work, finances, vacations and hobbies.  It’s a great way to have greater joy in life.

Exercise #1:
From trash to treasure
    Go up into your attic, rummage through your closets, look under your beds, dive into your basement and pull out the things you packed away.  Pull them out and lay them on the floor.  What items make you feel good, bring you joy you’d forgotten?  Take out a piece of paper and make a list of what these items are, and why they make you feel good.
    Look through any decorating magazines you have lying around (or any other magazines, for that

Figure 11- Before: small, contrasting wallpaper above the chair rail, along with the dark window treatments, makes this room look smaller than it could…

matter).  What images stir your heart, make you smile, and move you?  Start clipping pictures and add a short description and “why” to your list.  The stronger the feeling, the greater the clue!
              As you go about your day, look for things that make you feel good.  I’m not talking about

expensive things or status items; I’m talking about the simple, subtle images and memories that bring you peace, joy and comfort.  Only you know what they are.  These are the things that bring Beauty into your life, not the latest trip to the box store.  Believe it or not, your conscious intention to find these qualities will influence your attention to noticing them!
That’s it.  Two things: 1) twenty minutes a week until you've cov-

Figure 12- After: Tone on tone “lattice” wallpaper and lighter fabric opens up the room. Notice the chandelier (shades make the fixture look bigger) and the ceiling medallion.

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you go about your daily business.  If this sounds strange, or hokey, let me tell you a story.
    About two years ago, I met with a new client who had never really spent any time decorating her home, and had certainly never worked with a designer.  I told my husband True I had never seen anything quite like it.  I walked into her house, and I knew I was in trouble; not because of her house, but because her house really didn’t tell me anything about her.  I started talking with her, trying to get a sense of who she was and what she liked, but she was very quiet and reserved.  As I asked question after question and received one-word answers, I thought to myself, “I’m in trouble”.  After having spent over forty minutes talking with her, I was no closer to figuring out what she got excited about than when I walked in.
    Finally, in a moment of desperation, I asked to see what was in her storage closet.  We walked over, and I noticed she had some French street scenes framed on the wall—Ah, a clue!
    “So, you like to travel,” I asked, hoping to get the ball rolling.
    “Yes,” she replied, then silence.
    I opened the closet and met a whole other person.  She had a silk kimono from Japan, a shawl from Argentina, and some other really neat artifacts.  It was like stepping into her own personal Epcot Center!
    It turns out she was a medic in a “MASH” unit in Viet Nam, and had stayed in the military after her tour of duty to see the world.  She began taking photos during her travels: engaging, interesting portraits of people’s faces.  I couldn’t take my eyes off these pictures; they belonged on the cover of National Geographic, yet even this woman’s daughter didn’t know anything about this part of her life.
    As we looked through the first box of pictures together and she told me about them, I could see her begin to open up like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon.  I watched her whole demeanor change: her voice, her posture, her style of walking.  Boxes of pictures started coming out from under beds, out of closets.  As she opened each box, she became more and more animated.  Soon the floor of her living room was covered wall to wall.  With these boxes of memories, we created a picture gallery wall for her portraits, shadow-boxed her kimono and a couple of other pieces, and generally brought her home to life!
   For me, this is the whole point of interior design: creating a home that is warm, expressive and personal.  The first step on the path of self-discovery—before buying anything, reading anything or painting anything—is to spend a little time with yourself and those you love.  There’s a more practical benefit, too: the age-old phrase “know thyself” can save you thousands of bucks.  Trust me!  Your decorating will begin to feel easy, effortless—even joyful!

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