Staying Connected With Our CTD Tribe
We are “making decisions, while driving through a fog, with imperfect information and everyone in the backseat is yelling at us.” – Thomas Friedman, opinion columnist
We had just hired a full-time designer who we adore and were scouting more office space (same great location) when the first whispers of COVID-19 hit the US. My husband ordered a pallet of water drop-shipped to our house and I told him I thought it might be overkill until he reminded me that he’d worked on the show “Containment” four years ago in Atlanta with a CDC consultant who predicted this very pandemic. He was taking the first signs far more seriously than I was. I don’t think any of us, though (my husband included), could have foreseen how fast and extreme the everyday would be altered. Over the last few weeks, we’ve ping-ponged between optimism and pessimism before ever finishing a complete thought. We have had conversations about our future and the company’s that I never considered having just the week before. But nothing about owning a small business ever promised to be predictable. This is not new terrain for me. So I am focusing on what we can control, our response:
At home, we are building a meditation retreat in our backyard. If you know us at all, you know how much I’m laughing just writing that statement. If you follow us on IG, you know my husband refers to it as the Mediation Retreat since he believes even the most solid of marriages may need it when quarantine is over.
We are novice meditators at best and prone-to-dog-like-attention-spans at worst. It isn’t really for the mediation activity, though, that we build. The building of it is our meditation and it is my way of addressing what I know will be a hot-mess of family squabbling if I don’t re-direct attentions outside. Hopefully, when it is finished, our current “mom-said-no-breakfast-until-we meditate” daily practice will make the actual retreat fulfill its purpose. For now, at this rate, we’ll have an entire hillside village of yoga studios for people to rent if no one releases us from quarantine soon.
What’s your calm look like? Maybe it is mediation or maybe it’s a soothing bedroom retreat with a locking door.
We are turning to our homes for respite more now than ever. If you are anything like me, the more time you spend at home, the more time you dream about how it could inspire you and support your daily life better than it is right now. I want to help. We are meeting you at your virtual front-door. We have taken our work on-line: consultations, style meetings and presentations. Where creative, curated homes are the goal, we will find a way
If you are looking to tackle some work on your own and just need some design direction, I am setting up complimentary 20-minute video consults for anyone looking to create quiet space or small retreats in their house. It could be the corner of a master bedroom for you or a workstation layout for the kids.
If you’re looking to build a meditation retreat, I may know where to find some plans. Click here to let us know you’re interested.
Help us understand your background noise and we will help create spaces that hum at a gentler frequency.
We are so grateful for the support of our clients and the love of our CTD tribe at large. Peace and blessing to you and your families.
Courtney Thomas, ASID
Principal & Lead Designer
My job is to make spaces functional in their layout, comfortable in their use, inspirational in their style and luxurious in their appointment. In that order. For that one moment after installation, the pictures are perfect.
