Flourish Spaces & Collective Owner, Stevie McFadden, shares her stories, thoughts and ideas on how to create a home that you Love.

At the recommendation of my friend, I recently listened to a conversation about grief between stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on Cooper's new podcast called, All There Is. It is a beautiful, thought-provoking conversation that is at its core, about love. Remembering his recently deceased mother, Colbert observed that the act of loving anyone is physical.

I happened to be listening to this as I was doing the dishes and folding laundry and other mundane chores and I was reminded of how much laundry my mom folded (and I probably threw on the floor), the lunches she packed (that we most likely complained about), the rooms she cleaned (that we definitely trashed). The physical act of loving takes many forms: cooking, breaking bread with extended family, sipping cocktails with friends, spooning on the couch to binge watch trashy television, and yes, doing laundry and cooking and cleaning. In these gestures, how we love becomes inextricably intertwined with where we love.

This is a picture of my great grandfather, peeling potatoes for the family lunch that happened each Sunday. He is jammed into the world’s smallest breakfast room of my Nana’s house - in a kitchen that remained untouched from the time she installed her pristine St. Charles Cabinets in the 60s until the house was sold in the late nineties. This picture graces the walls of each member of my family’s kitchen today.

The kitchen seems to get all of the attention on the stage where moments that turn into memories play out. It’s the heart of the home, the place where everyone gathers, yada yada ya. And maybe a den or a great room gets second billing. But what if we put the spotlight on some of the forgotten parts of our homes that provide important support? I’m guessing those spaces are not the beneficiaries of much attention or many decorating dollars.

Funny enough, my friend who recommended this podcast has been upgrading some of the spaces in her home that might otherwise be considered dead spaces. She has let us transform them into beautiful and more utilitarian places.

Starting first with a laundry room where there was no actual “room” for laundering the endless amounts of dirty clothes that three children and a husband can generate. What she did have was a large, up until then, useless second floor hallway at the end of her old row house. We maximized the space with cabinets, shelving, hooks and baskets for the way she wanted to do the laundry for her family on an on-going basis, while making it feel as pretty and intentional as the rest of her home.

The Spruce says these laundry rooms will make doing laundry a joy. I am not going to go that far and attach that claim to our design.
*Two Carrara Marble waterfall counters conceal the family washer and dryer along with four sorting baskets. A drying rack is disguised as a drawer while hanging clothes air out behind upper cabinets.*

My friend also generously welcomes people into her home, hosting work socials, family gatherings, and friends for various occasions. So, most recently, we took the space under her stairs and transformed it into a beautiful bar area. We updated her vintage sideboard with some funky hardware, added some custom wallpaper from local designer, Sarah Rowland, (Leo, printed on grasscloth), and installed black fishbone sconces (Available through The Collective). Collectors of great art, she and her husband selected a new piece from Sarah Irvin, to go above the sideboard. Voila - a beautiful bar that attracts you and makes you linger.

Cut crystal knobs on the sideboard are swapped for amorphous, oversized glass bulbs for a more playful look. By installing sconce lights, we kept the benefit of mood lighting without taking up valuable bar space. At first blush, the space under the stairs may seem small…but there is actually a lot of space with those tall ceilings. By taking the paper up the slant of the ceiling, it draws the eye up to take advantage of that volume.

*Sarah Irvin,* Connect the Dots 999, 2022, Archival Ink on paper. Irvin’s explores cultural and social significance of mothering as a practice of care

During the month of February, a month where we are constantly reminded to show our love to sweethearts and gal pals and classmates, how about showing a little love to the neglected spaces in our home? We would love to hear from you - DM us on instagram or drop us a comment on the spaces in your home where you do the daily work of loving others. And of course, please come by and see us in our space for a little dose of inspiration!

Stevie

February Event: ART NIGHT

We are currently featuring artwork by Richmond abstract artist, Dandridge “Dede” Davis www.dandridgeart.com in the form of original paintings, textiles and wallpaper.

Please join us for an evening to meet and greet with Dede, shop and celebrate her work!

Thursday, February 23rd, 6:30 - 8:30PM

Wine, beer and light bites will be served

RSVP

What We’re Learning

We kicked off a very exciting new project this month that sent us down a research rabbit hole learning all about the British Arts + Crafts movement. In the late 19th century, the movement put an emphasis on how things were made, valuing the use of natural materials and designs inspired by nature. We found ourselves rekindling our love affair with William Morris and his designs which live on in impossibly beautiful wallpapers and fabrics. Here is a sneak peek of our jumping off point for this project: