mulberryshoots

Truth be told, one of my vices is magazines. Not such an expensive addiction, but one that I have confessed to for a long time. It’s probably not as costly as shopping for shoes or something like that. Here is what magazines do for me: they take me to a very different place. Australia, for example, where the culture of the place and people are captured within a magazine, a journal of a place and time, so to speak. I have been clipping pictures and articles, recipes and wish-list items for years and pasted them into my commonplace journals. When I look at these large spiral-bound treasure troves of what I was thinking about in those days, it is astonishing to observe how much has realized itself, or become part of my life, almost without my knowing when it might have occurred.

Today, I was looking at a couple of Australian magazines saved from 2009. There were so many bits of inspiration. Can’t wait to start filling my new blank book that has been sitting around for just the right time. I even have a giant size Elmer’s glue stick that will allow for re-positioning and re-pasting clippings. The things that catch my eye resonate with ideas I am thinking about for projects: a new book, rearranging and repurposing things that I already have. One of the articles was an interview with the designer, Philippe Starck. In it, he was asked about what designing a home consisted of. Here is what he said:

“It’s a home, a real home, but it’s about the very essence of the home (referring to his design of ‘3 Suisses house.’) A home firstly meaning living with someone you love. There’s no point in having a mansion if you’re all alone. So, that’s clear, it’s a house which is centred on a love, which is centred on a hearth, which is symmetrical so that you don’t need to worry about the architecture, so that the architecture is forgotten about in the interests of love, intelligence, contemplation and so on. And then, there’s the least material possible around the humans, meaning simply wood. Then, it’s the lowest price possible so that people aren’t worried, aren’t preoccupied with paying their debts, so that they can love each other and think.”

I thought this was an insightful description for making a home: a place to love each other and think. I would only add that I believe single people can also make a home filled with love.

Some people live in houses that aren’t homes per se. They are places to go to when done with work. A place to eat and sleep, watch TV and mow the lawn. They may not be as filled with love as they are shared for other reasons. And if no one there cares about cleaning it or showing care, then it’s just a house, not a home, right? Sounds like there’s more to this concept to think about further. Stay tuned.