to buy it by her partner.   She described its many issues and that it never looked the way she wanted it to.

Every room was filled with clutter, furniture covered with unattractive and mismatched covers to protect it from the dogs, furniture barriers created to keep the dog away from the cat.

Rooms, instead of being used for their intended purposes, were used for many purposes. For example, the living room also served as a playroom and an office. The separate office was also a craft room and a TV room.

For every suggestion I gave, there were ten reasons why nothing could change. She was attached to her “pain”.

We took the pet covers off the living room furniture and re-arranged a bit, creating an amazing transformation. Sadly, I think after I left it will likely go back to looking the way it did previously.

Instead of thinking of ten reasons you can’t make changes in your home, think of one reason you can. Your home will look more beautiful for it.

Let Go of Fear

All attachment stems from fear, mainly of the unknown. Are you afraid of making changes with color, flooring, furniture, and more?

The unknown can be much better than what you have now.  Embrace it and see what beauty might stem from it. Making changes requires taking risks. Beauty could be on the other side of that scary door.

Let Go of the Past

You have probably grown and changed over time.  Embrace that. No need to hang on to a style from a bygone era just because you are used to it.

Let Go of the Status Quo

Just because it has always been that way, doesn’t mean it needs to stay that way. Let it go. The pile of things in the corner has been there for years. Does that mean it should remain there forever? We fear change. There is that word again. Fear.

Let go of Control

Feeling the need to control everything is just another aspect of fear of the unknown. The unknown might just be the most beautiful room you have ever seen! Take a chance.

Let Go of Clutter

I know, if you get rid of it, you might need it next week. If you haven’t used it or worn it in 10 years, that probably won’t happen. Everyone I know, including me, has too much stuff.

It NEVER looks good in a room.

Set it free so it can go to someone who really needs it and will love it.

Are You Ready to Let Go?

I know. Sounds hard.

It’s really not though. Hire a designer. They have your best interest at heart and can take a lot of the risk of making a mistake out of the process. They know what looks good and what works. It is a lot less risky enlisting the help of a pro and listening to them than going it alone.

Hire someone with good reviews. Listen to them. Let go of fear and control. Enjoy the ride and see what joy is on the other side.

And if you really don’t like the end result, there is no law that says you can’t change your mind and make adjustments.

Set Yourself Free

My Aligned Design philosophy aligns Art, Science, and Energy to make magic happen in your home and life.

I believe in creating beautiful, colorful homes that look and feel great and energetically enhance your life.

When your space is better, you are better. When you are better, the world is better.

Now that you more tips to creating your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? If you knew absolutely for certain that creating a perfect space would create a better life for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?

I assume if you have read this far, you are serious about making a change you know will make you happy.

Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

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A Great Story Makes the Dance

A great dance performance always has a story.

It might be a love story set to a song based on romantic Persian poetry. The Persians really know how to tell a romantic story!

Maybe it’s the story of the love affair between a girl and her drum.

Maybe it is the story of an epic battle between warrior queens.

It can be anything. The key is that there is an interesting journey, with a beginning, middle, and end. The path leads the audience to a final destination, feeling, revelation, or something that moves them in some way.

The choreography is the story and the choreographer is the master storyteller.

The dance has meaning.

It is not just a collection of a dancer’s favorite moves set to music so that it looks pretty and the dancer can show off what they can do.

That’s like someone reading an encyclopedia to you instead of a story. BORING!

Every move has a meaning and all of them together create the magic. There is nothing more or less than needed to tell the perfect story.

A great story is authentic to the storyteller, comes from the heart, and is told so the audience can relate it to their own experience.

Sometimes the story can take on a life of its own if it captures people’s imagination. For example, in the picture above, fellow dancer Doreen Valadez  took this photo in Seward, Alaska next to Resurrection Bay of me in an Afghan folk dance costume, as part of the story for this dance. Somehow it got picked up in Iran by the Ministry of Culture, went a little viral over there, and was noted as an Iranian girl at the Caspian Sea.

Interior Design Lessons from Dance

What does it have to do with Interior Design? A great story is the key to a beautiful dance and room.  This is Part 7 in my revelations from dancing on how to create your perfect space.

The older I get, the more I realize the connections between all things artistic. The same principles apply to making the magic happen in Interior Design or any other art form. You just need to open your eyes, listen, and feel it to notice.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

How Does a Great Story Relate to Interior Design?

Just like the perfect dance, a beautiful room has meaning.

It is not just a collection of your favorite decor items put in the same room so it looks pretty, like the dancer showing off their favorite moves without a story.

I often see people trying to create their perfect space by buying all the things they love over time, with no plan,  and hoping for the magic to appear. It rarely turns out well.

As in the dance where every move has a meaning, and there is nothing more or less than needed to tell the perfect story, the same is true for your room.

If you have too many things, the room feels crowded and chaotic, and the star of your room can not shine. Too few things and it feels like something is missing and loses the feeling of comfort and connection.

It is important to start with a plan and figure out first what story you want to tell. That story can be your personal style, the story of your travels, your life, your family, or whatever has special meaning to you.

It’s important to have your beginning, middle, and end. The end is generally your focal point or star of your show as I mentioned in a previous article. The beginning should be an interesting entrance to your space that directs you to the focal point. The middle is all the other pieces of the room that support your story.

A Story of Simplicity and Connection

Greek Interior Design is simple and elegant, inspired by nature, and looks light, bright, airy and clean. The energy of Greek interior design is a blend of serenity, simplicity, reverence for history, and a deep connection to the natural world. It’s an energy that invites introspection while also encouraging communal bonds. The art in this design show motifs, colors and elements that are simple, connected to nature and the ocean, and community.

The Story of Transformation

The design and fractal energy art below were a story of transformation for me, and the series is called “Transformation”.

As the date February 22, 2022 approached, the numbers alone, 2-22-22 predicted a powerful energy day. I started to wonder what the energy would be like at 2:22 pm. I decided to set aside that time to create something and see what would evolve. I had no plan or idea.

Here is what I was inspired to create. Originally, I named it 22222222

Clearly, the number 2 held significance on this day. Upon researching numerology, I learned about its implications.

The number two amplifies intuition, enabling a deep, subconscious understanding. It can sense energies that aren’t visible, only perceptible.

Known as the peacemaker, number two promotes partnerships, balance, and teamwork. It symbolizes grace and diplomacy, harmonizing people, ideas, and elements.

While creating these pieces, I didn’t consciously think about the significance of the number two. I was simply guided by my intuition. I looked up the meaning later.

Originally, I labeled these artworks highlighting “2” in the title. But an observer’s comment, noting their resemblance to “transformation in action”, struck a chord. Over time, I recognized their symbolic essence and renamed them “Transformation”.

Personal growth is much like fire. Sometimes it’s as evident as a raging wildfire, changing our landscape. Other times, it’s subtle, smoldering beneath until it’s ready to surface.

Fire rejuvenates, clearing away the old, making room for new growth. Similarly, as we let go of our past, we pave the way for new beginnings. After a fire, though the land might seem empty, new life eagerly emerges, free from the shadow of what once was. This mirrors our journey, shedding old narratives to truly embrace our potential.

This design tells the story of transformation and is a reminder to celebrate it in yourself, whether it is a slow burn or a dramatic wildfire.

A Story of Prosperity, Hospitality and Protection

The design below is an example of Turkish style,  and it is highlighting energy art of fish which is a sign of prosperity and protection against the evil eye. Turkish style is warm and inviting, earthy and exotic. It is simple, soft and relaxing. It is a great style for feeding and entertaining guests and sharing prosperity yet protecting its inhabitatants. The Nazar Boncuk or evil eye, symbolizes the jealous and envious look of others, which can cause misfortunes to a person or his property. Turkish people believe that this amulet protects its holder from these types of bad energies by absorbing them. This story says to open your home and share your prosperity with others, yet don’t worry as you are protected from jealousy.

A Story of the Great Conjunction

In this room, the story revolves around the synergy of positive energy and alignment with our true selves, and its significance in our lives.

At the heart of the design is my “Great Conjunction” fractal art collection, inspired by the celestial alignment of Jupiter and Saturn on 12-21-20. Delve deeper into the backstory of this piece in my blog, “Do You Need an Alignment?”

Upon entering, this artwork immediately captures your attention. Guided by the rug’s patterns, your gaze is naturally directed towards this centerpiece. Every other element in the room gracefully complements the art, serving as the ensemble cast enriching the primary narrative.

The colors are vibrant, inspiring, and energetic.

The Story of Serenity and Alignment

The story of this office is “serenity”. It was designed for an artist that loves watercolors because the colors and flow of the art make her feel serene. This office was designed with the watercolor mural as the focal point. I designed a series of fractal art prints called “Watercolor” to go with it. The modern global design style is clean and uncluttered and filled with calming blue tones. Learn more in my blog article, Your Office is the Perfect Space to Relax and be Happy.

This energy art inspires you to go with the flow of energy in your life, while staying strong yet fluid, like water. Creating your perfect space matters because it can support you in your journey to BE the person you need to be to live your perfect life.

What is Your Story?

Your story is authentic to you, your life, your style, your energy, and the mood you want to create. Consider the story you want to tell, develop a plan, and think about how you want to tell it to create your perfect space.

Are You Ready to Tell Your Story?

Now that you know some of the elements that work together to create your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.   Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Aligned Design©– All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer |  Brochure

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

Aligned Design©– All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer |  Brochure

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

Precision is Beautiful

Precision equals beauty. I know, it sounds weird. But it’s true!

Today in drum class, as we were practicing our “ornaments” or rolls coming before the main notes, my teacher Amir said, “You are all playing very precisely today. It is very beautiful.

Our ornaments are a series of three notes played with the left hand that lead up to the main note played with the right hand. What makes them precise and beautiful is that each note is clear, evenly spaced, starts with lower volume, and gets higher until the main note is the loudest. At its fastest, it might sound like the whoosh of a car going by, but the goal is to make every note precise, audible, and even so you can hear the beauty of the whole phrase.

It is not as beautiful if you play it fast, unevenly, or too loud, so the notes are muddy rather than standing on their own. 

Of course, I start thinking of Interior Design, haha. 

Precision in the small elements that highlight the main pieces are just as important in design as in music.

Precision and Interior Design

What does this have to do with Interior Design?

The older I get, the more I realize the connections between all things artistic. The same principles apply to making the magic happen in Interior Design or any other art form. You just need to open your eyes, listen, and feel it to notice.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

Precision in interior design refines the art, science, and energy of a space by:

1. Art: Ensuring every element is intentionally chosen, enhancing aesthetics and storytelling.
2. Science: Balancing scale, proportion, and functionality for optimal spatial harmony.
3. Energy: Creating purposeful flow and mood through meticulous placement and selection.

In essence, precision harmonizes the aesthetics, color and energy for a beautiful and extraordinary space.

When precision is employed to narrate your story through accentuating art, arranging accessories, or choosing colors, it elevates your space from beautiful to extraordinary.

Precision and the Art of Interior Design

Precision in interior design enhances the art of a space or what makes it beautiful to you by:

Focused Emphasis: It allows you to deliberatly highlighting of key artistic elements to create focal points that captivate and resonate with you. For example, when you arrange accessories to highlight a main element, such as a fireplace, coffee table, or bookshelf, the accessories are like the small notes in the ornament leading to the main note in the music. Perfectly done, all the pieces and the whole are beautiful.

Coordinated Aesthetics: Precision ensures that every design element, from color choices to furniture placement, works in harmony, resulting in a visually pleasing and cohesive environment.

Optimal Balance: It achieves a perfect balance between various design elements, preventing overcrowding or underutilization of space, for a more beautiful and functional room.

Enhanced Personalization: Through precision, I can help you tailor the space to make it more meaningful and beautiful to you.

Intentional Storytelling: It allows the intentional use of design elements to tell your story or convey a specific mood, making your space not just beautiful but also meaningful and engaging.

As in music, the clarity, spacing, and volume of the note is important.

Each piece should stand on its own because it is beautiful and has its own story to tell that relates to the room’s theme.

Attention to Detail: Precision means paying attention to the smallest details, ensuring that nothing disrupts the overall aesthetic, resulting in a more beautiful environment. 

In other words, precision in interior design transforms a space into a work of art, where every element is purposefully chosen and arranged to create a visually stunning and emotionally resonant environment that speaks to your sense of beauty and aesthetics.

Precision and the Color of Interior Design

Precise color is beautiful. It comes from knowing color science and picking perfectly matched and harmonious colors based on their lightness, saturation, or hue angle. 

Precision and the application of color science can have a profound impact on the look and feel of your space:

Color Psychology: Precision in color selection based on color psychology can evoke specific emotions. For example, warm colors like red and orange can create a cozy and inviting atmosphere, while cool colors like blue and green can induce a sense of calm and relaxation.

Visual Perception: Understanding color theory allows for precise manipulation of spatial perception. Light colors can make a room feel more expansive, while dark colors can add coziness and intimacy.

Harmonious Palettes: Applying color science ensures that color palettes are harmonious, with precise combinations of hues, shades, and tints that complement each other, resulting in a more beautiful environment.

Accents and Focal Points: Precision in color placement can draw attention to specific areas or objects in the room, creating focal points.

Mood Enhancement: The precise use of color can create the mood you want in each space. Vibrant and energetic colors can make a room feel lively, while muted and analogous color schemes can create a tranquil atmosphere.

Personalization: By considering your color preferences and the intended function of the space, precision in color choices ensures that the room reflects your tastes and needs.

Cohesion and Flow: A carefully planned color scheme ensures that each room in the space flows seamlessly into the next, creating a cohesive and harmonious feel throughout. It can also be used to create a flow from the exterior to the interior.

In summary, precision and the application of color science in interior design enable the deliberate creation of a space’s look and feel, allowing for the manipulation of emotions, spatial perception, and overall aesthetics to align with the intended purpose and atmosphere of the environment.

Precision and the Energy of Interior Design

Precision in interior design plays a pivotal role in shaping the energy dynamics of a space, influenced by the collective energy emitted from every object:

Harmonious Interactions: Objects in a room emit their own energy based on material, color, and history. Precision ensures these objects resonate harmoniously, fostering a unified and positive ambiance.

Balanced Vibrations: Every piece, from furniture to accessories, emits vibrational energy. Meticulous placement ensures these energies don’t clash, maintaining equilibrium in the room’s overall vibe.

Amplified Intent: Precision emphasizes intentional selections, meaning each item is chosen for a purpose. This clarity and purposefulness enhance the positive energies in the space.

Emotional Resonance: A precisely designed space can evoke specific emotions, be it serenity from a carefully chosen color palette or warmth from strategically placed lighting.

Optimized Flow: Precision avoids energy blockages. A well-thought-out layout ensures energy circulates freely, affecting how open and breathable a room feels.

Elevated Aesthetics: When objects are thoughtfully curated and placed, the beauty is amplified, making the space feel more inviting and uplifting.

In essence, precision in interior design is akin to orchestrating a harmonious symphony where each object’s energy contributes to the room’s collective feel, ensuring it aligns with the desired ambiance and emotional impact.

Learn More

Find this blog interesting? See other articles in this series.

I Learned to All my Interior Design Problems by Playing Music.

I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- Every Part Must Play Its Part.

I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- We all Hear Music Differently.

You might also enjoy my series on lessons I learned about Interior Design from dancing:

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing: The Magic of Transitions.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

Are You Ready to Create Your Masterpiece?

Now that you know some of the elements that work together to create your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? If you knew absolutely for certain that creating a perfect space would create a better life for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.  Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

Aligned Design©– All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer |  Brochure

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

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Light isn’t merely an illuminating force—it’s a storyteller, a guide, and an artist. In the intricate dance between shadow and glow, there lies the potential to transform any space into an evocative sanctuary of feelings and experiences.

As in my philosophy of Aligned Design, the combination of artistry, science, and energectic connection captivates the power of light.and its ability to spotligh the unique facets of your environment and create an atmosphere of enchantment.

Light Makes the Magic Happen.

I have a love for many forms of art, including one of my favorites, dance. I am always noticing the similarities between what is important in the different art forms I explore.

I had the privilege of attending a dance workshop titled “From Practice to Professional Presentation,” led by the renowned dancer and instructor, Helia Bandeh. This immersive experience delved deep into the nuances of creating a visually captivating stage or backdrop for dance performances, whether live or on video. Helia shed light on crucial aspects such as décor, lighting, and costuming.

It’s astonishing how much it intersects with the principles of Interior Design! In this article, we’ll zoom in on the magic of lighting.

According to Helia, “light is the most important element in your visual presentation and can totally transform the performance or the space”. I agree, whether it is dance or Interior Design.

Light Shapes Perception

The power of light extends beyond mere illumination. It serves as a director, guiding one’s gaze. Whether illuminating an entire auditorium – encompassing both audience and stage – or narrowing down to a singular performer, light dictates where our attention lies.

In our homes and workplaces, strategic lighting can accentuate a piece of art, create a cozy reading nook, illuminate a kitchen countertop, or guide a path. The right play of light can alter our perception of space, both in terms of size and ambiance.

For instance, during a performance, when a specific area is spotlighted, it not only commands focus but can also transform the vastness of a stage or room into a cozy, intimate setting, allowing external distractions to fade into obscurity.

Light is the Master of Color

In the realm of the stage, light serves as a masterful tool for manipulating color, all without altering the physical aspects of the set. Consider, for instance, the transformative effect of various lights on a dancer adorned in a white dress. Colored lighting has the capacity to envelop the backdrop, intensify the hues enveloping the performer, or instill a distinct mood.

Within your interior spaces, the presence of colored light can profoundly impact the perceived warmth or coolness of the surroundings, thereby orchestrating the very essence of your colors. Here, light reigns supreme as it can effortlessly usher in a festive ambiance, as exemplified by the twinkling charm of Christmas lights.

Light is the Maestro of Drama

Sharp, hard light, characterized by its pronounced contrast between luminosity and shadow, isn’t just a source of illumination; it’s a storytelling tool. By carving out a space with stark differences between light and dark, hard light can evoke intense emotions, channel focus, and create a cinematic atmosphere.

Imagine a room bathed in soft, uniform light. Now, introduce a singular beam of hard light, spotlighting a piece of art on the wall or a vintage table in the center. Instantly, that object becomes the room’s protagonist, drawing eyes and sparking intrigue. This interplay isn’t merely about visibility, but about imbuing significance.

Similarly, in the realm of theater and dance, hard lighting can elevate a scene or movement, turning a simple gesture into a moment of raw, emotional power. The way it carves shadows and highlights can echo the intricacies of the human condition – our vulnerabilities, our strengths, our moments of introspection.

In essence, light doesn’t just illuminate; it punctuates, intensifies, and narrates, shaping our experience of any given space or moment.

Light- The Ultimate Designer’s Tool

In the realm of design, light isn’t just an element; it’s the alchemy that metamorphoses a space. “Light stands as the cornerstone of design, wielding the power to wholly redefine an environment.”

As I journey through life, my appreciation deepens for the interwoven tapestry of artistic disciplines. The parallels between Interior Design and other artistic endeavors are striking. At their core, they share foundational principles that breathe life into masterpieces. It requires a keen sense of observation, a discerning ear, and a heart that resonates with the ambient energy to truly discern these connections.

The artistry (innate creativity), melded with the precision of science (understanding of colors), and the profoundness of energy (the emotive connection), orchestrates a harmonious ballet of elements. This trinity of alignment is my guiding compass, allowing me to choreograph exquisite dance performances and craft evocative interior spaces.

Light- The Unspoken Director

Within the canvas of your interior, light is the artist’s brush, poised to highlight key facets of your environment. It possesses the remarkable ability to draw the viewer’s focus with pinpoint precision – whether it’s accentuating a cherished piece of art, carving out a serene reading alcove, illuminating a workspace in your kitchen or office, or gently guiding you along a well-defined pathway.

Moreover, the art of spotlighting and dimming is akin to wielding a magician’s wand. It bestows the power to sculpt how we perceive space, deftly crafting an atmosphere of intimacy and charm. Envision yourself nestled before a flickering fireplace, with the remainder of the room bathed in a soft, subdued glow. Or picture a cozy reading nook or a captivating game corner, bathed in the gentle embrace of selectively dimmed lighting, beckoning you to unwind and lose yourself in the moment. These are the artful manipulations of light that transform mere spaces into immersive experiences.

Light- The Master of Energy

The energy of lighting profoundly influences the energy, or ambiance, of a space through how it affects  our senses, emotions, and perceptions:

1. Emotional Resonance: Different lighting can evoke different feelings. Warm, soft lighting often feels cozy and inviting, evoking feelings of relaxation and warmth. In contrast, cool, bright lighting can energize and invigorate a space, making it feel active and alert.

2. Focus and Perception: Lighting can be used to draw attention to specific elements of a room, guiding one’s gaze and perceptions. By spotlighting a particular object or area, it becomes a focal point, altering how the space is experienced. Conversely, shadows can be used to create depth and mystery, lending a room an air of intimacy or contemplation.

3. Spatial Dynamics: The way light spreads throughout a space can make it feel larger or smaller. Bright, evenly distributed light gives the sensation of openness, making a space feel larger. Dim lighting or selectively illuminated areas can make a space feel cozy, intimate, and more segmented.

4. Temporal Ambiance: The changing nature of lighting, especially natural light, sets the rhythm of our day. Morning light can feel fresh and invigorating, while evening light is often warm and settling. By mimicking these natural transitions, artificial lighting can set the mood or change the energy of a room to align with our circadian rhythms.

5. Color Interaction: Light affects the way we perceive colors. The hue and intensity of light can enhance or mute the colors in a room, thereby changing its overall energy. A room bathed in golden hour light will feel vastly different from the same room illuminated by the bluish light of a cloudy day.

6. Cultural and Personal Associations: Different cultures, and even individuals, might have varying associations with light based on experiences and upbringing. For example, candlelight might evoke feelings of romance, spirituality, or introspection depending on one’s personal experiences.

7. Energetic Flow: In metaphysical terms, light is often associated with positive energy flow. A well-lit space is considered to have good ‘Chi’, encouraging vitality, clarity, and well-being.

In essence, the energy of lighting is intrinsically linked with the energy of a space. It’s more than just visibility; the beauty it creates or its effects on color,  it’s about creating an ambiance, invoking emotions, and influencing the very essence of a space’s character.

Learn More

Learn more about some of the unique lessons I have learned about creating great interiors from dance and music in some of my other blog posts below.

• I Learned to All my Interior Design Problems by Playing Music.
• I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- Every Part Must Play Its Part.
• I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- We all Hear Music Differently.
• I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- Precision is Beautiful.
• You might also enjoy my series on lessons I learned about Interior Design from dancing:
• I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing-Distractions Ruin Everything
• I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing: The Magic of Transitions.
• I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.
• I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.
• I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.
• I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.
• I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.
• I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.
• I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.
• I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

Illuminate Your Space with Aligned Design

Light isn’t merely an illuminating force—it’s a storyteller, a guide, and an artist. In the intricate dance between shadow and glow, there lies the potential to metamorphose any space into an evocative sanctuary of feelings and experiences.

Drawing on the sacred triad of artistry, science, and connection, we invite you to embark on an Aligned Design journey with us. Together, we’ll harness the captivating power of light, spotlighting the unique facets of your environment and crafting an atmosphere of intimacy and enchantment.

Imagine your cherished art pieces bathed in precise illumination, a serene reading nook beckoning you to lose yourself in a book, or a workspace radiant with just the right balance of light, enhancing both functionality and ambiance.

Dive into the transformative world of lighting with our specialized consultation, and let’s co-create spaces that don’t just look good, but feel magical

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

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I am so glad you are here.I get it.

After potentially spending more time than usual at home in the last few years, have you found yourself yearning for a change? Perhaps you’ve felt your space is too cramped, cluttered, or simply doesn’t resonate with your tastes anymore.

Amidst ambitions of career growth, health, and nurturing relationships, our surroundings can often take a backseat. Yet, they hold profound influence over our well-being. In times of uncertainty, refining our living spaces can provide a semblance of control and positivity.

It’s time to prioritize our living environment. Making even small changes can be a refreshing step towards creating a harmonious sanctuary that supports all aspects of your life.

Are you open to embracing change? Personally, during times when the world feels chaotic, I find solace in cleaning, decluttering, organizing, and redecorating. Enhancing my living environment brings a sense of control and stability to my life.

Have you realized how important living in a great space is to your well-being?

While you have a keen eye for decor and a passion for design, do you ever feel like things just aren’t falling into place? Perhaps you’ve collected beautiful pieces over the years, but your space doesn’t feel cohesive. Maybe the task of selecting the right paint shade leaves you overwhelmed, or decluttering seems like a monumental task. Over time, instead of getting better, does it feel like your decor challenges are amplifying?

You’re not alone; I’ve walked in those shoes too.

I faced those challenges as well. Picking colors used to be a source of frustration for me until I became a certified color strategist and delved into the world of color science. Designing a home that truly resonated with me was a struggle before I embraced the role of a designer and learned more about how everything is energy.

In my personal transformation journey, I realized how design nourishes who we want to be so we can live our best lives.  I delved more deeply into how Feng Shui and Biophilia can connect our homes to nature to create positive, healthy energy in our spaces. To learn more about personal transformation, check out the Jim Fortin podcast.

We all spend more time at home than almost anywhere else. Living in a place that we love, that reflects us, nourishes our spirit, and supports our journey to be who we are meant to be is important!

After all, the world needs us.

The better we are, the more we can contribute to the world. A beautiful, colorful, and energetically aligned home is the perfect environment to make that happen.

My Aligned Design philosophy aligns Art, Science, and Energy to make magic happen in your home and life.

I believe in creating beautiful, colorful homes that look and feel great and energetically enhance your life.

When your space is better, you are better. When you are better, the world is better.

Are You Ready to Create Your Perfect Space?

I assume if you have read this far, you are serious about making a change you know will make you happy.

Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

Aligned Design- All Rights Reserved.

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Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

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Essential Elements for a Beautiful Stage or Design.

Recently I took a dance class called From Practice to Professional Presentation with professional dancer and instructor Helia Bandeh.

This class discussed essential elements to create a beautiful stage or background to highlight your dance performance on a stage or video. She discussed decor, lighting, and costumes.

So many things related to creating your perfect space with Interior Design! This article focuses on decor.

Some critical factors related to set decoration included:

• • • The dancer is part of the stage environment.  There needs to be a visual balance between the dancer and the background. Consider how the dancer looks compared to the background based on the colors she is wearing, how large or small she appears compared to the background, or how interesting she might be in context. For example, if you are dancing in front of the Taj Mahal, will people be looking at you or the building?
    • Eliminate visual disparity between the dance and the background. For example, don’t perform a dance about a love story in a Catholic Church with the cross behind the dancer. A background in nature would be more appropriate.
    • Interactive elements in the decor add dimension to the performance (such as a chair or flowers). 
    • Removing distracting elements is more important than adding supporting elements. If you are doing a Persian dance on a stage filled with chords, speakers, signs, and more, adding some Persian decorations only makes it worse, not better. It is essential to neutralize the stage and removing unneeded things first, then add decoration if it highlights the dance. Otherwise, the audience looks at everything, not just the dancer, and in essence, sees nothing but distractions.

For example, above, we are performing an Azeri Drum Dance. The room is brightly lit. The stage decor is permanently set up with a design specific to the Alaska Shriners. The background also has flags and other decorative items unrelated to the dance we are doing. The background colors do not go with our costumes and the lights do not highlight the dancers.

While the stage itself is pretty, there are a lot of distracting elements for the audience to look at that have nothing to do with, and do not enhance the dance performance.

By contrast, below I am performing a Qashqai scarf dance on a beautiful stage that perfectly shows off my dance, costume, and the scarves with it’s simplicity, colors and lighting.

How Does This Relate to Interior Design?

All these things relate, but in particular, this is key to creating a beautiful room.

• Removing distracting elements is more important than adding supporting elements.

The more time goes by,  I realize the connections between all things artistic. The same principles apply to making the magic happen in Interior Design or any other art form. You just need to open your eyes, listen, and feel it to notice.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

Creating a Magical Stage

Let’s look at the three elements in stage design that help create a beautiful performance and see how they relate to that room you are designing.

We are Part of the Design

We are part of the design of our rooms and need to consider how we look and feel within them.

 For example, if navy blue makes me look old when I wear it, but I look beautiful in turquoise, I will not design my living room with navy blue because I will not look good surrounded by that color. And if I don’t look good, I will not feel good in the room.

Think about how you will look and feel in the room. After all, when you are in it, you will be the star of that show.

Eliminate Visual Disparity

Eliminating visual disparity is important. What is your personality and story? Are you being true to it and does it fit with the architecture of the building?

For example, are you a maximalist that loves to be surrounded by lots of things and color, creating that style in an ultra-modern space?

Or, are you trying to create an ultra-modern look in an ornate Victorian living room? The contrast might be interesting, but can you live with that visual disparity every day?

Some may call this eclectic, but even eclectic styles need a balance with one primary style.

There needs to be a connection between the architecture, style, and story you are portraying. Otherwise, it will always be distracting to the viewer.

Interacting with Your Design Elements

In design, we interact with almost all the elements in our spaces. It is critical to make sure elements such as furniture and decor are comfortable, support how we live, are beautiful to us, and there is not too much of it!

Do you enjoy interacting with everything, and like the touch, feel, smell, and comfort of your decor items?

Removing Distractions is More Important than Adding Supporting Details

Removing distracting elements is more important than adding supporting details, which will make or break a room.

If you have a room filled with clutter and distracting things, no amount of adding more of your favorite decorative elements such as art or pillows or knick-nacks will fix the problem.

The most important thing is to neutralize the “stage” and eliminate all the unnecessary elements first. Then begin adding layers until you have created the effect you want. Otherwise, you and everyone else using the room will only see the distraction

Neutralize First

The first step in creating a beautiful stage or a room is to neutralize it first by removing distractions. Once that is done, then you can add meaningful decor items to create the perfect background for your performance or your perfect space.

A problem I often see, is when people have too many distractions in their room, usually in the form of clutter.  The room may also have too much decor or furniture. They think that adding beautiful decor items will fix the problem, and create the look they want. 

It does not work.

The key is remove the distractions first, then add decor to get the look you want.

In the example below the focal point of the room is the art. To make it stand out as much as possible, the rest of the room was designed with neutral colors.

In a similar way, a neutral background on a stage could highlight a dancer in a purple dress and her beautiful movements without distractions. 

This design highlights my fractal art, “A Passion for Purple” which you can purchase at my studio on Society 6.

Before you start decorating, take everything out of the room you really don’t need, neutralize things as much as possible and then add on your layers.

Learn More

To learn more, see some other articles in this series:

I Learned to All my Interior Design Problems by Playing Music.

I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- Every Part Must Play Its Part.

I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- We all Hear Music Differently.

I Learned to Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Playing Music- Precision is Beautiful.

You might also enjoy my series on lessons I learned about Interior Design from dancing:

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing: The Magic of Transitions.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

Are You Ready to Create Your Masterpiece?

Now that you know some of the elements that work together to create your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? If you knew absolutely for certain that creating a perfect space would create a better life for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.  Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

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This page contains affiliate links.

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 info@northernlightsstaging.com

Transitions Make Magic Happen

Its the moments between the moments, the transitions, where the real magic happens.

Every dance is made up of a series of moves, but how a dancer goes from one move to the next shows what they are made of and creates the flow of the whole performance.

What happens in that space between the moves? I bet you never thought of that. 

Is it like watching a slide show, where you see one picture, and then the next and the next?  Or is it like a film or video where the transition between moves is seamless so you do not notice any break in the action?

And is it truly a work of art, where each transition is just as beautiful as the move that came before and what comes next?

The most amazing dancers put their hearts and souls into the transitions! Take a photo during any part of it and it will be a beautiful moment.

The transition leads the audience from one part of the dance to the next, telling the story in such a way that nothing breaks the magic.

Even in moments where there seems to be a pause, the energy continues to flow and move, pointing o what is coming next.

Interior Design Lessons from Dance

How does this relate to Interior Design, you wonder? Well, transitions play a pivotal role in weaving the enchantment, whether on the dance floor or within your living space. Welcome to Part 9 of my insights, drawn from my experiences in dance, on the art of crafting your ideal environment.

As I grow older, I’ve come to realize the profound interconnections that exist within the realm of artistic expression. The very principles that underpin the mesmerizing beauty of dance are equally applicable to the realm of Interior Design, or indeed, any other form of artistic endeavor. All it takes is a discerning eye, an attentive ear, and a receptive heart to uncover these shared truths.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

Learn more in some of my other articles:

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

How Do Transitions Relate to Interior Design?

Ever walked into a house and instantly felt a sense of tranquility, with each room flowing seamlessly into the next? Conversely, have you ever felt slightly overwhelmed or uneasy, unable to pinpoint why, while navigating another home? This feeling often hinges on the art of transitions.

Transitions are the bridges between distinct spaces. They manifest in entryways, hallways, staircases, and even doorways leading to different rooms. Beyond the indoors, a window offering a view of the outdoors acts as a transition, merging the external and internal environments.

Within rooms, transitions might be found between separate seating arrangements or areas dedicated to diverse functions. Think of them as choreography in the dance of interior design, guiding your movement and experience.

Harmony emerges when there’s a purposeful connection between these spaces. Whether it’s through congruent colors, shapes, textures, or other design elements, these transitions create an interwoven tapestry of design that pleases the senses and soothes the soul.

Creating Beautiful Transitions

Enhancing transitions within your home’s decor is effortlessly achieved through the strategic use of color.

A clever approach involves selecting a consistent color that appears in each room, even if it serves as a subtle accent in some spaces while taking center stage in others. This establishes a unifying thread throughout your home.

Alternatively, you can experiment with varying shades of the same color or opt for a monochromatic color scheme that spans your entire living space.

Another effective method is to designate a primary color as the foundation for your interior palette, with all other rooms harmonizing with this chosen hue. This way, your home’s color schemes work together seamlessly, creating a sense of cohesion, whether you’re employing complementary, triadic, diadic, or other color schemes.

Transitions from Outdoors to Indoors

The entryway of your home carries immense significance, particularly if your home serves as your place of business. It’s the initial point where visitors form impressions about your residence and, by extension, you as the owner. This impression is shaped by various factors, including the exterior aesthetics, colors, landscaping, surroundings, neighborhood, and the design and color of your front door.

For this Bed and Breakfast, the flow between the exterior and interior is not working well.

While the exterior boasts a vibrant dark teal blue complemented by a striking hot pink door, the interior’s existing paint palette hasn’t been updated to match.

Then you enter and experience the transition to the interior. Do they go together?  How does it feel?

The entryway is painted in a shade of blue, which works well since it belongs to the same hue family as the exterior color. However, when you peer through the doorway, you transition from the yellow living room with its assorted accents of rust and blue into the red kitchen

The yellow walls aren’t a major issue because yellow stands opposite to blue on the color wheel, making them complementary. However, the presence of red clashes with the teal.

The most straightforward solution is to repaint the kitchen. It could be refreshed with a neutral white, a similar yellow, or perhaps a shade of blue or green that harmonizes better with the exterior color. Furthermore, a makeover is in order to modernize the entire area and bid farewell to the outdated 1990s faux painting.

Just envision the welcoming atmosphere that would greet you upon entering.

Transitions Between Rooms

Transitions happen in every space where there are entrances and sightlines into adjacent rooms, regardless of whether it’s an open concept or not, as seen in the previous example.

In the illustration below, you’ll notice that the two rooms share a similar color palette. They both feature the same wall color, and there are resemblances in the colors of the bed, rug, and pillow in comparison to the living room pillow.

I could change the wall color or the bedroom to an off white or gray, which still ties in to colors in the living room and the transition is still beautiful.

Or, I could pick a clashing color that may look nice in the bedroom, but in the context of the transition between rooms does not work as with this green.

Transitions between the Outside and Inside

Another important transition is between the outside and inside. Wherever you have windows with views you want to highlight, the transition is important and can often be the focal point of the room. Find similarity in colors and patterns you see outside and bring them into your interior in your art, decor or wall colors.

For example, in the bedroom below, the whole design is based on the view and the colors of ocean and sky. To create the smooth transition from outdoors to indoors, and make the room feel one with the outdoors, the color of the wall, bed, bedding, furnishings and even my custom designed fractal art all were harmonious with the colors  and patters of the outdoors.

In the design below, the colors of the forest, sky,

and trees were used in the furnishings, pillows and rug.

Get the Look

See some of my energy art in the designs above on Society6 and Fine Art America.

“Icefield” and “Arctic Night” by Mary Ann Benoit of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.

“Watercolor” fractal art collection by Mary Ann Benoit of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. 

Are You Ready to Create Beautiful Transitions in Your Home?

Knowing the elements that craft your ideal space, are you prepared to bring that vision to life in your home? If you were certain that the perfect environment would elevate your life, you’d jump at the chance, right?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.  Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

Aligned Design©– All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer |  Brochure

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Call 907-362-0065 today

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Every Part Must Do Its Part

Music is made of parts and every part is critical to making the magic happen. When they work together perfectly, then you have created a masterpiece!

All music has a structure. This usually includes a series of parts in order such as an introduction, a verse that is repeated several times with variations, a chorus or bridge that is different, and often the memorable highlight of the piece, a few more verses, and an ending. Often there are solos in the chorus.

All of these parts help build and tell the story and create something “delicious to the ears” as my drum teacher Amir likes to say.

Within the structure, there are more parts. These are the instruments, which layered together create a rich, delicious song for your ears. Eash has an important role to play in the final result.

The drums keep the rhythm for all the instruments. The bass is the bridge between the drums and the melodic instruments, playing both rhythm and melody. And there are several melodic instruments.

The melodic instruments usually take turns supporting each other with one or two playing the main role while the others back them up playing supporting roles or harmonies.

In the video below I created a 13 beat piece of music and played all the parts myself. Even as a one-woman band, I needed to make sure all the parts would work perfectly in harmony with the others and each supported the whole.

Mary Ann Benoit performing all the parts of her composition, For the Love of 13’s.

In many pieces, every instrument has a chance to be the star for a short time during a solo or by playing a more prominent part, while the others back them up. But, there should only be one star (at least at a time).

The magic happens because of the layers, which work in harmony for the greater good of the musical composition.  The collaboration creates something much more beautiful than any particular part or instrument on its own.

Even if all the instruments are the same, the layers of all working together to create one piece is magical.

Khoda, performed on Dafs and Frame Drums by students at Amir’s School of Music.

Yet, every part has a chance to shine. The piece needs just the right number of parts, no more or less.

Interior Design Lessons from Dance

What does this have to do with Interior Design?

Your perfect space has a structure, tells a story, and is layered with pieces that all have their supporting roles and time to shine. When done in perfect harmony, that is when the magic happens.

This is Part 2 in my revelations from lessons learned from playing music on how to create your perfect space.

The older I get, the more I realize the connections between all things artistic. The same principles apply to making the magic happen in Interior Design or any other art form. You just need to open your eyes, listen, and feel it to notice.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

To learn more, see Part 1, I Learned to All my Interior Design Problems by Playing Music.

You might also enjoy my series on lessons I learned about Interior Design from dancing:

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing: The Magic of Transitions.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

Intro, Verses, Chorus and Finale

Like a piece of music, your design also has a structure. You can think of it as an introduction, verses that lead to the dramatic chorus, more verses, and an ending.

As you enter the room, the flow to your focal point is like your introduction. All the supporting pieces that create the meat of the room and the story are like your verses. The focal point or main attraction is like your chorus or bridge and then you have an exit or end. All working together, tell the story of the room.

Play Your Part

Like instruments that each add a different sound and unique character to the music, your design parts include your flooring, furnishings, accessories, art, and lighting. They all need to coordinate and work together to create something more beautiful together than any individual part. The parts all have roles to play. If they are not contributing to a better “whole piece” than it may be “clutter” and should be removed.

Take a Solo

Musical compositions often allow the instruments to take a solo and have their time to shine while being supported by the other players.

Your art is often the focal point or soloist. Why not take a cue from music and change out your art to change the look and feel of your room from time to time. It creates a more interesting composition.

Here is an example of this same room (an Edesign by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design), with different art or “soloists”. See how the energy of the room changes by changing the art?

https://northernlightsstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FB_change_art.mp4

Playing with One Instrument or Many

One playing with a group of similar instruments, each piece still needs to add to the overall texture of the compositions in the Daf arrangement for Khoda above.

This neutral living room is an example of a musical piece with all the same instruments, due to the similar neutral colors. Each part stands out with its different patterns or textures to add to the final design.

This monochromatic and neutral design as the same feeling in that all the parts are very similar, but the subtle but interesting differences of the individual elements creates a beautiful layered final design.

In the Edesign below, all the parts are very different, as when you have a musical piece with many instruments. When the parts are so different, extra care must be taken to make sure all the parts work in harmony (such as with your color palette).

Are You Ready to Create Your Masterpiece?

Now that you know some of the elements that work together to create your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? If you knew absolutely for certain that creating a perfect space would create a better life for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.  Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

Curious about your Interior Design style? Take the quiz and find out.

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Contrast is the Key to Striking Beauty

While in my doumbek class last week, my drum teacher Amir Etemadzadeh, who is a native of Iran was talking about the importance of being able to distinguish clearly all the notes we can make on our drums. The more notes, the better.  The more clearly they are different from each other, the better and more beautiful it sounds to the listener.

Amir describes it as creating a beautiful and delicious meal and all the notes are like the spices and layers that make it delicious to the ears. 

As he waxes poetic about the beauty of contrast and how critical it is to distinguish the doum from the slap, and how the Teks and Kas should be as bright and high as possible, my mind wanders to Interior Design and the importance of contrast there as well. 

In music, if the notes are not easily distinguishable, they can all start to sound the same, and some notes will make others sound muddy or dull because each is not living up to its full potential. Your playing becomes boring for the audience.

Interior Design Lessons from Dance

What does it have to do with Interior Design?

Just as a drummer wants their music to sound delicious to the ears, we want our rooms to look delicious to our eyes. Contrast is one of the keys to creating great beauty.

This is Part 1 in my revelations from playing music on how to create your perfect space. 

The older I get, the more I realize the connections between all things artistic. The same principles apply to making the magic happen in Interior Design or any other art form. You just need to open your eyes, listen, and feel it to notice.

It always seems to come back to the alignment between art (creativity), science (color), and energy (connection) that makes the magic happen. I use this alignment to create both beautiful dance pieces and interiors.

You might also enjoy my series on lessons I learned about Interior Design from dancing:

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : The Magic of Transitions.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing : Surprise Me.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing and Learning to Tell a Great Story.

I Learned To Solve All My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Bring on the Bling.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- There Can Only Be One Star.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Be Brave.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with Shapes.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing- Create Drama with a Focal Point.

I Learned to Solve all My Interior Design Problems by Dancing.

How Does Contrast Relate to Interior Design?

Contrast is important in creating interest and making you feel something in the room. You can create contrast with color, texture, shapes, lighting, levels, patterns, sizes and more.

The more contrast between things, the more they each stand out and shine with their own inherent beauty, complimenting each other, rather than one stealing the spotlight and making the other look dull.

There is a lot of complexity to this subject. Today, I will focus on color.

Creating Contrast with Whites and Neutrals

As my teacher spoke about the sounds of the drum, the first thing that came to mind was how important contrast is when using the color white.

White. How seemingly simple but how complex. Many, when confused about color will say, lets just paint it white and be done with it. Haha, well, that just opened a big can of worms.

There are so many whites out there, it is amazing. Why? Because white is a color, just like any other, and is ultimately, the least saturated or a low saturation of a hue. Example, take a blue and reduce its chroma until it looks white, It is still that same blue, but with very little chroma. That is why all whites look so different.

P. S., it has nothing to do with so called “undertones”, which is just a word people use that do not understand color science to subjectively describe what they see.

No big deal, until you decide to mix whites in your space. One white can make another look muddy, or dirty, or just “off”.

Why? You need to make sure there is enough difference in chroma to easily distinguish the two whites. And there should still be some color harmony between the hues the whites come from. Whites that are opposites on the color wheel look better together than ones that are so close to each other that they look off.

Neutrals are the same as whites. They just have a little more chroma.

Finding the beauty of a neutral palette using various shades of whites, off whites and neutrals with enough contrast to see all the variations can be gorgeous. Throw in a variety of shapes and textures to add even more interest and variety.

Get the Look

 Here is an example of a beautiful and relaxing Edesign I created using whites and neutrals with contrasting colors and textures.  

Creating Contrast with Opposite Colors

Of course, you can get maximum contrast with saturated hues. The highest degree of contrast comes from either using black and white, or opposite colors on the color wheel, which creates a complimentary color scheme.

Maximum Contrast with Black and White

Maximum Contrast with a Complimentary Color Scheme

Blue and yellow are opposites or compliments on the color wheel. Each makes the other look even more vibrant.

In the Edesign below, the green in my Spring Fractal Art is the complement of the purple walls. It has the effect of making the art really pop!

Are You Ready to Create Beauty Through Contrast in Your Home?

Now that you know some of the elements that work together to create your perfect space, are you ready to take action to make it happen in your home? If you knew absolutely for certain that creating a perfect space would create a better life for you, you would do it, wouldn’t you?

Let’s tell your unique story and find the alignment of art, science, and energy that makes you happy.  Let me help you take that trip to your perfect space in a Ferrari instead of a stagecoach. Try my Aligned Design consultation and let’s get started.

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