The Spacious Life

I should probably start by answering, "Why The Spacious Life"?

Partially because of what happened last night just after dinner. We were sitting at the table, plates swept clean, when our fire alarm started screeching like a banchee! My husband and I immediately darted like pinballs around the house, trying to find the flames.

No fires.

No smoke.

Stove off, curling iron cool.

Nothing.

Finally, we squinted simultaneously at the lone, burning culprit on the kitchen counter.

You know your condo space is small when a single, quiet candle flame can set off such an alarming racket.

I love this home, though. This condo is my space: all 425 square feet of glory. It's where I rest, prepare, create, and come to be nourished. It is smaller than most of your garages, but it is home.

Space, and the lack of it, are big deals to me.

Therefore, to enjoy living in such a small home, I have determined there are only two viable options:

1. You can make every inch of it beautiful and tantalizing, each millimeter an enjoyment.

2. Put on your jacket and head out to explore other, more wide-open, spaces. Living in Seattle, there are thousands of delightful adventures all around.

(My condo, 2009)

I want to explore making home a restorative, creative space, while uncovering fine, imaginative living in Seattle and around the globe.

The very word spacious means both limitless and comfortable. I adore the thought of having both: wide, boundless living, but wrapped in a cozy warmth and hospitality!

I want my home to be both luxurious in its serenity and a fascinating display of adventure and intrigue.

Photos from Cambodia,

(Photos from my 2006 trip in Southeast Asia)

blankets sewn by African women,

(A blanket I picked up in Ethiopia, sewn by women in a fistula hospital, 2009)

linens from Spain,

(The rooftop where we stayed in Santa Maria, 2007)

vegetables from my own local Seattle patch.

(Tomatoes I picked with friends at Marra Farms in South Seattle, 2009)

I want my space to tell remarkable stories, and yet be a safe haven and intimate retreat. “The Spacious Life” can encompass both, and it can be found in our Seattle backyard.

(One of my favorite Jan Barboglio pieces just this morning, 2010)

This life is spacious: and I want to run into it, arms flung wide, ready to be delighted! I would just love for you to join me.