Talking to someone from the Midwest USA, who loves to meditate, I realized not everyone knows what to do with interiors and their needs. How do you combine these two things, so very different in style and feelings, he asked me?
Midwest is relatively flat, consisting either of plains or of rolling small hills: the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes Basin, the Ozark Mountains, the rugged topography of Southern Indiana and far Southern Illinois, hardwood forests, flat lands are converted to farms, pastoral areas and urban areas. Due to various rainfall patterns, even grass grows differently in the prairies: tall grass in the wetland, mixed-grass in the central Great Plains, and shortgrass prairie towards the Rockies (Bits from Wikipedia).
The elements for a Zen meditations are all there. Refer to the local nature’s essence, copy it, bring peace and balance in the home décor. (Click on each photo to view it larger).
In the Midwestern Zen style, I see furniture made with sustainable wood, chairs with natural fiber and washable slip covers, upholstery patterns that imitates nature’s examples of the area such as leaves, butterflies and swaying grasses. For the meditation area plan for sisal rugs and comfy pillows. Be inspired by past and present. Mix modern accessories with vintage and artisanal-made items to stage a casual expression of the Midwestern rugged area, such as furniture left natural and shaped as if as a tree trunk has taken its own form.
(Photo above taken at Luoghi di Pitti, Altamura Italy with permission granted)
Add a bowl full of pinecones, a driftwood with embedded air plants, rocks form the mountains, quilts and local pottery. Make sure everything is a perfectly mismatched, in that, all together these items and findings will communicate with the outside environment and will bring a special charm in the décor.
Choose leather, suede, velvet, raw silk and no pastel colors. The rugged Midwestern calls for bold colors: rich reds, juicy oranges and earthy inspired hues such as blues to emulate the sky and green tones to bring in the various prairie grasses. Once the space has been created with a mixture of local elements, the harmonious elements of air, water and earth must be put in place.
Invite lots of fresh air, let the sun filter through bamboo shades and let the cool breeze caressing your face. Put a fountain in a corner to cut all other noises; long tree branches or shapely driftwood in four corners of the room as buffer and grounding elements; add soft meditating music, if you like and an altar with the objects of your personal beliefs. Make sure the room is well ventilated for a pleasant meditation experience .
Light up the meditative space as you wish. I suggest objects of light by Italian artist Peppino Campanella. http://www.peppinocampanella.it/en/atelier/
Glass is a natural element, it reflects well light and atmospheres created around it.
Location of daily meditation should face nature if possible, a blue water, a green park, a scented meadow, or a garden full of flowers. If this is not possible, any room can be created as nature-like setting and, sometimes, just hanging a poster of nature on the wall, or an enlarged photo of nature you took during an exotic trip is sufficient to recreate a similar effect of being in the nature. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com
Copyright © 2017 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved
It’s my hope that through my writing and my stories I am enriching your aesthetic sensibility towards design, style and inspiring you to live in beauty. I have loved my profession as an interior-fashion designer since 1990. I am here ready to offer consultations on-line if you need. Check out my latest book on the subject of colors Amazon: http://goo.gl/qNxXrB
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