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11900 6300 Rd #19
Montrose, CO 81401
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Ketzel Levine has a new series on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, , about people reinventing themselves. Last week she talked with a woman who had become disenchanted with the stresses of career and city life. After leaving her job and moving to the country, what was the payoff? "A lavish sense of place."

Many people are moving into our area looking for the same thing: less stress, more community involvement, a great place to bring up kids, or a sense of place they did not find in the city. Most of us don't have to look farther than the view out our windows or a trip down the highway to feel a wonderful sense of place, surrounded as we are by mountains and canyons that reveal themselves as the sun touches them from different angles.

We also like to feel this sense of place within our own homes. It means more than a pretty view. It means more than adopting a style or re-creating what you have seen in magazines. You can have a place that is perfectly furnished and exquisitely beautiful, but still find that something is missing.

You may be afraid of making choices for your home based on what you like or don't like. Suppose you make the wrong choice? You want to create a beautiful space that reflects your values. This may be fun for some people and excruciatingly difficult for others.

If you rely on a designer's advice, you will certainly get a lovely, even exciting space, but will it feel good to you? To get the most help from a design professional, you must be willing to communicate. Many people make the mistake of telling the designer what they think the designer wants to hear or letting the designer impose what's "in". Forget that! Talk about what you really like. So what if it is not in current vogue. You are the one who will live there.

Ask yourself what you want from your home. A smoothly functioning space that accommodates the activities of all family members is basic. More than this, you probably want a space that brings warmth and comfort and is a joy for you to be in. Maybe you would like to be surrounded by as many antiques as you can get your hands on, or maybe you would find a serene, minimalist background much more to your taste.

It really doesn't matter what you choose as long as it makes you happy. If you are not sure what that is, you can start by asking yourself questions: Where was I when I felt most truly happy? My grandmother's big white tester bed? The water bed I had in college? These conjure very different images, don't they? Well, just start somewhere. Think about spaces that have brought you joy or the feelings you want a space to provide, such as warmth and serenity or excitement and joy. Make lists and collect photos. Identify and hone your dreams. Make a plan. It is better to start with a few good things and build on them.

You continually re-evaluate what is important to you. Base your plan on that continuing theme of what is meaningful to you. Designers can help you pull together your dream, but only if you help by revealing what is most satisfying to you.

Published in The Monitor, Montrose, CO. Copyright © 2005 by Pat Allin