Doux Nid [du ni]

Love technology but feeling a little disconnected from nature? According to an article in BBC News, some of us especially children might be experiencing “Nature Deficit Disorder”. Because of electronic lifestyles and living in urban or suburban environments, we are not spending enough time outdoors and feeling the sense of balance that contact with nature can bring. We seem to be relating to nature differently too. Conceptually, most of us are very conscious of the state of the planet. We think about the idea of global warming and recycling, but we don’t have a personal relationship with nature like we did in decades past. It doesn’t inform how we feel on a daily basis.

I believe that it is easier than you think to connect or reconnect to nature again. Focusing on home is the first step. Even if you live in the middle of a concrete jungle, think about bringing nature inside. To get the conversation started, here are some suggestions for filling your indoor spaces with natural beauty.

• Vineyard Wood: Winemaking can be traced back to the dawn of civilization. It was refined by the Greeks and Romans. Include a little bit of natural history in your home by adding a touch of vineyard wood to your vignettes. Each piece is one of a kind and neutral enough to complement any style from modern to transitional to traditional. Wonderful for adding texture and uniqueness to any kind of tabletop in a dining room, living room, or entry way. Use sandblasted pieces for best look.
• Palm Fronds: From rainforests to deserts, palm trees are found all over the world. Their branches or fronds traditionally symbolized victory and peace for many people. Cut some to accent a favorite vase at home. Stunning and sculptural.  Their evergreen leaves will add a natural crispness to any design scheme.
• Geodes: They are nature’s version of a treasure chest. Once opened, quartz crystals, amethyst crystals, agate, chalcedony, or  jasper banding might be waiting inside. Naturally spectacular for any home.

At Doux Nid, our job is to empower you to create your best home, your best nest, and a fab lab for dreaming. We want your rooms to rise up, to greet you, and to serve you. It all starts with questioning. You can never ask too many questions when it comes to home. It is a fun discovery process, a chance to uncover and think about your needs, likes, dislikes, and preferences. Find out what inspires you. Explore to know more.  Here are some Doux-Nid questions to get the process started.

• What is your family vision?
• What inspires your spirit?
• What gives you peace?
• What gets your creative juices flowing?
• What kind of feeling do you want for the space?
• Do you like formal or casual rooms?
• Do you like rough or smooth textures?
• Do you like patterns?
• What colors do you live well with?
• Do you like light, medium, or dark colors?
• What colors do you have in other rooms?
• How is the room used?
• Who uses the space?
• What is staying in the room?
• Is the space open to other areas?

Create your own style lab. Home should be a think tank to dream and experiment with the creative process. It should be a place to gather information, brainstorm about beautiful concepts, hone promising ideas that feel right, and discard ones that no longer serve.

First step, be inspired by others. I love to read how interior designers, artists, graphic artists,  and fashion designers feed their creativity and approach their work. Picasso famously worked on a blank canvas for five hours filling it spontaneouly with free-form associations. At the end of the five hours, he declared “now that I begin to see where I’m going with it. I’ll take a new canvas and start again.” Let Picasso inspire you. Make your home a style lab with an ever-evolving canvas powered by your imagination. Experiment. Create. Grow.