War or peace?

So far, 2010 has proven to be a very personally challenging year. We have found ourselves visiting more hospitals to see ill relatives, attending more funerals and engaging in more court appearances for a family matter than we ever thought possible in a 6 month period of time! During this very trying time, my family has sought refuge in the solace of our home. We have all found comfort in different ways but, our living space is where we decompress, mourn, pray, bond and escape from the outside world.

When life gets really tough, where to do retreat? Do you seek refuge in the sanctuary of your home or is your house in such disarray that it only compounds your stress? Mother Theresa said "peace and war begin in the home" so does your home bring you peace or does it create war? What do I mean by this? Well, if your home is so full of junk, clutter and visual fodder that you have no idea even what type of flooring you have anymore or what the finish of your dining room table is, then you have war! If you spend a good portion of your time looking for essentials because they got lost in the massive amount of 'collectibles', then you have war! If you cannot safely open closet doors without having a family member ready to dial 911 for you once that door has been opened, then you are at war! 

Now, it is not my intention to judge, condemn or cause you to feel inferior. However, if you can't see your kitchen countertops because they are so full of 'stuff', it's time for some on purpose peace-making. The task may be ominous or seemingly impossible but you can make small efforts to end the war and bring peace. The Bible says 'I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me' so I KNOW you can do it! 

Step 1: Take a deep breath and really look around your space.....open your eyes and SEE what you live in; don't just glaze over it all like you normally would. What drives you crazy to the point of violence yet, you just don't ever have the energy to deal with? Make a list of what you decide you want to change...big or small....just write it on a piece of paper, make a note in your iPhone or Blackberry, create a task list in Outlook...you get the point! Once it is all recorded, you will not be able to effectively avoid those things anymore; you will inherently want to change them.

Step 2: After celebrating completion of Step 1 with an enormous piece of chocolate cake and numerous scoops if ice cream (I am confident the Lord will remove all fat and calories from this one celebratory snack for you!), now prioritize that list of stuff. Do the simple, easy stuff first so you have immediate results and a track record of successful accomplishments to validate your efforts. For example, if it drives you crazy that your spouse comes home from work and throws everything on the kitchen counter, then just get a basket or container for them! You will no longer have to look at their necessities scattered willy-nilly throught the space and it won't make you want to lash out irrationally at them because you can't stand to see it one more second! Make sense? This de-cluttering and organizing does not have to be a long, drawn out, torturous process. I love The Fly Lady (@flylady on Twitter)) because she puts organization into very small, manageable pieces. I also personally enjoy the website www.Getorganizedwizard.com. There you will find exceptional tools, tricks and guidance to organizing every aspect of your life. I would suggest these 2 web sites to give you clarity and professional direction. However, don't spend so much time researching and gathering information that you creatively avoid the real task at hand; creating peace in your home by vanquishing the war.

Step 3: Once you have completed the first 2 steps, comes the fun part...Enjoy what you have changed and created!!!! You will notice the stress level in your house has subsided because everyone can now find their phone chargers, keys, socks and all other essentials. Your family is at peace; not war. They love that they no longer have to conduct major renovations in the bathroom just to locate the toothpaste or get up 10 minutes early just to search the kitchen for the cereal. I bet they are also amazed because they had NO idea you could actually eat IN the dining room AT the dining room table! :)

Our homes are to be our sanctuaries and our refuge from the daily grind, the trials, the tribulations...the toughness of living in a fallen world. If your home is simply de-cluttered and organized, you will enjoy your space and find it much easier to relax. You will be at peace with your home and not war; just as God intended  the home He gave you to be.

Guest blogger Sherry Norris is an interior designer and sales manager at the largest countertop fabricator in the Southeast, Old Castle Surfaces. She can be found usually on her blog Improving Your Castle and she Tweets as @countertoplady. Thanks Sherry!

Seriously?

Ewwww.

The Museum of Modern Art examines the 20th Century transformation of the kitchen

On September 15th, 2010, the Museum of Modern Art in New York will open an exhibition called Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen. The exhibition celebrates MOMA's recent acquisition of an intact "Frankfurt Kitchen." The Frankfort Kitchen was designed from 1926-27 by architect Greta Schütte-Lihotzky. The Frankfort Kitchen is the earliest example of a design executed by a female architect in the museum's collection.

It's difficult to describe adequately the social upheaval that accompanied and followed World War I. Never before in human history had so many world powers been engaged in full-on conflict and no conflict before it brought the level of destruction as did the Great War.

Germany surrendered effectively when it signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The German Empire ceased to exist at that point and in its place arose the Wiemar Republic. The Wiemar Republic was a parliamentary republic as opposed to the imperial system that had guided Germany up until that point. Imperial Germany was a totalitarian state and as such it censored the arts and controlled most aspects of German life. The Wiemar Republic promised a new way of doing things and the German Constitution that ran Wiemar Germany granted a free press and the right to free association, among other things.

All was not well for Wiemar Germany though. Germany was essentially blamed for the Great War and was compelled to pay enormous retributions as a condition of the Treaty of Versailles. Germany's economy was shackled and the Wiemar Republic ruled uneasily from the center as extremists to the left and to the right (along with their paramilitaries) jockeyed for power and influence. Against terrific odds, Wiemar Germany enjoyed a few years of economic and political stability in the mid-20s.

It was in those few years of stability that German culture blossomed. The German educated classes were determined to bring Germany into the 20th Century and out from under the shadow of the Great War. In 1926 and 1927, blocks of modern housing units were built to house impoverished workers in Frankfort. It was into these housing units that Greta Schütte-Lihotzky's modernist kitchens were placed.

As I was pointing out in the post about Christopher Dresser last week, Modernism's roots run back to the 1880s and it promised a new way of looking at things. The modernist impulse was a rejection of European tribalism and the wars that nationalist movements spawn. The sentiment seems to have been that business as usual brought about death and destruction so let's try something new.

Alas, Greta Schütte-Lihotzky's kitchen designs could only do so much and within seven years Adolf Hitler would be chancellor.

Still, her legacy and the legacies of her contemporaries live on. The Alessi kettle I love so much and my Bialetti espresso maker owe their very existence to their lives and their work. Everything I touch and see as I go about making dinner is the just the latest iteration of an art and design movement that wanted to remake how people live. As fascinating as it is to see where it's headed, it's equally fascinating to look back and see where it began.

MOMA's exhibit, Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen starts with Greta Schütte-Lihotzky and follows the evolution of the kitchen through the present day. The design collections at MOMA are as broad as they are deep and Counter Space will make extensive use of those collections. Everyday life is worth preserving and to see the evolution of the objects that are my stock and trade will be a unique thrill.

Here are some of the objects in the exhibit.

Fold out kitchen by Snaidero, 1968

Braun Multipurpose Kitchen Machine, 1952

Chemex Coffee Maker, 1941

Corning Glass Frying Pan, 1941

Still Life #30 by Tom Wesselmann, 1963

MOMA's examination of the 20th Century transformation of the kitchen runs from September 15th 2010 through March 14th 2011.

New patterns in glass from New Ravenna

Since yesterday was a run through of some New Ravenna Mosaic patterns in stone, today's going to be all about their new work in glass. Sara Baldwin and the rest of the gang at New Ravenna have been pushing the envelope so far as glass mosaics go in recent years and their use of a water jet is as revolutionary as it is exquisite. The following are some of my favorites from the patterns they debuted at Coverings this year.

Exmore, VA-based New Ravenna Mosaic and Stone designs and builds some of the most exquisite mosaics available. The work in catalog and custom orders and will everything in their power to make your project as stunning as it's possible to be. New Ravenna's artisans turn the ordinary to the extraordinary. You can see the rest of their new patterns on their website.

New patterns in stone from New Ravenna

The amazing new patterns from New Ravenna Mosaics I saw at Coverings a couple of months ago have been photographed officially and they are ready to go. New Ravenna works in natural stone and in art glass and what follow are some of my favorites from their new offerings in stone.

Exmore, VA-based New Ravenna Mosaic and Stone designs and manufactures some of the most beautiful mosaics available. They work with both catalog and custom orders, and as these new patterns in stone show, they are ready to make your project as unique and beautiful as it's possible to be.