Do You Follow the Recipe?

This past weekend, we visited the Farmer’s Market.

Walking among the stalls, I was thrilled to see the colorful rows of fresh produce –a sure sign that Summer is here.

Later in the day, as I inspected my selection of fresh asparagus, baby beets, snow peas, and lettuces, I wasn’t sure how they’d be combined for the evening meal.

We ended up with soup.

I kind of tossed everything in the pot – well, except for the beets and lettuce. (Beets are probably not a good idea – they’d probably turn the soup red).

So anyway, I didn’t follow a recipe.

I didn’t need to.

The next day, as I was preparing a salad for a potluck dinner, I was following a recipe. That’s when I realized I was missing a key ingredient.

At first, I panicked.

Then I decided to make do with what I had, including my  Farmer’s Market finds from the day before.

It was strangely relieving.

And made me think about our typical approach to Rules and Following Recipes, and the like.

Specifically that, much of the time, it isn’t really necessary, although we might think it is.

Unless you’re a beginning cook, or new to the gluten-free lifestyle, being free to add lib in the kitchen is half the fun, and also wakens your creative self.

Designing a home is also a creative endeavor, and in many ways it is not much different from cooking.

You’re just working with a different set of ingredients.

Whether cooking, or designing, it’s still a good idea to keep in mind the basic Principles and Elements of design, which includes (in no particular order) Color, Shape, Texture, Balance, Scale & Proportion, Line, and Harmony.

Harmony is key.

This is what brings unity and variety to the scheme, whether it’s arranging a plate of food, or a room setting.

Color is also important!

Every design project has a color scheme woven throughout, especially in the choice of paint colors and fabric.

Just like the jolt of color that a red tomato can add to a salad, you can liven up a room with colorful throw pillows and accessories, and instantly see the interior ‘pop’.

Sometimes what might work in one situation doesn’t work in the other.

For example, you can have an all-white room, but when planning a meal, you might think twice about serving a plate of all-white food – it will surely dull your appetite!

So yes, just like with cooking there are some basic rules and guidelines, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix things up a bit.

There is really no one way to design an interior.

Every home and every client is different.

Every project comes with its own unique challenges.

You can combine different styles and tastes in the same household and it will all come out OK.

You probably do this already in the kitchen.

Now you can extend the same courtesy to the rest of your home.

You don’t have to follow the recipe!