Inspiration eZine: Issue No. 3

3

inspiration

a monthly e-zine from designformankind.com

a note from [erin].

cover photo credit: jen taurtiz gotch.

When I first sat down to brainstorm the third edition of what has become the biggest inspiration in my life, I questioned whether or not I should stray from the original editions of the inspiration board. There is something so lovely about viewing the tangible boards of other artists, designers and the like, but the more I pondered the topic of inspiration, the more I realized that it bears no boundaries. I’d hate to place a mold around the undefinable sources of inspiration. After all, inspiration can be found in the tiniest of objects or the vaguest of philosophies.

I decided, then, to venture into the unchartered territory in an attempt to examine inspiration from all walks of life and in each and every possible avenue. True, this is a lifelong goal that one can probably never accomplish, but if anyone can, I’d like to be that person.

It is with GREAT excitement, then, that I introduce the third issue of Inspiration, entitled ‘Nooks and Crannies: Inspiration in the Home.” I have so enjoyed sifting through hundreds of submissions and thousands of photographs to bring you some of the most inspirational rooms to date.

I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Harriet Beecher Stowe:

“Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room.”

With that said, welcome to my dressing room. May you never leave.

Love to you,

Erin Loechner designformankind.com

You wouldn't be able to tell by the photograph, but I'm one of those people who rarely comes home from a walk or a day-trip empty handed. My apartment is filled with feathers and beads and embroidery thread and shells and sea glass, plus more formal collections that I try to keep in some sort of order.

Much of what I keep is meant to be made into jewelry or be part of my artwork someday, or to at least kickstart some sort of future inspiration. That wonderful "you never know" keeps me going. I tend to love the ordinary the most; the things that land at your feet, the things you have to look down at and notice.

This corner is in my bedroom, and it's the least trafficked space in my home. It also has the least "stuff", and I created it as a sort of experiment, to see if I could edit myself and work with less. It's the last thing I see before I turn out the light at night, and it's simple. Just Eleanor, my long-searched-for dressform, wearing my favorite jacket and the necklaces I've made that I couldn't let sit hidden away in a box. She's still, and the girl in the oil pastel is still. They just are what they are, not needing to be changed into something else or fussed over or worked on. I think I like looking into this corner before sleep because it sort of encourages letting the day go, and hoping that night will edit out all of the day's clutter.

Sometimes I'll go into my bedroom just to sit and clear my head. In the afternoon it's filled with the sharpest, brightest Florida sunlight, but it doesn't pour directly into this corner. And it still benefits from it. I keep one of my embroidered paintings there because it won't fade, but I can still see it clearly. I guess that's the metaphor.

AMY GROSS, Designer amygross.com

This little corner of my home is where I get to be every bit a girl. Almost every morning, I select some jewels to adorn my outfit, I rub some olive oil body butter on my elbows, I dab some perfume on the inside of my wrists, and I feel armed and ready to face the day.

I have carefully selected and placed each bit and bauble, and the space is undoubtedly colorful and lovely.

But more importantly, every piece tells a story. The vintage hobnail vase is one of many that my mom and I collected while searching for wedding centerpieces, the gold edged dishes are family heirlooms given to me by my grandmother-in-law, the green Japanese dish holds novelty and artful rings that my husband Rama has surprised me with over the years. And that's what inspires me most: The people in my life, the stories we share, and the color that connects us all.

CHRISTINE CASTRO, Designer/Artist darlingstudio.com, darlingshoppe.com

I am inspired by the city I live in: New York.

Everything...the different languages, foods, smells (good and bad), the architecture, the galleries and museums, the theater and the intensity of the city is a constant source of creativity for me. I also love how nature manages to survive, and even flourish, here against the odds. I had a red cardinal outside my bedroom window that woke me up every morning. It felt very magical—because it was so unusual and somehow sacred. There are some great thrift stores in my neighborhood, particularly Housing Works---which often has great paintings or interesting household objects for cheap. I find deals and unearthing treasures very inspiring. I feel like old things bring a different energy to a room; the history of the objects live with you too. I also am an Etsy addict---it’s a treasure trove of possibilities. Anything letterpress is my idea of a party. Recently, I have started reading design blogs and using Flickr, which I also find to be great sources of information—both have led me to purchase handcrafted goods that I wouldn’t have known about. I like to have a sense that someone I am directly in contact with made the thing I am buying. My mother was also a great inspiration to me in terms of style. She passed away recently, but I feel like her sense of decor still lives on in my apartment. She was English and a big part of her style sense focused on coziness and comfort. I love minimalist rooms but I can’t ever seem to create one--stuff gathers and a certain kind of ordered chaos always ensues.

This corner is a work in progress and it changes depending on what’s going on in my life. Over the last two years I have begun to both acquire more original art and prints and have started making art of my own. I mix purchased art with my art, my husband’s art, family photographs, and things I find in thrift stores. The IMAGINE sign was sent to me with a something I bought on Ebay. I hang things on binder clips so I can change them easily.

I write underneath this wall. I write for children’s television and I also write plays and am working on a memoir. The collage in the center of the collection was inspired by a play that I wrote set in the Galapagos. I had writers block, so I started to collect images of Darwin and the flora and fauna of the area to inspire me, and suddenly I was making tons of collages (the play took a little longer to write— there was so much gluing to do!). This more tactile and visual work has become a regular part of my writing ritual. I keep all kinds of art supplies handy, so if there is a hitch in the writing, something else can be made. This spot is my creative perch.

CUSI CRAM, Writer/Artist

I love that almost every item that I see in this corner has been thrifted and therefore re-cycled. From the books, to the lamp and the chair. Even the Singer sewing machine table that is now doubling as a phone table was found, destitute and alone, at our local skip/reclamation yard. I had to force the owner to let me leave with it but I think he saw the determination in my eyes and let me have it.

I wanted friends and family alike to enter our home and have some feeling of calm and peace but at the same time tap in to the history of the house as its Victorian and was built in 1880. So I always try and keep it as clutter free as possible whilst making sure that the lighting is cosy and inviting.

CHERRY MENLOVE, Writer/Blogger talesfrompixiewood.typepad.com

This space will be familiar to those who read my blog or visit my shop because it's where I photograph my work. This is my space, the only one in the house which is truly mine, where i get to put exactly what i want without consulting my other half! The way these shelves are spaced invites a collection and I only started collecting after we moved here. Originally I was going to remove them; they were built for cds and I didn't want a wall of cds!

My mum has a wonderful china collection. She gave me some of her cups, some of which she inherited from my grandfather. I put them on my shelves and they started growing. Now I have a variety of things; postcards, artists' books, photographs. They all pop up in my work now and again.

I also use this space to test out my work, to see if a piece is working or not and it's also the first place I put my books when they are finished to see how they sit. The only down side is that when I'm working, I sit with my back to all this. The wall in front of my desk is pretty much blank. But I really love it when I turn around after sitting at my desk for too long and see my wall of colour.

FRANCESCA IANNACCONE, Artist/Blogger mrseliotbooks.blogspot.com/

On May 13, 2007 we bought our first home. For the first time in my life, I was going to have total control over my living space. Of course my husband would have some say, but I am very bossy, and I don't take no for an answer. The thing that drew me to this house was all of the beautiful light it got. I am addicted to light. There is nothing that inspires me more than seeing light pour into a room. Knowing all of this, I made one crucial decision before we moved in. I had all of the hardwood floors painted high gloss white.

Amazing! Whatever light was pouring in before, was now flooding the house. This shot is of our dining room the morning after a party. Hence the lack of chairs, as I was using the table as a buffet. I wish I could say that I host many a fabulous dinner party here. Though we have had some wonderful people come and sit at this table with us, it serves more as a desk, a mail depository and a still life surface. Nonetheless, it is pure magic in there. I hope you are inspired by it as much as I am.

JEN TAURITZ GOTCH, Photographer mypolaroidblog.blogspot.com

i guess there's not really an exact place or a particular part of my house or office that inspires me. i mean... we can be inspired everywhere, we are inspired by everything. maybe that's also the reason why i don't have a studio yet, haha. i can be anywhere and everywhere and i can still make art. yiha!

JJ-CHRISTINE VILLAMARIN, Artist

I am usually surrounded by many piles - fabric, books, magazines, threads, wool, patterns, buttons. All haphazard, crazy, but full of meaning and promise. Amongst that though, are small spaces of solitude.

Small vignettes into a calmness. A serene breathe. It is small details which make my heart sing, small scapes of ideas, things, shapes, colours.

This antique japanese chest was a present I gave my husband many years ago. It is an old calligraphy chest, and has a number of small perfectly long balanced drawers. One still holds calligraphy inks and pens. The others hold beautiful buttons and drawing pens. I love it's warmth, it's age. I love that it has seen many lives, a few countries, and has had many hands over it. It has patina, and a soul. It reminds me to stop every now and then and focus back on what is important in the design process - that something does not need to be absolutely perfect - it can have irregularity to it, be worn, be slightly broken or wobbly, but if the essence is there, that can sometimes be enough. I change what sits on top of it regularly. Right now there is a small black fine ceramic bowl by Mud and a Port2Port Press calender. That's all it needs.

It sits on an old black timber table, and is surrounded by small pieces of timber samples and limited edition books, some more small bowls and a few pieces of fabric. For now it will remain as a pieced display amongst the chaos - till the piles take it over and I must once again be reminded to seek out the beauty objects I own have. I don't have inspiration boards - but I do have inspiration 'settings' - arrangements of objects, textures or colours which have strength in their proportion, or collection of ideas.

ALISON BROOKBANKS, Blogger/Artist sixandahalfstitches.typepad.com

This corner is in my bedroom. It has my art deco vanity which is the first piece of furniture I ever bought for myself that cost more than 25.00. It has the most enormous circular mirror and so little storage that I often think, " Why do I still have this beast?"

I have this strange little recessed alcove in my bedroom and that is where it now resides. The bedroom was a serious challenge to decorate.

We painted it 3 times before this incarnation but we are finally really happy with it.

The alcove is painted dark red and has a custom cut aluminum curtain hung behind the vanity. I bought it at a display sale at a store where I used to be a merchandiser.

The frame is thrifted and fitted with a pinboard upholstered with Aunty Cookie fabric to feature my vintage jewelry, some recent acquisitions and some that belonged to my grandma. I love this fabric... and it looks like art, and the jewelry looks like it is hanging from the branches of the trees.

The vanity corner is where I play dress up and get ready to face the world.

BETHANY MANN, Blogger/Artist bitterbettyind.etsy.com

I'm a new, first-time homeowner of a project home that needs a lot of TLC. I have been rehabbing and redecorating it for a few months now. At this moment, my dining room is my most inspiring corner of my home. In the past couple months, its undergone quite a transformation from 1980s grandma style to something (I think) a little more contemporary. My first step was inviting all my friends over and together we removed all the old nasty carpeting. To my surprise and delight, underneath was a gorgeous hardwood floor with inlaid patterns! Who would cover that up?! So after removing wallpaper, I had the floors refinished and then painted the walls a nice light gray. From there I bought (what I thought) was a mint condition dining set from craigslist. Unfortunately, in person it was not nearly as sweet as described. So I decided to make lemonade from lemons...(maybe that's where I got the yellow theme?) and gave it a nice coat (or three!) of white paint. From there (and with some help from my handy mom), I recovered the seats in a cheery yellow cloth. I topped the table with some Anthropologie accessories (tablecloth and vase) that I scored from a thrift shop. I'm quite happy with the results since the room is much brighter and cheerier. I never really consider a room "finished' though; I always have my eye out for interesting accents and I like to swap items around. I would like to find some interesting flowerpots for my ever-growing aloe plants (they are huge!).

I like the clean and bright feeling that the room has now. It gives me a sunny feeling even though there is only one narrow window in the corner. The room has character and I believe that that is the best accessory there is.

BRIDGET PIZZO, Stylist/Photographer bridgetpizzo.com

The most inspiring corner in my home is actually not a corner but the heart of our home: the dining table which is actually the central hub around which our lives revolve.

The windows in our home face East so the morning sunlight streams into our home and directly on my table. It creates such a bright and beautiful atmosphere; most of my amateur photography is practiced in the morning and with the wooden table as the background.

Whether it is capturing the steam from my chai, diffusing into the light, writing my 'to-do' list or arranging the fresh flowers in the vase....just about everything looks great and inspiring on that wooden teak table.

ARCHANA SRINIVAS, Blogger rangdecor.blogspot.com/

this is a corner of my craft room. one night while watching a movie i got inspired by a woman in a scene who had her ironing board set up in her living room. of course she was using it to iron clothes, but i got the idea to dig mine out of the basement and use it for a table, as I needed more space to lay out scrapbook pages and artwork. it is working out great and i use it all the time. looking in my closet a little while ago i saw my favorite summer skirt hanging there and decided it would make a perfect backdrop for some of my poetry and clippings on the wall. the effect was better then i imagined and now it is my favorite display area in the whole house! spring still seems a long way off (we've had snow on the ground since december 1st), so the skirt is a great reminder of good things to come. i love finding new and different uses for everyday items. i am always happy to use something that is just sitting collecting dust rather then going out and buying something new. i am a scrapbooker, collage artist and writer who finds joy and inspiration in the little everyday things of life.

JULIE MACNEIL, Artist/Writer

I love this space. It’s especially made just for me to immerse myself in my work, in my ideas. I love that it’s somewhat hidden and missed in the first glance of the apartment; it makes it my special place. I love the light that comes in from the window in the afternoon. I love that I can sit here and work on telling the stories of life and be able to look out the window and watch others going about their lives.

For me, that is inspiration: life. Everything that brings inspiration comes from life; from living, from time passing, seasons changing, the sunrises and sunsets, the way things move, the journey itself.

The space itself is eclectic and traditional, organized and chaotic, efficient and creative all at once. I think it deeply describes where I come from. I’m an engineer, but also an artist.

I enjoy things like symmetry and for everything to have a place, yet when I work I want to spread everything out around me. My career finds itself into my designs (I actually struggle with adding things that don’t have a purpose), just as it has found it’s way into my work space. I try to use different boxes to store things, but things are tabbed and divided inside the boxes. Embracing this balance is what brings me into my work, even if it makes things different from the norm.

KATY HALL, Aerospace Engineer/Blogger exilefromconformity.blogspot.com

My office corner- I love the colors. I love my daughter's artwork on the wall. I love seeing John and Yoko kissing. I love how it's funky and fun and it all just sits together so nicely.

I'm still in the honeymoon phase with this space. It's only a couple of weeks old, so every time I walk into my office I get that "new love" feeling. I also like having my very own space put together exactly the way I want and need. With four other people living in the house, it's nice to come to room and know that it's all mine!

MARCIE LAFFLER, Designer

So my favorite nook in our apartment is in our bedroom where our bureaus are. My husband Hugh's (hughillustration.com) is on the left and mine on the right. Our initials are H&M, hence the letters! I love this space because it feels personal and intimate with our favorite photos and keepsakes and it is a space that we interact with daily to get dressed, so it's obviously functional. We have several parent-child photos taken by our friend Tom Erikson (tomerikson.com) and others from our childhood. The jewelry is all mine and the hat is Hugh's! I hang my necklaces on hooks that I got from the hardware store and earrings on a simple ribbon and nails. The encaustic monster painting is by our friend Meredith Hamilton (meredithmade.com) and the plastic horse was left by our niece and I rather like it! The mosaic mirror was made from chards of china by my mom and the flower brooches are pinned to the side of it to a scarf. In general this corner is a bit piece meal, but well loved!

MATI ROSE MCDONOUGH, Artist matirose.com

My husband and I recently bought our first place. We are just starting out and are acquiring furniture in bits and pieces. Most everything we own has been pretty much obtained through craigslist or ikea, both amazing resources, but we decided to splurge and get a new couch. I loved the couch's tailored look, and it is supremely comfortable. There is no better place to curl up and the light just streams in from the windows. If I took naps, this would certainly be the spot!

MEAGHAN SULLIVAN

When we cleaned out the basement this fall, we’d originally wanted to have it finished. But, finances and other obstacles got in the way. So, we decided to simply clean it and make it look presentable as IF it were a finished room. Why live with a dank, dark and depressing space? We made a large chunk of the space into my dream art studio where I run my letterpress and production duties. I also have all my art supplies, books, and whatever else I might need within arms reach…in an organized, attractive and personal way for the first time!

This little section of the studio is my favorite part. It’s a little area where I put things I like to look at and store my letterpress supplies. As you can see, I love whimsical combinations of color. I like my space to feel cheerful (my trick to staying more productive when my comforter and pillow start calling me).

The space is personalized with the use of small objects I love to look at such as little dishes and plates, wind-up toys, packaging design I like, and items with patterns I love. A mini corkboard showing my second-grade class picture and a postcard from the Portland Lobster Co (a great summer eatery on the waterfront in Portland, ME near where I grew up) stands as homage to my roots as a “Maine-ah.”

My workspace isn’t about just work. It’s about a vibe and a feeling of familiarity and peace. It needs to be functional and organized, yes, but it’s the personal touches that turn a sad grey basement into an inspirational haven with heart.

MEGAN CARTY, Stationer/Blogger megancreates.com

The most inspiring corner of my home is actually in my attic. After finishing university I moved back to Norway, and together with my childhood sweetheart I bought my grandparents old house (All junk included). My grandfather travelled the world, and collected a lot of interesting stuff that eventually ended up in the attic. Whenever I'm in need for inspiration I just spend some time looking through the boxes in the attic and I always end up with great finds for new decorating projects.

We've spent the past few years renovating the house and updating the style, and I love bringing some of the old items into our quite modern decor. This particular vignette is from our upstairs hallway, a place that was in need of both color and some interest.

The picture is painted by my grandfather, while he spent some time in Madagascar in 1954.

One of my favorite attic finds is my grandfathers coral collection, and the one I used here has an interesting shape and color since it is still attached to the stone. The vase was a gift from my husband when we moved in here, and the Forsythia is from my mums garden.

I'm thinking of planting one in my own garden as well, as their shape and color are striking towards my grey walls. I love bringing nature inside as I think it brings the interior to life in a way.

I created the space to bring some life into the room. I find it important to merge both my style and the house’s soul here, to tell something about our history together. When I see this space now I'm filled with love for my family; my grandparents, parents, and the life me and the husband have created together in this old family house.

MONICA, Blogger mandco.typepad.com

Anywhere where my children are making and creating is the most inspiring corner in our home - and the tiny corner of our bedroom where I do my own craft.

I love the buzz of activity around a space...I don't like to be far away from family when doing creative things myself - my children are an incredible inspiration. I love for the things around me to be handmade - by my kids or friends and family...an item or space only becomes significant to me when it has a personal or sentimental meaning attached to it.

This space was created to allow me to have a little area to do my own creative work.

We have just moved from a very small house, so it is thrilling to me to have anywhere that I can call my very own. I think calm green and blue thoughts when I am here.

NANETTE LOUCHART-FLETCHER, Artist

When it comes to interiors, I'm inspired by a lot of different things. I love to combine different styles, shapes and materials. Vintage pieces inspire me most, because they carry their own story with them and ask for a creative way of combining with other pieces.

Basically everything in my home (except for some of the furniture) is second-hand or handmade. I find a lot of inspiration in interior decorating magazines, on blogs and on flickr. I have my own blog where I collect what's inspiring to me.

This is a corner of my hallway, a place that is relatively spacious and light. I'm trying to keep the hallway clean and empty, with just this one shelf as some sort of 'temporary exhibition' place. I display some of my vintage treasures, some ceramics I made or some fresh flowers at the shelf, and I regularly change that 'exhibition'.

NINA VAN DE GOOR, Blogger ninainvorm.punt.nl/

Nature plays a big part in how I approach design in my home. I look to the colors of the outdoors to be my starting point in any room. Over time, I have noticed that colors such as sky blue, sea green, straw, sand, and fern bring me the most sense of peace in my space. I am also an avid reader of design blogs and magazines. These prove to be a terrific place to get ideas.

The paint is bird's egg by Benjamin Moore. I handpainted the rattan pattern on on wall to give the small space a sense of drama. The curtains are cream linen I simply clipped onto the rod for a casual feel. The platter is Blue Italian by Spode. It is my wedding china, and I love being able to see it everyday. My goal was to give this space an open and airy feeling.

This corner is actually in my kitchen. We removed the dining table and make it into a breakfast sitting room, which my family and I use constantly. Since we live in a 935 sq. ft. home it is important to make every piece count. This is the space that we wake up to every morning and it proves to be a wonderfully cheerful start to our day.

RACHEL SALDANA, Photographer/Blogger buttonsmagee.typepad.com

As an avid insomniac, I wanted my bedroom to be as relaxing as possible. The most relaxed I have ever been is while snorkeling. Floating along observing dazzling schools of fish and sea anemones, all the while hearing only yourself breathing. And there is nothing more vivid and beautiful than the color of the Caribbean sea. That is why I painted my room a blue green color. I knew I also wanted something bright floating in the room to recreate the feel of brilliantly colored fish without being too cheesy. So I used my little collection of silk Chinese lanterns. It is by far my favorite part of the house.

RACHEL STUART-HAAS, Artist

I'm still in new love with my little apt. in Brooklyn. We've been here for almost three weeks and have gotten so much done. There's still more to do, of course. There are so many little inspirational corners to me in here, but my favorite is our bedroom mantle. I just found the mirror above it at an antique shop around the corner; it's perfect!

In a way, the mantle is an homage to our grandparents who we were both very close with. We added in our wedding photo, too, so as to complete the visual genealogy.

The wall color is a dusty rose. The whole room has an antique feel, with the brass frame bed and old marble mantle and warm wall color. I just love it.

My favorite time to be in here is a weekend morning. The light pours in onto my drawing table and the mantle. It feels like living in a house with the moldings around the walls. I love living in a house, but love Brooklyn and Manhattan so this apartment is the best of both worlds for me.

This mantle is where I keep my perfumes and the little pink gloves I found at Port Di Clignancourt in Paris last summer. The other corner holds my top favorite art books so I can grab them whenever I desire.

SAMANTHA HAHN, Artist samanthahahn.com

My inspirations? My daughter, language, fabrics, wool, wood, vintage finds, my husband’s twisted sense of humour, red, typography, passion...I could go on and on.

My husband and I refinished the furniture piece and it has this odd high section that is perfect for displaying some of our favourite objects. We found the fan together but he gets all the credit for spotting the Grayhound Bus, which we every so often have to let our daughter play with. I will take the credit for the red paint though – I just finished it and am still getting used to it, but somehow isolating one vignette makes me like it more!

We only use this corner for display, but we carefully arrange objects to deter our curious cat Glen Miller from jumping up that high. And in the summer, we might actually use the fan.

SAMANTHA LAMB, Photographer samanthalambphotography.com

So, this is probably my most inspiring corner of my home at the moment. It is the newest part waiting to be filled with more stuff/art. What I love about it is that it mixes my own art/photos with other people's art, including a face my father drew when he was thirteen which I love and it looks very modern. I definitely love the colour of the wall and the different frames.

Being a lady of contrasts, I like calm, empty spaces mixed with crowded, more colourful spaces.

It’s a good way to make a small home feel a bit bigger. When I hung the pictures I didn't think, I just pounded some nails into the wall and put up the things.

SANDRA JUTO, Artist/Blogger smosch.com / sandrajuto.com

My inspiration for collecting amateur art came from a book called "American Junk" by Mary Randolph Carter. Specifically, a chapter in the book called "Junk Masters."

I love the idea of having a piece of "art" that was created by someone who might not be considered an artist in the strictest sense of the word, but who was nevertheless trying to create something beautiful.

My collection hangs in a room that is used as a home office / guest room. The corner of the room in my picture is on the sofa wall. The sofa is also used for occasional naps or reading. This room is very small (10' by 10'), but it is cozy and comfortable because it is filled with books and "art".

SANDY, Retired Banker

The dining room table is my favorite corner of my home. I love that it is everything: quiet in the morning with my cup of coffee, but loud and full of life in the evenings with people over for dinner. Busy when I put up my notebook there for checking mails, flickr and reading blogs, but peaceful when I just look out of the window into the garden and contemplate life.

My family had a big wooden dining table and I loved it. Our place is too small for that, but I fell in love with this dark brown old table from the flea market. It has swung feet (like old bath-tubs) and some scratches on it. We’ve changed houses a lot and although it is difficult to move, it is the one piece of furniture that I will not let go of.

White dominates the room, so the dark table sticks out. I bought modern Arne Jacobsen chairs for it, which go very well with it. I love flowers, so I always have some on the table and something to chew – cookies, nuts or fruit. I have fond memories of beautiful evenings with friends and long, lazy Sunday morning breakfast--just the two of us. Reminds me of family and of truly being home.

STEPHANIE, Photographer/Blogger stepanini.blogspot.com

I am most drawn to the wall with my window; often, I find myself staring at it. I never really close my blinds, which I think comes from this constant need to see light and sky. I grew up in Colorado, so big sky, country, and light just dictates me. Light is why I get dressed a certain way in the morning. Light is why I leave my apartment building with a smile. Light triggers memories and makes me want to relive them. Like if there is this humid heavy green light , I am instantly reminded of my first road trip and the excitement of traveling to West Virginia for my great grandma's funeral. It was bittersweet. And if I wake up to that light now, I know that I will be living a day kind of like that, exciting and sad.

At night, my blinds leave this lovely little pattern on my ceiling. It's a combination of orange or purple NYC night sky and of the windows of the high rise right next to mine. The first time I noticed it, I just laid on top of my quilt and took it in.

I live on a sixteen floor high rise in Brooklyn and it's this makeshift student housing for Pratt students. The rooms are spare: tile floors, cheap architecture, drippy paint jobs, minimal upkeep. This is the corner of the room with all of the functional "essentials": a window for light and air and a heater for warmth. It is the part of the room that is supposed to be the most utilitarian. However, I think I am most drawn to it because of its use value, and how I can escape and change that use value. By leaving my blinds up and using a sheer curtain, I've created this beautiful light situation. I have a collection of antique boxes containing brooches and stamps on top of the heater. My sunglasses sit on the window ledge with a pair of 1950's binoculars. At night, I leave my flats to air out by the window and heater. This part of the room that is supposed to be a utilitarian "place", I've made a personal "space" through my own actions.

TERIN TALARICO, Student terintalaricophotographs.blogspot.com

I love my house. Wide open spaces and large windows create interesting light things to happen.

Most walls are also painted white and make nice places to hang art. My husband, Mike, is a graphic designer who loves science and math. One day we were having a discussion about spirals and the patterns they make when dots are placed at set increments from the center. Interesting only to him, but since I like polka dots and patterns I went along. After a quick trip to Office Depot and a projector and printout at hand, Mike, along with our eleven year old son, Emil, and seven year old daughter, India, set out to stick color coded labels onto the wall. This space is in a little sitting area just off our kitchen. It is totally temporary (the labels are peeling off) and more colors will be added later, but meanwhile we are enjoying our mesmerizing wall.

YOLONDA GONZALEZ, Illustrator/Designer yodraws.com