Sunday, November 14, 2010

-A lot of seemingly inconsequential random moments all adding up.

You know the ‘what a small world’ comment that generally morphs into a conversation about the 6 degrees of separation?

Well I think mine is pretty nifty! Considering the definition of being 6 steps away from a connection to another person and this tale stretches from Cleveland to Portland, Oregon, I think it qualifies for the ‘pretty nifty’ category.

A woman from Portland Oregon called the shop the other day and asked for me by name. She introduced herself as the manager of the wholesale division from Queen Bee Creations. I do, from time to time, get cold calls soliciting merchandise or services mostly from larger companies taking random shots on three.home being their next big account. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be one of those calls or not. Also, I get the people who wander in off the street, artisans of some sort connecting my aesthetic in the shop with their particular art. It turns out this was no ordinary, random sales call.

The inconsequential random moments that added up to make this experience ‘small world’ are as follows;

The first is the phone call itself. (you will understand better in a minute).

Secondly, the bit about the person that called me, Abby. Her actually making the call instead of disregarding the comment “our products and your shop would be a good fit” (keep reading).

Third bit (or maybe I should be labeling these ‘bits’ as ‘degrees’?), contrary to her official role in this company, she happened to spend this particular day in the shop selling retail to the end user, which apparently she does from time to time as a fill in.

The next bit, the shopper, whose name I don’t know, who happened to be visiting Portland from Cleveland. What’s more, her wandering in to the Queen Bee Studio/Store and sharing her thoughts (& where she is from), about the fit she sees between Queen Bee Creations and three.home.

WOW!

Not to go unmentioned, the location of this studio is in a newly developed part of Portland, outside of the bustling, metropolis down town area. And although this new neighborhood with many like- minded shop/business owners, has been developed through the city commission, it is still off the beaten track a bit, as I understand. It is not like this area is a must see when visiting Portland.

The final bit, where everything comes together, the full circle. This whole experience became a ‘small world’ experience for me because of a chance meeting, a warm and inviting environment, a mindful moment, and a follow through by all participants.

In my attempt to relate my blog postings to three.home, or interiors In some way was a challenge and actually delayed this post. But alas, I have the connection.

It is, of course, the connection, the small world experience is exactly what I want to create, offer, share as three.home evolves into its new identity in our new location-576 Industrial Parkway, (still in) Chagrin Falls, and (behind Hunan on E Washington) just a bit past the center of the Village.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_world_experiment

http://www.pdc.us/

http://www.queenbee-creations.com/

Sunday, August 1, 2010

New post, hopefully one of many to come…

I have been hearing this song, and it is relatively new, by Eminem, featuring Rihanna. You may have heard this song, or Eminem. (If you have teenagers around the house, then you probably have heard his music, or at least heard of him). He is a rapper and in my opinion (albeit not very informed) one of the most authentic to his genre of music. And therefore the song is 'explicit'. This is the tag given to specific songs on itunes. His vocals and lyrics are harsh, rough and crude.

Rihanna, who is considered ‘pop’ in the music world, has this incredibly beautiful voice. It is soft and strong, sexy, well defined and nothing like the raw sound of Eminem. This song 'love the way you lie', (even the title implies a certain uncensored thought), has a complexity to it that I don’t hear in too many songs. Their 2 contrasting sounds somehow meld together in a way, not unlike voices in harmony do. Though this sound is not as much about symmetry as it is about synergy.

Hearing the hostility in Eminem’s voice and lyrics, brings up a certain negative feeling, I almost don’t hear the words of the song. Then Rihanna takes over with her chorus and the sounds are rhythmic, elegant, passionate, and I realize that the song about a love-story.

The result from this contrast between their voices, and the synergy that is created from the inconsistency of styles can sometimes be known as juxtapose.

How this relates to interior design and my world of three.home is swirling around in the juxtaposing of elements. Be it voices, vases, spaces or styles. Simply put, the more committed to any one style (of anything), the more likely to recognize and appreciate another style; with in a close proximity.

For example; a room with dark colors on the walls and fewer windows, small, may feel cozy, safe and quiet if the next room over is bright and spacious. Compare that with a house that has many rooms the same size, has little or no trees around and is therefore bright feeling throughout. The walls in all the rooms are painted some variation of beige, and the ceiling height is consistent all over. It would be challenging to remember specific qualities of each room, moreover, experience each room differently.

Similar to the sounds of two artists singing together within one song, who alone might not be appealing, popular, even acceptable, but together, or in close proximity to one another and abstract in their style, present a completely different result.

This theory speaks to having rooms in your home that all feel distinct from one another. This doesn’t mean that your home shouldn’t flow from room to room. This means that each room in your home being different offers a dichotomy of feeling, purpose, sensation, and awareness.

How committed or defined one element is, makes for a more clear appreciation of the whole. Eminem’s voice and style is very well defined in the world of rappers. So when I hear Rihanna’s voice with his, the contrast is unmistakable.

The attainability of this juxtapose is where the challenge is. And I suppose I it was a challenge to find a song of Eminem’s appealing.

To summarize, I would say that to be committed to something, to be strong in your style, clear and defined will, in the end take you to the places you are supposed to be.