Interior Design Rules of Thumb You Should Stick By

I was asked by the editors at Redfin’s blog to contribute to an article about interior design, sharing why I believe art is so important in a space. Here’s what I had to say…

“Without art, your home will always feel like something’s missing! Artwork is also a chance to add something you truly, deeply love to your space. It feels like such a missed opportunity when I see artwork from a big box store in someone’s home: resist the urge, and take your time finding the right thing for your space.

Imagine Lisa Congdon’s living room without art….shudder! ;) My Power Color pieces are up there on the right.

If you’re just getting started with art and you’re a bit intimidated, begin by paying close attention to work that resonates with you. Are you attracted to certain colors? Do you prefer figurative or abstract work? Do the pieces you love feel mysterious and moody or bright and joyful?

Which is your fave: moody & mysterious, like Color Space 3, or…

…bright & joyful, like Glow 1, Bask?

Connecting directly with independent artists through Instagram can be super exciting, creating an even more special connection with the artwork in your space.“

See the full article here, with interior design tips from architects, interior designers and more lovely folks!

Color Curiosity Activity Sheets = A Fun Color Serendipity Experience!

I love putting unlikely colors together, and I love serendipity, so I’ve combined the two to bring us downloadable Color Curiosity Activity Sheets!

Here’s how they work: choose nine random colors (you could use ANYTHING to color - markers, nail polish, crayons, pastels or a combo of all of the above!) and then fill in the sheet (choose from Squares or Squiggles) from top to bottom to deliberately avoid choosing where any color will go.

And then just see what happens! Stay curious, have some fun, find some new favorite color combos. And share the results - I’d love to see them!!! Post to Instagram and tag me and/or hashtag #colormecurious!

Here’s hoping these bring a bit of fun, joy, beauty and play to your literal and metaphorical/metaphysical space!

Free Printable: A Self-Care Gameplan for Visual Thinkers

About four years ago, I got really serious about taking care of my mental health. Started therapy and dug in. I’m so glad I did! (And yes, I’m still going and it’s still a really important part of my life.)

One thing I learned (and just keep on learning) as I worked to address my mental health is that physical and mental health are 100% interconnected. In case you’re wondering, yes, I had known this before, but I keep conveniently forgetting it because tbh I’d rather live in my mind than in my body. Since that’s not possible….

Taking care of our bodies gives us the energy, power and joy we need to do literally everything else we want to do - and the ability to do those things longer and better and faster.

Okay, so we know this. But why is it so hard to do anything about it? (At least it is for me!)

I consistently find myself on the strugglebus with this, so I’m trying something new as an experiment. Rather than wasting my energy 1) trying to remember what the things are I should be doing everyday to take care of my body, 2) trying to do too many things and getting totally discouraged, and 3) giving up and feeling bad for not doing any of them, I made this visual self-care plan for me, and, if you want it, for you. 

These are the five things (just five!) that I already KNOW make me feel way, way better. How do I know? Because when I’ve done them regularly, I felt way, way better. ;)

My hypothesis is that not only will I enjoy looking at this gameplan because it’s purty, I may also respond better to this list of five (again, just five!) things to endeavor to do every day because I have cleverly avoided the words exercise, water, meditation, gratitude and breathing (even though that’s definitely what the five things are) because they’re trigger words that spark eye rolls and guilty feelings for me. 

At any rate, I’ll be posting this up in my workspace tomorrow, and we’ll see. Will I beat myself up if I don’t use it? No. Will I work on finding other ways to do these same five things every day if this doesn’t work for me? Yes. We live, we learn.

Click here or on the image below to download your own gameplan and shoot me an email or DM me on Instagram and let me know whether/how it’s working for you!