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Know Everything About Interior Design That Builds A Family Legacy
After 40 plus
years as a furniture restorer, it still warms my heart when a client
brings in an old item for review, wondering if it might be possible
to do something with it. There was a time long ago when if the item
presented was not really worth the time, I would recommend against
the restoration. As I have grown a little older I have begun to
realize, there is a kind of value that defies appraisal.
The
furnishings and other artifacts
we have, and pass along to our kids and grandkids are more about
preserving a family tradition and carrying on a pride in our family
and loved ones than just a place to sit.
As I slow down
and really listen to what my clients are saying, it starts to become
more and more clear, It isn't really about the chair or end table or
whatever on the surface it seems to be. The little thing they brought
along for me to see. The thing they are trying to grab onto is really
more a legacy than any thing else. It's a way to preserve what seems
good about the past, and to bring that forth in their home today.
Maybe that
thing lives inside the chair, where as a kid they remember Grandpa
sitting on the front porch, smoking his pipe and telling stories of
how it was when his daddy raised him. It's a reminder of stories from
a time before people had electricity in the house, and chilly visits
to the outhouse on a cold November night.
For example,
not long ago, a client of ours named Barbara stopped by to drop off a
family piece. My associate commented about a rocking
chair, it was laying just inside the door of our shop in pieces
where barb left it just a moment before, I think something like
"why in the world, would anybody spend money on that?" At
face value, it's a valid question. The chair wasn't that good. The
cost of restoration probably was every bit or more what it would cost
to replace the rocker, but there was more to it than that, he had
totally, missed the point as so many do. The rocker belonged to
Barbara's Mother whom had used it to rock barb and her little brother
when she herself, was a young mother, it was a gift to her from her
mom and in turn Barbs Mom had given to her just before passing away.
I'm pretty sure that Barb had a lot of other chairs, and I'm sure she
could have gone out and bought one just as nice for the money she was
spending for the restoration, but knowing what we now know, that's
not the point is it?
As time goes
on, my hair gets thinner, and my belly gets thicker, and I see more
and more, the importance of leaving a legacy, as individuals,
families and even as a country. And the stuff we have in and around
our homes, while it is so true that we can't take it with us, what we
leave behind helps us to tell a story. The story of what we hold
dear, the values we ascribe to and the example we set for future
generations to model.
Christmas
dinner on Grandma's dining set will always taste better, and a book
enjoyed in front of a fireplace is more intriguing if you are seated
in mom's rocking chair.
So, when
taking inventory and planning what to do with potential heirlooms
when they come your way think twice. Remember, it's not only about
cost benefit analysis and replacement cost.
When you
decide to keep that rocker, or table
or dining set, keep this in mind, these things are heavy laden
vehicles, vehicles that transport fond memories, important values and
sometimes several lifetimes worth of identity. I believe, that if you
plan your interior design projects with these thoughts in mind, you
will develop a real beautiful and warm home, a back drop for all the
things you hold dear, and an opportunity to teach the next generation
what is good and true and praiseworthy in life. |