Personal interests and pastimes may change as we grow, but some things remain constant.
Despite this, I wondered if my design-loving and living phase had come to an end since closing my store and moving to Australia. As new international transplants, certain areas of my life required a hyper-focus that left little room for diving into and playing with design. In other words, interior objects, furniture, and decor were no longer part of my everyday job, and I had different, bigger priorities.
Now that circumstances have moved us up the ladder on Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, I've sensed that magical design-loving spark come back strong.
I gasped with delight when I opened an email from DWR to see the new Fortune Chair by Jumbo for Heller. My response wasn't just because I instantly fell in love with the chair design (it's so playful and familiar) but also because Jumbo is a small design studio that I was familiar with from my Port of Raleigh days. Now, they're designing for major brands, and I was so happy for them!
Side note: See Jumbo in my Design Forecast from 2019.
I reckon the recent discovery of SODA Objects—a local Adelaide gem—set my heart on fire again. The space, the sculptural furnishings, the art, the welcoming owner/host reminded me why I had my store: to offer similar experiences and jolts of inspiration.
Art by James Brown
The things we're drawn to serve a purpose ... they're how we express ourselves and celebrate this world that we get to live in. For some of us, it may be designing or curating contemporary furniture 🙋♀️; for others, it may be spinning virgin wool (I saw a club for this recently) or creating the most sustainable bio-dynamic gardens, for example.
We all have our thing and indulge in it in different ways throughout our lives. A special something is always present, no matter how much or little we engage with it—always ready to come out and play. And if we allow it, we can have more than one playmate.