What will define our era?
Can you believe it’s been 100 years since the roaring ’20s? It was a glamorous decade for sure, and the heyday of interior designers that gave birth to Modernism, Bauhaus and Art Deco…
It makes this designer ponder how the new ’20s will be defined by interior design. Our now globally connected world has influenced thousands of trends at a somewhat rapid pace and I expect that will continue. Consequently, I believe that our global trend mashups will inevitably blur the “era” lines. So what will stand out? Design that showcases our unique soul expression and anchors our homes in what makes us feel rested, nourished and revitalized. A soulful home.
As we move our lives forward into the new ’20s, there’s no better time to get clear on what a soulful home means to each of us uniquely. And we begin the process with a Vision Board.
Vision Board…
Every year, our team at studioGUILBEAU puts together a vision board for the year. Doing it as a team gets us all excited about the year to come. We’re excited about the return of color in interiors, about Classic Blue, the color of the year (and one of our favorites), about the convergence of commercial as well as residential projects coming up – and architectural design as well as the softer side of furniture, drapes, & accessories. We love spaces that are extremely luxurious, yet very livable. We love that spontaneous element — that little bit of surprise. We love spaces that have drama but feel a bit natural, a little sensual, a little earthy. We love to customize, but we especially love to personalize. Everybody here is an eclectic who loves the adventure of designing something unique and authentic just for our clients.
Here is a classic shot of our new 2020 Vision Board sprawling out over our whiteboard wall calendar. It kind of gives you a glimpse of our culture here – our work is equal parts dreaming, and organizing/getting it done/driving it home. Without dreams, there is no creating. This is what we do for our clients every day – help to encourage them to dream so that we can help them to create the life they want to live. But we designers need to dream too! So at the first of the year, I encourage everyone at this visioning session to dream for themselves and to contribute something that speaks to them. We are constantly amazed at what starts to get manifested over the course of the year when we just put it out there!
On the one hand, by looking at these amazing images of spaces that transport you to another world, you open up to your heart, what your inner longings are. On the other hand, when you put the images together as a collage, the pictures craftily require you to make a decision. The reason is, some images are similar to one another; so you have to choose which one you want to use. And, no matter how much space you have, there’s always a limit. So you have to organize them, cull them down, edit things out. This makes you have to distill the general intention down to its essentials. It makes you really decide, and choose, what you want to focus on. When you get this focus, and you’re really feeling it, things just start to move on their own!
I love doing this with my team, because it gives me a chance to find out what’s in their heart, and how that may fit into what we are doing here, now, and going forward. They always bring something to the table that delights me, excites me, surprises me. Without their energy, StudioGuilbeau would not be!
Also, if you’re a pinterest enthusiast as I am, I put together a special board “Clearing a Space 2020” with words of inspiration that will fuel your too. Just click the board below.
Decluttering…
Lastly, after getting clear with your vision, you’ll want to clear your space. If you’re like most, you’ve collected things over the year that no longer serves you. They’re just taking up space and maybe peripherally leaking energy. We call this clutter. And nothing blocks your vision better than clutter. January is the time to let that clutter go. I recommend picking up a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing‘ by Marie Kondo.
Your 2020 will thank you.
– Marcelle Guilbeau,
