What It Means To Design With Intention
Design is so much more than beautiful aesthetics. Design should invoke a feeling. Since Covid-19, more and more people are spending time at home and are working from home, too. So how can you have a home that feels like home when you’re there all of the time—a space to unwind, rejuvenate, and feel at ease? You design with intention; that’s how.
Why not think of your home like you do your life? We set intentions for our lives all the time, and now we can do the very same thing for our homes. We can set an intention for how we want to feel and be in the sacred space that we call home.
“When decorating with intention in order to have that cohesive and well-put look, it is vital to come up with a personalized theme, not just a style. The reason being is that a theme requires a deeper commitment than a particular style.”
How to Set an Intention for Your Space
To get started, you want to know what the intention is that you are setting. To set an intention for your space, you can ask yourself the following questions when it comes to choosing items for your home and decorating your space:
What purpose does it serve?
Is it versatile, flexible, and/or sustainable in any way?
Will it work for me in my current home/setting? What about another setting?
Is it suitable for my needs/lifestyle?
Can I live with the color/pattern/piece?
Will I still like it ten years down the road?
Is it high or low maintenance? For instance, some lampshades made of paper are impossible to dust, so how would you work around that?
Will it involve any remodeling? Any retouching?
Will it blend in, or will it stand out, making everything else look shabby?
Is it in my style? Or is it something that’s trending?
What is the cost (in terms of time and money)?
Is it worth it? Is it an investment piece?
A stylish home is a direct result of designing with intention. Good design has a flow to it, articulating a personalized theme and style. And while every element has its own purpose, together, the elements form a single entity—a single “clean and polished” unique look.
How to Bring the Outdoors Into Your Space
Another way to approach intentional design is to bring the outdoors into your space. Nature can be so refreshing and rejuvenating, and as one of my core values, I’m always thinking of ways to bring the outdoors in. At my relaunch event in April of this year, one of the gifts I gave guests was a small ceramic planter with a tray so that they could create a practice in setting intentions for their space. What you do is write your intention down on a piece of paper and put it in the planter, fill it with dirt, and plant a seed. Then, every time you water it, you are reminded of your intention for your space. This is one of my most favorite ways to practice intention setting because your space feels more inviting and becomes a place for inspiration.
The power of intentional design comes from setting intentions for your space before you even start designing. It reminds you of what really matters and what you want to focus on—steering you in the right direction toward your life goals, however big or small they may be.
Designing with intention can change everything.
