Hello everyone! This is most definitely an extraordinary time in our present history and one that calls for vision, looking past the now to the future. But I find myself in a period of reflection. I’m thinking back to 2013, which at this time feels like a lifetime ago. Thinking back to when my family and I were living in Philadelphia. We had come back from our second time living in Brazil, this time in São Paolo. It was a hectic experience that I won’t soon forget no matter how much I’d like to. Philly was a welcome respite with its slow pace and familiarity. I took this opportunity to open up a store in the newly fashionable neighborhood of Fishtown. The gentrification boom swallowed up any traces of the neighborhood that I remember from my teenage years and replaced them with chic eateries, boutique exercise studios and retail. Glorious retail. My shop was the place where I could put on display all that I’ve been purchasing for antique shows and allowed me the freedom to display pieces together in vignettes. I could set up a new one everyday, giving me the chance to showcase pieces in new juxtapositions. Old with new. Color with neutral. Texture with more texture. It felt great. And something that I was more than happy to share with my daughters. They were toddlers at this time and simply by their physicality, their height specifically, I was forced to look at each vignette from so many different viewpoints. It was an eye opening experience that shapes me to this day. Get out of your head and into someone else’s. Stretch. Squat. Turn around. No, these aren’t exercises in the traditional sense but in the sense that we all need to look at things from various viewpoints. Challenge yourself to rethink your design, your home, your gallery wall, your vignette from different perspectives. I think you may really like what you see! Remember, your home is a direct reflection of you - let it shine! ;-) hkv