LIGHTING

So you're wondering why the color looked so different at the home depot than it does in that bedroom that you just spent A LOT of time and $$$$ painting! Or why the color you liked upstairs looks dramatically different on that lower level. Or why you love the color of the room during the day but at night, you don't! Or even, why the color chip looks different inside the store than it does in the parking lot.

The lesson is - look at the color in the space that you're painting. The new energy efficient lighting in our homes is great for the environment but it casts a greenish hue in the room. The store lighting is altogether different than that in your home. The light in a south facing upstairs room is completely different than a south facing downstairs room. The color of the rug in the room, the furniture stain, and the brick fireplace will all change how a single color appears on your walls.

But the beauty in all of this is that your walls will look different every time you look at them- the fall leaves will reflect the season into your home through the windows. The bright winter snow will lighten your rooms in the winter. The crackling fire will flicker across your interior landscape and remind you of why you spent the time and effort choosing just the right color for that space.

CLINGING TO SUMMER

In Minnesota, we have such short summers relative to our long and cold winters. It's impossible for me to not cling to summer's images, even though the spiritual teacher would tell me otherwise. I realize that it's my profession to help people transition- whether to new homes, new looks for their spaces, and to the new season, but perhaps I've taken up this line of work to help me let go and move on myself.

INTENTIONAL DESIGN - DEVELOPING OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS FOR PROFESSIONALS

Sensory impressions account for much of how we perceive the world we encounter each day. The colors, the smells, the shapes, and the sounds that intersect with our lives all impact our perceptions. Research in the areas of color therapy and visual/auditory influences are all in infantile stages, however it has long been speculated that people are drawn to certain sensory stimulation in our quest for health and nourishment.
The research and the theories that surround this study have fascinated me for some time as I assist people in either the creation of places that are more conducive to their needs or when designing universal environments that appeal to many.
Office spaces are not created equal and practitioners often need individualized environments to service their clients. Because of this, SRH continues to explore how the placement of objects, the furnishing of our spaces, the colors we paint the walls, the background sounds, etc, all affect healing. I am actively seeking counseling therapists who may be interested in redesigning their professional spaces with an eye toward positively moving clients even before therapy begins.