I was thrilled to learn last week that the piece I’d written for CNN.com in January after a six-year-old Virginia boy grabbed his mom’s gun and shot his teacher was finally going to publish. Guns are now the leading cause of child mortality. That. Should. Not. Be! And it doesn’t have to be, as my latest opinion piece for the news network shows.
What the heck does this have to do with wellness design, you might ask? Safety and Security is an important facet of wellness design. Securing your firearms in a locked safe at home is part of that. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to read and share the piece.
Children should only be handling firearms with responsible adult supervision
(Photo: Pixabay)
***
BONUS NUGGETS
I had the pleasure of appearing on my friend Eric Goranson’s new Around the House Northwest TV show when I was in Portland recently. We talked about wellness design’s potential to make your home quieter, more supportive of someone on the autism spectrum and our favorite wellness-enhancing home improvement products. You can watch our segment here.
___
The latest design trends outlook was published by the American Society of Interior Designers and I shared its highlights on Forbes.com yesterday. You can read it here.
***
NEW BLOG SECTION: GOLD | MINE INTRODUCTION
I’m not great at taking (or editing) photos, but this new GOLD NOTES section is less about the pics than it is about the experiences. I’ve written about my San Diego area townhouse, which I affectionately call “Chez J,” since I moved in 12 years ago. If you enter that nickname into the search box, you’ll come across posts about my patio and other updates.
I decided to create a new occasional series about my choices and why I’ve made them. They might give you insights into who I am, but more important, I hope they’ll help you fulfill who you are by enhancing your home spaces.
Below is my first post. Let me know what you think!
___
GOLD | MINE #1: MY FRAME TV
I’m not terribly materialistic, but I am a bit of a TV junkie. One of my favorite ways to unwind after a workday is to plunk myself down on my deep velvet couch and watch shows I’ve recorded.
My 36″ television from a Best Buy brand enabled that habit just fine, to tell the truth, and it moved into my bedroom after The Frame acquisition. But I wanted a digital television on my living room wall for its other features, like projecting videos from my phone and enjoying a rotating gallery of art on my wall. Yes, art!
I chose Samsung’s Frame TV after seeing it at my first or second CEDIA smart home technology expo a few years ago, and finally bought it for my 2021 birthday, also from Best Buy (with installation).
I love how it lets me take photos I snap on my phone, like these trees in Mount Rainier National Park, and digitally mount, frame and display them on my living room wall when I’m not watching a show. (If I don’t love the style or color of the mat, I can easily change it, something I can’t do with the artworks I have professionally framed.)
This ability to show art on my screen brings nature into my space without the need for watering, and lets me express my creativity with different matting styles and colors. (I can add a different frame to the TV itself, but haven’t found the one I want — a chunkier version in the same black.)
I can also take images I find online and do the same, though I’m always careful about asking for permission from its owner or sourcing royalty/permission-free images, like this one of birch trees from an artist who wanted her works shared. Birch trees remind me of my childhood summers in the Catskills, so there’s both a biophilia and “Comfort and Joy” benefit.
Samsung has a free art gallery for its Frame owners, and I have chosen artworks showing Yosemite, the coast and this one of a giraffe in Africa, inspiring my trip to Kilimanjaro (#KiliGoals), which I hope to make later this year.
Since I read, web surf and listen to music on my couch too, it’s great to have art that delights my eyes and soul while I do. If I’m in the mood for a beach visit, but can’t get there for whatever reason, I can call up a beach pic. If I need mountain or desert inspiration, I can call those up too. I can, but haven’t yet, display family or friendship photos on the TV.
Designers love that The Frame lets them prominently mount a large screen TV and not have it be a “black hole” when clients aren’t watching a show. I don’t care about the black hole effect if I’m not in the room; no one else is likely to be in there either.
***
SOCIAL GOLD
Coming to Clubhouse soon!
Join me and three experts on the latest tile trends and a preview of April’s Coverings Expo. The discussion takes place at 4 pm EST, 1 pm PST (and all the related time zones) on April 5th! I hope you’ll join us.
COMING UP THIS YEAR:
- 4/5 Tile Trends and Coverings Show Preview
- 5/3 Designing with Water Features (Swim Spas, Fountains, Pools, Etc.)
What other topics do you want to hear about in the new year? Comment below and let me know.
___
PAST CLUBHOUSE RECORDINGS
Here are links to Clubhouse recordings from past sessions.
2023 Recordings:
- 3/15 Wellness Design and Dementia — Recording Link
- 3/1 Best Wellness Products from Design & Construction Week — Recording Link
- 2/15 Designing with Fire Features (Fireplaces, Fire Tables, Fire Pits, Etc.) — Recording Link
- 1/18 Healthy Home Improvements with Best ROI — Recording Link
- 1/4 Creating Home Fitness Rooms — Recording Link
2022 Recordings:
- 12/7 Best Healthy Home Upgrades for 2023 — Recording Link
- 11/16 Top Kitchen & Bath Design Trends — Recording Link
- 11/2 Creating Serene Home Spaces — Recording Link
- 10/19 Creating a Quieter Home — Recording Link
- 9/21 Creating Great Garage Spaces — Recording Link
- 9/7 Smart Home Innovations — Recording Link
- 8/17 Creating Healthy Work from Home Spaces — Recording Link
- 8/3 Creating Healthy Back to School Home Spaces — Recording Link
- 7/20 Wellness Benefits of Co-living — Recording Link
- 7/6 Beat the Heat — Recording Link
- 6/15 Designing with Plants — Recording Link
- 6/1 Wellness Design and Pets — Recording Link
- 5/18 Wellness Design and Art — Recording Link
- 5/4 Spa Bathrooms — Recording Link
- 4/20 Wellness Design and Appliances — Recording Link
- 3/16 Healthy Bedroom Spaces — Recording Link
- 3/2 Wellness Design and Tile Trends — Recording Link
- 2/16 Wellness Design and Autism — Recording Link
- 2/2 New Technology Ideas — Recording Link
- 1/19 Healthy Pantry Spaces — Recording Link
- 1/5 Top 2022 Wellness Design Trends — Recording Link
2021 Recordings:
- Find these links on their new archive page!
***
GOLD DUST
Here are a few links that could be helpful to you in living a safe, healthy life at home:
- Real estate-related: Red Flags to Watch for at an Open House —Jennifer Hyman / Coldwell Banker Advice
- Health-related: Coffee vs. Tea: Which One Is Better for You? — Real Simple
- Maintenance-related: Top Causes of Household Water Damage and How To Prevent It — Service Master Restore Blog
