I am so happy when June comes around. Summer is my happy place. However, May just passed and was lovely and we all were given a chance to honor our Mothers. I hope everyone got the chance to do so in some way, shape or form. I made braised flank steak taquitos, a seven-layer bean dip and honeyed strawberries poured over Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream as a token of appreciation for my mother. It was delicious! I can’t help myself, I love cooking for special days.
Every month I ponder what the next subject will be for Artful Living. This last month, Mother’s Day sparked something in me. While happily eating dinner and looking around my parents’ house I realized that I would not be the interior designer I am without my Mother’s influence. Hello, article! Growing up, our house was always a moving object, morphing and altering to life and to ongoing exposure to all the beautiful and interesting things in our world. Furniture was always being moved around, replaced and/or reupholstered and upgraded, depending on the economics of the time. My mom never showed fear or doubt when revising and renewing the interiors. Paint, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels and outdoor kitchens were just a part of our lives. And still seem to be! All to achieve cohesive and desirable spaces.
My Mother is and always has been a curator of all things she loves. She surrounds herself with things that make her happy. Not just because they might be useful but because of their beauty—or their appeal. And every time, it brings out a smile in her—if not an actual smile then the feeling of a smile. Which is, in a way, even better. And precisely the kind of feeling I’m always aiming for in my work.