Personal/Design

A little background and an update. Those of you who have followed kstyle in years past remember that I have three sons. Three amazing sons who are all doing very interesting things. The young son pictured above, formerly known as "waterboy" will now be referred to as "the climber" on this blog. The middle son formerly known as "the photojournalist" will still be referred to as the "photojournalist". And as you might have guessed "the photojournalist" who is now 6 years into his career with the Mail Tribune in Medford, Oregon took the photos of the "the climber" in the images above. My oldest son who currently owns a tourism company in Manzanillo, Mexico will still be referred to as "the Mexican". His life has been one big photo op which I have been privileged to witness and enjoy and so I hope will you.

So you might ask. What does this have to do with my blog post title which is Personal/Design. Well in a word everything! The current 'it" word on the decorating scene is personal. Spaces should be personal and then some. They should tell the story of who you are, where you've been, what you care about. Out are the perfectly designed showplaces that look beautiful, gorgeous in fact but have no real reference to the people who live within their sterile spaces. So how do you go about this? How do you make your home beautiful, true to your aesthetic but also personal? Well, there are many ways of course. Some expensive and involving a lifetime of travel or serious collecting. Or perhaps you come from a family with generations of antiques and interesting curiosities which you have been honored to receive and revere.

But if you're like me and none of the above really apply what can you do to create this ambiance, this sense of personal "history" in your home? Well one way, one very effective way is with photos.Not just any photo,
not the cliched I've seen this a million times boring photo, but the deep down, deeply layered, drop dead personal photo. This deserves a space on your wall or on your bedside table or yes even tacked up on your kitchen frig.

So yes, I know I have a bit of an edge in this department given that my son is a photojournalist and award winning photographer. But and this is a big but. Anyone can do it. With a decent camera and a good idea wonderful, personal "art" for your home is just a click away. Take the photos above. It started with a simple idea. I asked my son, "the photojournalist" to "shoot" a climbing sequence of his brother,"the climber"  for me for mother's day, (sometimes you have to milk it) and even better to find somewhere if possible to do it with our beautiful city (Ashland) in the background. And I wanted it in black and white. Just the pure essence of the experience and the place in focus. And this is what I got and this is what I did with it and now I have something deeply personal, layered and yes beautiful on a wall in my home. I love it and I hope you do to.
k