I’ve been noticing how landscapes influence interior design in a home. I have a friend who lives most of the year in the southwest of New Mexico. She and her family keep a second home in the lush, green northwest. Yet, when I am in her space, I notice echoes of the southwest in unexpected places. For the first time, I noticed her walls are the classic terra cotta of red rock soils of the region. It shows up in the foods as well - red peppers and southwest salsas. Aren’t we always in communication with our landscapes somehow? Their personalities influencing us?

I can think of others who, I believe now, must have been tropical ocean lovers. Their bathrooms were a collection of stones and shells. Blues, greens and pearl tones throughout. The ocean was literally brought indoors, and this made sense in my cellular memory. We go to natural waters to bathe and refresh. Seeing a shell cradling soap and piles of rocks in a sparkling dish just rang true and real.

I know the mountain-lovers by their deep greens, greys and black/white photography. Lovers of spring have yellow throughout. Most intriguing to me is the mood people evoke in their bedrooms, the most sacred and personal of spaces. I visited a room recently that was deep, plum purple all around the bed, while the rest of the room was a bit brighter. I was surprised how much that color evoked a calm, soothing, reassuring lusciousness. The darker tone brought to mind of the things a sleeping area most replenishes.

What moods are most needed in your life now? In what parts of your home (and life) do you need to call them in? A work space might be serious, somber and asture. I picture mahogany, brown and blacks. Or, it can be light and inspiring, in primary colors of red, yellow and blue. Each space reflects a certain aspect of life - and all of us have our ideal mood in that aspect. Maybe this is the essence of interior design. We invite the emotional qualities of landscapes and colors into our lives, to influence, inform and enlighten us.