Have you ever had a day of nothing?
I have heard of people ‘spending the day in bed’ or doing nothing but watch Netflix all day but I don’t know if it would be physically possible for me to accomplish such nothingness. I have a dear friend who is a musician in Toronto, his name is Peter Katz and this young man has written some of most hauntingly beautiful lyrics I have ever had the privilege of listening to.
In his song Walking Asleep he says, “I spend the night as an endless day. I said goodnight and good morning from the same chair.”
When was the last time you took that sort of leisure? Are you able to relax in your home to the extent of being able to say goodnight and good morning from the same chair? Have you built a refuge into your home that enables you to unwind and escape or do you need to ‘get away from it all’ to find this kind of solitude?
The design choices we make in our home are more than just wall colour and thread count. Often we need to make decisions regarding our comfort. Bathtub depth, shower head size, sound proofing, room darkening are all equally important decisions to make for your home. I believe that every home should have space (or spaces) for us to rest our bodies and our minds. If you find that you always need to escape to a spa or vacation or a friends place to ‘unwind’ you may need to look at your own home and see if you can carve out a space for you and your family to relax.
Last week we had a staff baby shower at a co-worker’s house.
We went down to the basement and my friend and I immediately jumped into the same chair. It was the most inviting, cozy piece of furniture I had ever sat in and we both immediately cuddled up together and visited. Our hostess said that her and her husband often curl up together in the chair and watch movies or just talk about their days.
The combination of the cozy ribbed chenille and the larger format of the chair was just so inviting to me and it was interesting to hear that they had bought the chair for just that purpose – as something the two of them could draw into at any time and find a personal retreat.
So it can be as easy as a chair!
It can be as elaborate as an acoustically perfect media room or as simple as a comfortable bath tub or excellent mattress to sink into at the end of the day.
For me it was buying the right blankets for my bed and having a bedside lamp that I could shut off after reading without having to get up.
It was putting a few more pillows on my bed to be able to curl up in a comfortable pile after sleeping with just one pillow my whole life!
I realized after my last trip to Vegas that a bed with four or six pillows on it was far more indulgent and luxurious and could possibly entice me to spend the day.
Kim Meckler is an interior designer with Carpet Colour Centre in Red Deer.