A growing process:
We joined group living, as had 800 others when we moved to a retirement realm. Our new home/apartment was surrounded by hallways, dining rooms, nature’s walkways, gathering rooms…but, behind one doorway was our private domain.
Flashback: Our New Dream!
A blueprint for comfort and style to suit us. All 1163 sq./ft.—ours!
For starters, I’m an interior designer. What could be better?
I had an empty canvas and a new storyline. When we first saw our apartment in the Retirement Realm, we thought, “This is doable. We can do this!” Realistically, we were not focusing on the fact that there was nary a stick of furniture in our new bailiwick. Not stick nor stone. Hmmm!
The Anatomy of a Room:
Not counting a small dining alcove, kitchen and two bathrooms, today’s focus is on the runt of our three main rooms that had to hold a multitude of functions, i.e. guest room, computer room, TV room and relaxing room. “Necessity being the mother of invention” I needed to invent/design a handsome room for two geriatric fossils who knew they were vintage, but imagined themselves as being trendy. Hmmmm!
What fun! So happy to design our study because except for my husband’s comfortable leather chair and an elegant antique Chinese cabinet filled with books, research chronicles and clippings, my husband almost never asked what anything cost. Blissfully, who knows?
Expressive colors dominate our study, for instance; Commanding the floor is a favorite design color (SHERWIN WILLIAMS 6868 REAL RED.) In here it’s the background hue of my Pakistani Bokhara area rug. Its thick pile has a grid pattern of oval cream, black and terra-cotta shapes. The name Bokhara has long been used to indicate rugs in the Tekke framework of the Turkoman Tribes in Pakistan.*
To digress: A former yearly Thanksgiving tradition between a daughter and I was a New York journey to see theatre productions, museums. friends, shopping and check out over-the-top special holiday trappings.
A favorite, were the window decorations at Saks. One year the fantasy Christmas theme highlighted a single color per window with a mannequin placed inside a glass ornament surrounded with flocked trees, presents, jewels, white poodles — gorgeous window tableau after tableau. And ahead “what to my wondering eyes did appear” but my BOKHARA RUG in the Window of Red!
Whew, that was heady. Apparently, Saks and I are hand-in-hand with our design flair and panache, plus, that window designer had unparalleled acumen and discerning taste. (Too much?)
Also popping up in my joyful nostalgia of happily designing a
room to fit our needs was this memory. Can anyone remember the:
Our study needed more than a rug. A guest room needs a bed and I knew of a company near me designing old-fashioned Murphy beds, i.e. today’s stylish description “wall bed”.* We came up with a design that pleased us, focusing on our travels and a fondness for Asian antiques and folk crafts.
Closed, it’s an artful element; open, a comfortable bed delineating the flexibility of this study where space is limited. Functionality was a top priority with its built-in reading lights, back shelf and we added a wrap around desk in the same wood finish.
Two handsome burnished different leather chairs are juxtaposed against two bold terra-cotta walls where our beloved books make the room a personal haven.
We were collectors. When someone asked what we collected….I could only answer “everything.” No matter where we traveled, my husband always sternly admonished before taking off, “We, are not buying an extra suitcase!” Of course, I agreed, fingers crossed behind my back. We always bought an extra suitcase!
Our study is a composition of color, texture and the play of soft outside light filtering through sheer curtains that wonderfully extend a sense of privacy and still offer their mercurial ability to move with a breeze.
When talking about the anatomy of our room….its anchors, bones, remember there is so much more….its cosy, cocoon heart! The family pictures, books, decorative memorabilia and collections….they are our story, as we walk through life together.
Time to move forward and become
UNFETTERED
Sy’s Salient Points:
Senior surroundings in an independent environment that includes transitional care is a pivotal brass ring for aging.
Dark rich hues/colors….proffer a sense of sanctuary.
*The bed is named for William Lawrence Murphy (1876–1959), who applied for his first patents around 1900. According to legend, he was wooing an opera singer, but lived in a one-room apartment in San Francisco, and the moral code of the time frowned greatly upon a woman entering a man’s bedroom.
Happy 2022 BLAIRE!