Peaceful Shelter… Beauty in Place
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
― Mary Oliver
Sheltering in place has slowed us down. Past clients have reached out and told me that spending so much time at home has allowed them to notice details that they hadn’t noticed before. This could be just one of the silver linings to this sad time…us slowing down to notice.
The social media design divas, our favorite shows on HGTV, and even the hours spent pouring over Pinterest boards, somehow still can’t quite feed our deep desire to find and connect with beauty.
We forget that the best design is often no design at all, or at least design that you might not notice right away. What if “empty” or “enough” or “receptive to change” was as photographable as layers of pattern, bold form, and loud color?
I find that if I can defer or enable the big design gestures to Mother Nature, I am never disappointed. In my work, this often means noticing, sculpting, and anticipating patterns of natural light crossing the threshold. Light itself becomes the design element and it’s a treat to stop and notice its ever-changing dance. Here are a few Laraarchitecture moments that speak to this.
Be healthy today and shelter with attention; something beautiful might happen.
-Lara
