Today's New York Times aptly focuses upon the idea of "home" at a time when so many are threatened with the loss that may incur during the financial chaos on Wall Street. Today's style magazine has a brilliant article by Miranda Seymour which defines home in a way that resonates with me. Seymour quotes from Marjorie Garber:
"...our relationships with our houses are as charged as our relationships with our loved ones. The house we adore, she writes, can represent lover, mother, body or self, fantasy, trophy, history and escape. Lover because a new house suggests "beginning life over again with a younger, more beautiful partner. Mother because a house makes you feel salfe. It contains ou, nurtures you and prepares you for the world outside.."
This week I opted to have a spur of the moment sale at our little shop inspired in part by some of my client's who were wanting a jump start on their gift giving season. I reluctantly arrived at the shop early Saturday morning and was busy cleaning up the garden and generally tidying up when a large car filled with people parked outside. We are busy with many clients so I didn't notice much about the group that arrived until it became apparent that they were more interested in the house than they were anything in it. They approached me and one of the women, Lisa, shared that this was her grandmother and the house was actually her mother's when she was a child. At that moment, I knew that me being at the shop on Saturday was more than about business. I was so honored to see the woman who had grown up at the shop and I was even more excited to hear some of the stories that she could share.
Over the next few weeks, I hope to post some pictures and some stories about one of the oldest existing homes in the Tulsa area and what it may have been..and meant...to a family. I think this is one of the greatest treasures of being able to design spaces -- finding meaning in the environements in which we inhabit.
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