lowelldown

Hey Everyone,

We just found out that my new show will actually be airing at 6:00pm this Saturday for those who live in the East, and at 3:00pm for those in the West.

Our old network was what they call ‘single feed’ whereby everyone got the show at the same time. FLN, however, schedules all their programming based on Eastern Times. So we’ll all have to get used to that together. We’ll be sure to make that distinction for all postings here from now on. I also noticed that it’s not on my TV menu scroll as of yet. We’re looking into that as well, so please bear with us for those of you, like me who record everything on demand. Again, my apologies for any confusion.

With the airdate so close, we’re wrapping up production for our entire Work That Room crew—except for Michael Murphy and Jocelyne Borys whom you see on camera with me on the show during what’s called our “Round Table” segments, which are shot in a portion of our actual studio. They, thank GOD, are with me year-around. Over the next few weeks we’ll be slowly getting our heads back to the corporate side with some very exciting new partnerships to announce soon.

We’re also working hard on getting the resources up for the stuff we showed on each episode—all this, with a new start-up, takes a lot of organization but it’s customary with the debut of almost any a new cable show.

We’ve just started getting some of the nicest letters of thanks back from several of the families who graciously let us invade their homes. All anxiously awaiting their TV debuts, too. It’s always great to leave people happy knowing that after all the hoopla, they can finally settle into the spaces we’ve designed and start really living in them as intended.

As I’ve said previously, I’ll be anxious to see how much of what we taped actually made it to the screen, too.

Have a great week.

Later,
CL

Hi Everyone,

Over the past months I’ve been keeping a journal on the production of the new series. So I will be sharing these with you all from time to time.

The big question is, what will I do now? I’ve been so used to getting up in the dark well before the crack of dawn to be on a shoot somewhere. We’ve been silently creeping into sleeping suburbs with our Starbucks—waiting for homeowners to arise so that we can load in their new rooms, light them, interview them and be out by five that night with no overtime. My internal clock is so set that I’m actually contemplating just staying on the early schedule.

I’ve gotten to love the wee morning hours when the world seems calm and silent and somehow safer.
There seems to be a whole new rhythm at night especially when we’re filming in 5-star hotels where we have to minimizes our presence and stay out of the way while getting the shots we need from the public spaces before the patrons rise and the parade of check out, check in and luggage begins.

All in all these hotels have been very gracious to us. Here in LA there are so many production companies that have simply abused these locations that many of the top tier hotels were very reluctant in letting us in to shoot. But my crew has been so good at quietly getting in and staying very portable especially with the quality of lighting we do to really showcase these spaces. Many times when in these hotels we have to get several segments for several shows. So I have to remember each and every show and exactly where each segment fits. It’s one of the reasons why you’ll see me primarily in black in all but the last act of the show—otherwise I’d have to change clothes 11 to 12 times on location in order for all these separate sequences to cut into each show with any kind of visual continuity.

At the beginning because of no pre-production time, so many segments were in my head.  So it was hard for the crew to understand just what went where until the scripts were final. I wrote all of the initial outlines first, then revamped them as locations got booked and homeowners got cast (to customize the content to all the fixed variables). This is where having done a thousand prior shows really paid off.  Because my crew is so experienced together, we were able to accomplish a feat that would have stumped any other first time crews. We were filming 13 shows simultaneously, too, while also designing all the rooms not knowing what merchandise would actually be available two months later for the “after” sequences.  This is where understanding design principles versus just the stuff really pays off.  We tried hard to keep the focus as much on universal information versus simply the homeowner’s specifics.

More later,

CL

Hi Everyone,

Well, we are only two days away from our last taping for the new Work That Room series on Fine Living. This Friday will be our final day ‘in the field’ to capture our final ‘room after’ and “homeowner surprise reaction.” After that it’s all about the editing for the weeks to come. Please log on to the Fine Living Network site from here to get show specifics.

My deepest apologies for not having written during this Herculean production schedule. There just simply was no time with the 24/7 effort required from my entire amazing LA team. It was necessary in order to get this series up, running and mounted properly. First season start-ups come with a lot of extra variables like new crewmembers, approvals and procedures inherent to not only a debut series but carving out a productive relationship with a new network too. On that note, Fine Living has been really great.

We’ve worked very hard trying to put as much on the screen as we could for the budget and time we had. As many of you know historically, our shows were always informative and if nothing else, entertaining, well conceived and beautifully shot—even before the rest of the cable world had caught up to us. It’s why we were nominated year after year for Emmys and why one sits on my shelf and my director’s today.

But times have changed in cable land especially with the plethora of reality shows dominating the airwaves—setting the production bar low. But we’ve tried hard to deliver a solid new series while keeping production values high. For a first season, I think we did really well, but you’ll be the judge.

As we come to the end of this production cycle, I’m already thinking about how we can make the next season even better. As many of you already know, we take nothing for granted and never rest on our laurels.

So I’ve not written as we’ve moved through some very challenging moments. Nor did I want to use this forum to ‘vent’ the frustrations of the day, in the wee hours of the morning while in desperate need of sleep.

The new series is, however, just that—new. So I hope many of you view it with a fresh set of eyes and not compare it to our older shows. Times have changed and we have always tried to be there first to talk about things that are relative and relevant to today. So this new show is also a new approach to ‘how-to’ that focuses more on the “Why—to.” Why isn’t the room working for the people who live there? Why did we redesign it the way we did to suite them better? Why have times changed and why is it affecting our homes? Why are our attitudes about home design changing and what are the implications and impacts of these changes…?

Between all these things, a demo or two, homeowners stories, room ‘befores,’ the design process in my studio, field trips for inspiration and ‘room afters,’ it’s a lot of content to cram into a half-hour show especially when, for years, we were so use to an hour-long format. But even then we kept them packed too. No one’s ever been able to accuse us of a ‘thin’ premise.

Did we succeed? Well, I think a great testament to our problem solving in these real people’s houses, is that we’ve left these interesting and complex homeowners really happy. We also left them with a fully resolved space that combined both their sensibilities. One that they can now use as a roadmap for the rest of the rooms in their home—which is really the point of the series. We also worked hard to not indulge ourselves as designers or as television producers, by making rooms that were strictly in our taste or just pretty for TV. The task was really to create real rooms that truly satisfy the real people who have to live in them. While there’s no question that you die-hard fans (who know my work) will see my signature all over each room, we still managed to offer a very diverse range of designs, dilemmas and solutions that affect all of us. Unlike a lot of how-to shows, we made it a mandate to please the homeowner first and worry about the TV part second. This I believe has always been our point of distinction since we came on television and why you continue to watch.

Well, I’m up at 4:45 am, so more later…

CL

Hey Everyone,

Returning to production again sets my whole team’s clock back to 5:00 am wake-up calls often 6 days a week—which is really 4:45 am, 7 days a week.

I’m enjoying the face time with an all-star local production crew that’s re-assembled out of professional affection to birth this new project. Whether the ‘voice’ we’re actually filming ends up on the tube intact is still a big ‘inhale’—but it’s all part of the start-up process. I do like the challenge, and it’s good to be back on the streets in neighborhoods pontificating to a guy walking backwards shouldering a camera—with the rest of the crew huddled around the monitor.

Being back in real people’s homes is a trip. There are so many variables to consider. The one thing that is certain is that we don’t interrupt a busy hyper-tasking household any more than we have to. Unfortunately many other how-to shows that have preceded us have often not been as thoughtful and considerate as we try to be. So we’re always bending backwards to relieve homeowner’s reservations. We’re also trying hard not to put words in their mouths either. So often to create “conflict” producers make up situations that aren’t there or through editing can change the intent of homeowners talking candidly on camera. With these reality TV craze still in full swing, we try to stay away from that while still presenting an interesting show.

The premise of this project is really to help time-challenged, generally professional couples get the homes they work so hard to pay for finished so they can start enjoying them. The big difference today is that the guys are actually sweating the details more than the women. It’s an undercurrent that you’ll see throughout the first season. As I’d been saying for years, there will come a day when a new generation of men will really care how their home looks…and boy, is that day here. So from a research point of view we’re spot on.

The other big premise of the show is to eliminate construction. Many of these people are in newer homes already built from scratch to their specific needs. So our emphasis is really on the actual interior design of how to get a household united on a single design idea, then what to buy and where to put it. This is a new generation of folks who don’t tinker, plug in hot glue guns and often do not have success with other designers they’ve hired because the role of the designer has changed significantly, too—that’s where I come in.

You’ll also see us at work in my design studio as well, which really acts as design central. It’s our real environment, too—not a set propped out to look like a design studio. It’s where we as a team can talk about the emotional and physical aspects of the design process that changes with each household. More importantly, we are also trying hard to continue to impart information that is not specific only to the homeowners, but is universal now matter where you live. This I think is what will make this show unique. It’s an approach to demos but in a whole different way.

This is a show that is in my opinion and my voice, so we’re in the edit process of the first episode as we speak to hopefully hit the right balance of giving you, the viewer, enough one-on-one face-time with me along with the time spent with the individual couples featured from show to show. We want you to have viable take-away information along with a clearer understanding how life is changing as we move forward.

I’ll keep you posted.

Later,
CL

Hey Everyone — if you’re still there.

So sorry about not being in touch but I was afraid I’d tip my own hand and let the cat out of the bag. Tomorrow we begin the first shoot day of the new TV series. I’ll make a formal announcement when the Network says I can. But we will be back on TV later this year with a brand new show. I’ll give you all the skinny when the Nets let me spill the beans. The great news is that the new weekly, half-hour show will premiere in prime time. You’ll start to see it promoted all over the place soon.

Going back on TV is just as nerve-wracking as it was the very first time and then each season thereafter — when the cameras started to roll yet again–the butterflies are back! I think that’s a good thing - it means I never take it for granted — wanting to be good, relevant and inspirational is something I still take very seriously. After such a long hiatus, getting back into the groove will be interesting.

We’re so used to doing a daily, hour show that telling a complete story in a half hour will take a few stabs in the edit bay till we all agree on every little thing. But I love doing a shorter show once a week because it gives us time to really make each episode truly tight.

I must want some of you that this show will not be a demo heavy show where we make stuff from scratch out of hardware store aisles. We truly feel that while there are still many of you who have the time and creativity to make it from scratch or craft, many households today are faced with many new challenges. Many don’t even know where the ladder is or if they even own one. While budget is of some concern, our research screams that ‘time’ is the great elusive thing that many of us are struggling to harness. Those precious moments of ‘chill’ time that, in this hyper-tasking world, seem to continue to escape us — if not elude us altogether.

This show will put the emphasis more on the ‘why-to’ versus the ‘how-to.’ The inspiration of the show has really emerged in part out of the work we’ve been doing in the boutique hotel and commercial design industry — it’s truly where young households are really getting their inspiration. We’ll teach you how to create these flexible, non-gender specific spaces like we showed you in HomeNext — but from many, compelling newsworthy perspectives — ripped right from the headlines. Shot in real people’s homes with real homeowners, they’ll speak candidly about how the new dynamic of the American home is changing so fast that it’s confusing — enter me and my design team!

We’ll talk with men about their emerging voice in home design. We’ll talk with single professional women who have made choices different from their moms. We’ll show you how to get it done once and for all — with the assurance that your new interior will remain timeless and classic — thus protecting your long-term investment.

Our mandate is:

• That we can’t do major construction or electrical.
• That whatever we put in the home can be taken to the next home.
• That beyond paint, it’s really about “what” to buy, “where” to put and and “why.”

But fear not you die-hard crafters, sewers and creative folks — there’s plenty of inspiration for you, too. For those of you hands-on folks, we’ll still be connecting with you all through a new expanded program that we’ll be doing at Jo-Ann Stores soon.

So here we go again. My goal is that this new series will prepare you for the next ten years in the way our last TV experience prepared you for the last decade.

By the way, I’m also joining the ShopNBC team starting in February. I’ll be introducing top of the bed — all original designs I’ve been working on this last year. I hope you like the chic, classic bed ensembles that take us beyond what we did at Burlington years ago. So check for the calendar of appearances right here. If you’d like, pick up the phone and talk directly to me — we can do that in this venue, too.

So there you have it, folks — a brand new year and the calendar’s full. You’ll also see a whole new set of features right here on our newly emerging site so stay tuned.

Later,
CL

P.S. Thank you for your response to the New Year’s/Christmas letter. I knew you’d ‘get it.’

WI-FI GOD

Well, once again another Christmas — who knew? Another year of challenges and just more opportunity to give thanks for the safety we continue to enjoy when so many are still so vulnerable on so many fronts.

Every year that goes by — is gone. I always wonder if I did enough to justify it. Did I grow any wiser? Did I learn something about myself that makes me feel more humble, more grateful and closer to what God had in mind?

I tend to see what I didn’t do. I question past decisions — the safer road chosen — than the path outside my aging comfort zone that might have helped more people in greater ways. Have I overcome my compulsions or have I simply grown clever about justifying them?

Did I look far enough in the future to guard against the unforeseen or have I simply become even more complacent — now simply peppered with bouts of paranoia?

Is it even possible to live in the ‘here’ and ‘now’ anymore — and what is the balance between naivete and responsibility?

Did I take myself too seriously or not seriously enough?

But the year is gone. Why should it matter? It’s over with another one about to begin. If only I could learn to ask all these questions from the beginning of the calendar…and keep on asking them often.

Maybe “what is happiness?” is simply too big a question to ponder. One that gets chased with no real resolve. Maybe ‘joy’ is simply the feeling that we’ve tried out best to stay clear of cynicism and gossip? That we exercised empathy over criticism or kindness even though it might cause us to be misrepresented?

For this New Year, maybe I’m going to ask God these questions more often. Maybe those instead of please that start with “if you could only…” or “Please find a way to…” or other seemingly magnanimous generosities that in fact have “rescue” still tucked in the center of requests that are in fact just “all about me.”

As I aged, I thought I was supposed to become more mellowed. That the universal secrets were supposed to unfold with a burst of inner peace and a knowing feeling that my mortality and beyond was safe and regret-free.

But truly, I just feel older and frustrated that now well beyond the halfway point of my life, am I any closer to where I thought I’d be? No wonder I don’t know — because I’ve changed the directions, lost the maps and broken the GPS of life so many times that I keep coming back to here.

Wanting to be liked, respected (dare I say loved).
Wanting to be warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.
Wanting to feel an arc — a storyline that I think represents me and is still within, in a reasonable realm of truth.
Wanting to know that when gone, I’ll be missed.
Wanting to know that where I go is at least as good as this.

How are we supposed to contemplate these glimmers of humanness without them burdening us — or worse, pre-occupying us to distraction? I’ll have to remember to ask God that, too — and more often.

Well, another year of all this is ending with another one around the bend — who knew?

I’m going to remember to ask God all these many things. Maybe this letter should go to him. I’m calmer when I write. My words on the page seem more careful somehow. At least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that for one brief moment, I contemplated putting him on speed-dial — before the co-workers, the enablers and the people who think I’m a genius.

Or maybe these were his notes? Stuff he’s been waiting for me to ask him all along?

Until later,
Christopher

Hey Everyone,

Well, the skies are finally clear here in CA. But while the sensation is now out of the media, many begin the long process of rebuilding their lives. Much of the money carved out from the Feds will go more for water, power, waste and road re-constructions and many of the low income folks, as usual, will be left out on the cold for the most part. But we as a community are trying our best to fill in the gaps. We also have a lot of migrant workers who will find it hard and also, of course many, many illegal aliens. We here in Southern California have an unusually close relationship with our Mexican neighbors. They are so much a part of our culture and are in and out of our lives on a daily basis. So our feelings about immigration are very mixed here as many are viewed as part of our families.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. As usual, I insist it comes and goes quietly in the night. I always feel like it’s Laura’s day and mark it as such. Were she not born on the same day, I’d not mark it at all. But as usual, every four years around my Birthday there are many changes and every seven years, EVERYTHING changes so exactly that it’s become legend in my company. And this is one of the 7-year benchmarks that are right on cue.

I am now officially gearing up to return to TV. Getting ready to come back on air comes with many mixed feelings from very excited to the natural concerns that the new series hits its mark and that I’m on top of my game and that the content is compelling. Working with a new network, new production company and all is a ‘dance’ that I’ve not done in a while so I’m getting my tap shoes out of mothballs.

But don’t expect the traditional demo show. This series is about our changing times and how it will affect the American home in the very near future.

We were so ahead of the game when we came on television a decade ago and are hoping to impart as new and accurate a vision about how the next ten years will play out. And as always—our job is to get you ready for that future.

While design will be an important component of the show, it’s not its only driving force—not by a long shot.

The world has changed and it’s our job with this new series to be your voice more than ever before. Some of our topics with no doubt be controversial from time to time, but hopefully offer the nation a chance to really weigh in on the important lifestyle issues we plan to delve into—very relevant and timely subjects that affect your lives. While the series will be thought provoking—have no fear— it will still be fun, witty and more candid than ever before.

As an older and hopefully wiser host, I plan to step out of my own comfort zone, too. Or certainly well beyond the context that framed our past shows. What will be consistent, however, are the inspiration and motivating underpins, which have been my signature and will continue to be.

Those who’ve heard our radio show and read this blog won’t be disappointed. Those who are expecting decoupage, topiaries and faux finishes might, however. Not that we’ll step completely away from the how-to aspect, it will be simply be more a part of the ‘on-demand’ next evolution of this web site. Valuable resources that you’ve depended on will still be available here but now with greater resources–bigger and better than ever before. It’s why we’ve waited to refresh this web site until all new partners were in position.

I hope you are all looking forward to Thanksgiving. I will be away with close friends. We’re planning a very scaled down Thanksgiving eve with the traditional trimmings, but are going out for a non-traditional Italian bistro-style late lunch on turkey day. It will give us a moment to savor the holiday menu, but we decided not to gear the entire three days around the food prep and the clean up that always follows. Instead we opted to spend the time laid back and in great conversation rather than running back and forth from the kitchen. As we continue to hyper-task more than ever before, we really need the human bonding time that escapes us so often during the year.

More importantly, this day offers the chance to really give thanks for the blessings bestowed on us—a reminder that we must go to ‘the grateful place’ each and every day. Because whether we like it or not, the quality of our lives is always up to us. It might take courage and faith sometimes to understand changes and obstacles that befall our paths, but they are there for a reason.

Our lives are full of little wake-up calls every day. Often we miss them along with the little miracles that also slip through the cracks. We can often ignore are true callings while trying to ram our intellectual desires into our life paths instead of being flexible enough to hearing that inner voice.

We’re here to change all the time. With change come focus and the ability to learn from our pasts. Without change and the courage to step out of our comfort zones, we stagnate and horde things we never needed in the first place—and that pertains as much to people in our lives as it does the possessions we aspire to.

So I wish you all the clarity to step back in silence all the time—if only for a moment—to consider that the opportunity to redirect your path at any moment is always available to you—but not without stepping out in faith and trusting that you really can do it!

Have a great Thanksgiving everybody!

Later
CL

Hey Everybody,

Sorry I’ve not been in touch—we’ve had…uh, a little event here in Southern California. I suppose you’d have to be from outer space not to know that we’ve been in the center of a firestorm for the past week.

To all my southern California friends—bravo!

I’ve never been prouder to be part of the collective spirit we share out here. While many out of state officials are being patted on the back for their help—we here in these communities know the truth. It’s our collective ability to stay calm under fire, our generosity from neighborhood to neighborhood and our resilient bravery and optimism that have gotten us through this ordeal together.

For many hours in remote canyons, many were without help. Many were left to their own devices with literally minutes to leave their homes filled with personal memories—icons of their lives, left behind—lost forever.

We have the best firefighters in the country here and certainly fires are no strangers to us. But despite the expertise, for many hours there just were not enough resources to go around as the skies from Malibu to Mexico (some 500,000 acres) lit up the day and night for what seemed forever.

We Southern Californians take a lot of heat for what those who live beyond our borders think we’re all about. We’re not just La, La Land Hollywood psycophants living the hedonistic excesses that the media focuses on.

Millions of us lead quiet lives in thousands of close-knit communities off the beaten path. We live here together (for the most part) with a ‘live and let live’ attitude that is genuine. We are open to broader life concepts here. So much of what is helping the world comes from our collective ability to understand holistic concepts, the effect of global warming and a lot of other often-lambasted liberal thinking and ideas (like reverse 911) that keep us continually misrepresented worldwide. But we don’t care. Nor are we a community that harbors ill will or, most importantly, buys into the victim mentality, which I hope, the non-stop coverage of late has turned a spotlight on as never before. That’s why we live here and it’s why we’ll rebuild here as well!

You can laugh at our actor-turned-Governor who has put up with a lot of %^$#@ from the nation for a long time. But who’s laughing now. His bipartisan approach to government here allowed him to get on the phone with the President of the United States at the first opportunity.

By the time the Feds did get involved, supermarkets had already thrown open their doors to handle the food. Firemen had already ignored the 8-hour working limit to wage the war acre-by-acre, home-by-home in 30-hour shifts. Volunteers had already mobilized, showing up by the thousands—some whose homes were being threatened at the very moment they were rolling up their sleeves.

No arrests, no complaining, no looting to speak of happened here. Smart homeowners left when asked to, knowing that their cooperation of getting out of the way to unburden the firefighters saved everybody else’s homes, and for that we owe the citizens of Southern California our very lives and as much of a debt as the professionals.

Say what you will about us Californians. We’re a breed of people who have chosen to be here … in fact you’d be hard-pressed to find a native.

Say what you will about our lack of convention, our idiosyncrasies and our hippy-dippy ways. I’m proud to be among you all. And we’ll be here as many of you re-build your lives looking at it as a new beginning in this great place we all call home. You’ll be in my prayers.

More later,
CL

Hey All,

Before I start—just wanted to remind you that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Ironic as my Mother’s birthday is this month and it was cancer that took her. I know it can get a little sickening seeing “pink” everything, but if you’ve ever lost someone you love to cancer, you know how important it is that we don’t drop the ball on funding the cure when we’re so close—Same with AIDS—we have to keep the ball rolling when the cause is out of the spotlight, too. So if you’re asked to take action, go for it—and thank you.

I wish summer wasn’t over, but have to confess, fall is my favorite time of year—for some reason I start getting nostalgic way before the holidays even begin—in fact, Christmas—not so much for me. I guess, traveling extensively in the theater as a young man I never really had the holidays with family, as ‘the show must go on.’ Now we get hit with holiday ideas for Christmas which the press needs so early. We’re already knee-deep in garland starting in August. So by the time I have to celebrate it myself—I’m SOOOOOOOOO over it. Poor Christmas—it just can’t catch a break with me.

Maybe the holidays will cut down on the pre-election circus—so over it already. But it is the beginning of the Broadway season, and the winter movies are gearing up—and I do love a good movie. What should we see? Let us know. I get so much inside buzz that by the time a movie actually does come out—I’m already so over-hyped. I usually wait awhile—when it all dies down-before I buy my popcorn. My sister has been one of the great reliable critics of my life. I keep telling her that she should do it professionally because she’s always so spot on with what’s good and what’s not worth the look. She’s so diverse in her interests and up on the talent pool that she really is balanced in her critiques. She also applies this to my performances, too, for good or bad.

I DO love Thanksgiving, however. Certainly because it’s a chance to do some serious cooking, but also because we spend so little time giving thanks for what we have and a lot of lip service to what we think we need or want. So it’s nice to remember to be grateful. When people ask me how I stay ‘up’ and where I get my inspiration from, I have to tell you, it’s because I try hard to stay in the ‘grateful’ place as much as possible. When we realize that life is in the journey of it and not in the acquisition of it—the focus does shift.

Living in a town where I see so much self-entitlement—a lot unearned—I wonder how people can behave that way. I often worry—being at the epi-center of press—that it can taint the rest of the nation, too. As it is the press has made Lindsay, Britney, OJ and the like—moneymakers just for be being unconscious half the time. It’s not their fault that the press rewards their clueless-ness. It’s the press that continues to make what they do ‘news.’ If every confused person in America had the spotlight on them, there’d be no one left standing. Don’t get me started!

This weekend I’m having the first group of friends over since I moved into the new house. Going to do a lot of small trial runs before any big bashes to see how people flow through the space. Having said that, it’s still hard to show a house that’s not done yet—at least in my mind. While I know a home is an ever-evolving thing, it still makes me nuts that those—first in—won’t get the finished impression—just me being insecure I suppose. Mybad?

But everyone’s starting to wonder what it’s looking like so I’ve got to start somewhere. This is when I wish I was not a designer—sets the bar way too high. So just a few REALLY close friend first—a little dinner and a sleep over so I get a critique as to how the guest bedroom is feeling.

I’ll let you know how it all turned out.

Later,
CL

Hi Everyone,

I’m off on yet another trip—-back east to Orlando to meet a new Office Depot honcho prior to the launch of morphing decorative accent pieces that quickly convert into instant laptop stations—-due out soon.

In our business corporate executives come and go all the time. So we’re always re-establishing new relationships and pray that each new guy gets us like the ones who aren’t there anymore.

I was all prepared to start sewing drapes this last weekend. Sewing machine out—bobbins, thread—the works. Then I had second thoughts. I’ve gotten so used to my living room without drapes that I wondered if I really needed them at all. I didn’t want to cover up the arched windows that are almost church-like. I also didn’t want to cover the rich wall color. But I was flanking the fireplace and a huge mirror with drapes on one side of the room, so I had to bring that fabric over to the opposite side of the space for visual balance.

So there I sat, pad in hand for quite a while. But for every good idea I had, others made me put my sketch pen down. I loved the fabric I was to use and needed it to pull the eye up to accentuate the height of the ceilings on both sides of the room. The mammoth curtain rods (came with the house) would have to come down if I didn’t do conventional drapes. Then I realized that as long as the rods were used for something, they could remain up. Well, that got the creative ball rolling. What else could I use the hardware for that would incorporate the new fabric?

So I started sketching. I’ve decided to use it as a giant picture rail. To it I will suspend the artwork (or make the artwork look like it’s hanging) from the rods by tilting them out from the walls with wall-mounted wedges. So between sheered chains, picture mats, flat hanging panels and the like, all out of the same fabric from the other side of the room, the space will have balance and the impression of fabric, but the application will, in a whole new way, keep the space fresh and modern, yet still honor the villa-feel without looking like “to the manor born.” Did you get that?

Here’s the point, by thinking outside the box and giving yourself the creative gestation time in the environment to let the space ’speak’ —the solution and the vision emerged. Now I’m ready to dig in but have to get on a plane. That’s okay, too, because it’s in the brain and by the time I return, the concept will be all that more defined and the creative task more focused. Speaking of that…

For some reason, Laura, my sister is getting a recent floodgate from many of you who have written suddenly—to tell me that you’ve become successful in many of your new creative ventures—and that it was me who you are crediting—when people admire that creativity, as your inspiration. These letters are so moving. Thanks to my sister, I get to read them all. Guess it’s taken awhile to hear, ponder then take action. But whatever it is—it’s truly wonderful. But all I did was flip the switch. I can only start the chain of events that have to commit to–which is all about YOUR courage. Bravo. Thanks so much for sharing. It’s so moving and I offer my heartfelt congratulations. You did it!

Later,
CL