The Art of Living

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Recently I acquired a new appreciation for furniture. It started of course, from my purchase of my first house.

Most people would regard furniture as something purely functional. Something I put some part of my body on for a certain task. A chair is for sitting, a table for eating, writing, talking, a shelf is for books and floor is to put my feet on.

Practical. Functional.

But to me, furniture is more than that. Furniture defines the very space we live in. Not only do they allow us to go about our tasks and lives with ease, they have the ability to add beauty and creativity. As human beings, we are very affected by our environment. thats is why places look they way they do. Officers are grey and serious, fast food resturants are bright and cheery, starbucks are warm and plush and shopping malls are spacious and well-lited, clubs are dark and funky, Churches are tall and white.

Environments have the power to shape a human being's perception and well-being. They constantly communicate subconsciously to a person, affecting mood, thinking, judgment, purpose and subsequently well-being and happiness. They have the same effect as food, drink and friends - they can shape us, affect us, persuade us.

Furniture is a huge part of one's environment. We are so surrounded by it that we don't notice them anymore. But they communicate to us none the less. They can add beauty and grace into a home or it can make it ugly and frustrating. Those of us more visual are of course more affected and sensitive to it, others, well, it is doesn't get in the way and I can use it its good enough for me.

For me, furniture goes beyond just function. To me, furniture is like Art. They can make a house beautiful, pleasant, exciting, alluring, comfortable. Why do I pay $7 bucks for coffee in starbucks? Coffee don't cost that much! Its all in the interior and how one feels when one is in it. So I think to myself, why do I want to pay StarBucks $7 bucks for the rest of my life when I can create a alluring environment in the comfort of my own home?

Choosing furniture to me is akin to choosing a sculpture. Art, but functional. We are affected by art. All human beings are. In a sense, we are artistic in nature. We create art and we are affected by it. We can appreciate it and that is a feeling of emptiness when we don't see it. We can tell what is beautiful and what is not. We cry when we see a sunrise, we cry when we see a disaster zone. What we see and appreciate is important to our souls. Art is important to life.

That is why God cloth the flowers that is 'here today and gone tomorrow', that is why He put the Orion and the Eagle Nebular in Space, the purple orange drama that is every sunset. God makes Beauty - He is Beautiful. He is Beauty itself.

A beautiful Home is important to me because I know how it can affect a person. Art moves the soul. A chair can be four-legged wood with back rest but it can also be a piece of art, designed by an artisan and now gracing within the walls of your home. It adds a touch of grace, of beauty, a tinge of excitement of a otherwise mundane existence. It makes coming home a joy. Like how going to Starbucks feels good. But why let Starbucks earn all my money?

It does not, of course, come cheap. Beauty seldom does. Nether do things that are important and valuable. But to me, its worth it. I don't live for it, its not what I'm all about - but it I have can the means, I would. Its like buying art. A nice sofa is better than a ugly sofa. But it doesn't have to cost a lot. You just need to take time to FIND. Buying Art is like that. But once you find something at the right price, its great!

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."
Proverbs 24:3


Leo