earning my stripes
This newsletter is sponsored by the new Pierce & Ward Collection at West Elm.
Our house has always had great untapped potential. While we have improved it enormously over the last few years, there is always more to do.
If you are a regular reader, I am sure you can relate.
This window alcove above our living room sofa has bugged me ever since we moved back in.
It bothered me because it was so good and deserved to be accentuated more, and so we finally did something about it.
It's all about that morning light
I considered painting the interior of this a contrasting color, but that was just not quite right.
I realized Roman shades were the move, but finding fabric was daunting.
Lately, I've been pretty enamoured with Italian / Euro design and have been loving stripes. It's remarkable how hard it is to find striped fabric.
One day, I was bumbling around on Pinterest, and a bright green and white striped curtain caught my eye. It was the right thread to pull on.
Colours of Arley is a company founded by Louisa Tratalos, whom I've mentioned previously. They offer beautiful stripes and patterns in a great color palette and can be customized any way you want.
I reached out, and Louisa made it happen. We talked a few times, tried a variety of samples, and pulled the trigger.
The large roll of fabric was shipped across the pond, and I found a local person to make the shades.
I installed them myself. Surprisingly easy.
It's a party now
Am thrilled with how they turned out.
We did some curtains in the front room too. Really pulls the room together.
The blue-green walls needed that red. The room is still being put back together, but I will share more soon.
overwhelm & gratitude
On a personal note, things have been really overwhelming lately.
We've got a bunch of planes we're trying to land: parenting young kids, collaborations, short-term rentals to keep up with, Arrington Woods (6 of 11 lots under contract, finally!), client projects, finishing Design Your Future, a stealth project, and other things too sacred for the internet.
It is a lot, and has been one of the most challenging periods in my life.
I often find myself muttering, "Why is this so hard?" I get down, feel like a failure, and like I'll never get caught up.
But if I step back for two seconds, I see just how entitled that is. It's a little gross. What do I actually deserve?
If it's hard, it's because doing anything worth doing is hard.
I'm so lucky, I literally get to make things look good and talk about design for a living.
Gratitude exercises have been just the recipe I need.
It starts with a nice spring walk. After settling into the rhythm of my feet moving and taking some deep breaths, I challenge myself to think of 20 things I'm grateful for.
Is this cheesy? Absolutely.
Is this effective? Absolutely. So effective.
What makes it onto the Hans gratitude list?
It could be literally anything—a memory of going out to eat with my grandparents, a joke a friend told me in college, my wife taking me to Palm Springs, seeing Crosby Stills Nash & Young in '06, renovating a house for the first time, the spring blooms, a cozy jacket, a person who was put into my life at the right time, getting in shape...you name it.
I find creativity just flows like a firehose on walks, and so when you start this exercise, ideas pour out. Cannot recommend it enough.
I usually blast through 20 and then do another 20 on my way home.
If you are ever feeling down or overwhelmed, this is certainly a way to put that nonsense to rest.
You'll see how blessed you are and how countless experiences and individuals have laid the foundation for everything you have today.
You return to your door, full of fresh air, brimming with positivity and possibility.
Life is hard, but that's kind of the point. Is the goal really to have an easy, comfortable life? No way, that sounds boring.
Where is that creative adventure spirit? Has the iPhone and Uber Eats life made you soft?
Wake up your body and your soul, and live.