Double-take

Photo by qmnonic

Transparency.

Over the weekend, I was traveling with my husband, and somehow we ended up in an upscale neighborhood with incredible homes. A bunch of contenders for Architectural Digest, the houses elicited our appreciation as we drove slowly through the neighborhood to get to where we were going.

And there was one common (surprising) trait amongst them.

None of them had curtains in their front windows. No joke. It was like driving through a well-groomed collection of life-sized doll houses. Due to the darkness outside and the lights glowing inside, I saw straight into the living rooms of a dozen perfect houses. And I realized with clarity:

This is what it means to be transparent.

It was intriguing.

Additionally, it gave me pause as I considered this question: What does my living room look like to guests who see it for the first time? How does my home appear in the eyes of someone who is driving past? It is always good to see something in a new way, isn't it?

Consider this: The picture at the top of this blog is actually of a dog house.

Today I am rejuvinated to see my home in a fresh way.

Dinner and a Movie

(Answer: Roman Holiday, Paramount Pictures, 1953)

It's Friday night. What to do?

Recently, a reader passed along a great idea that I am passing along to you. (See how fun it is?)

Jackie from Tulsa suggested that families picnic in the living room on Friday nights--eating food and watching a movie that share the same theme.

(Think pasta with a movie set in Italy, for instance, or spaghetti with a Western.) There are so many possibilities. You can utilize the coffee table or clear the floor and spread out a blanket with plastic cups and silverware. AND you won't have to deal with pesky ants or sudden rain showers.
In case you are looking for movie suggestions, I have posted a photo, above, from my favorite of all time.

Kudos to you if you can figure out what it is from.

Death by Paper

Photo by Rodrigo Galindez

The Living Room.

During the 19th century, the “front room” or “parlor” of a house was used for formal events, namely the laying out of a body for viewing prior to the funeral. In an effort to move away from a blatant association with death, architects aptly renamed the space “living room” in the 20th century.

While we can be thankful that the living room is no longer a place designed for sorrowing, we should quickly address one of the key issues that still causes homemakers everywhere to mourn while sitting on their couches.

Reading material.

Books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues, and mail have the ability to take us quickly from a place of joy to a place of grief if left unmanaged.

When it comes to magazines, remove the articles you want to keep and discard the rest of the periodical. Manage magazines by displaying only the most recent issue. Designate a place for mail—and cull it daily. Don’t allow mail to overtake your house. (This will also make bill paying more efficient!) Distribute books to the rooms where they are used. Box up the books you no longer want and donate them. (But don't donate them to your garage!)

In short, if you haven’t or won’t read it, remove it. It will bring life to your living room!