We started out naming all of our projects in a pretty standard way. Either by Street, city, or some type of locational name. But I have been thinking for a while on a more unique and creative way to name our projects. If you walk into our shop, a lot of the time you'll find me listening to music. I love a good mix of genres, but mainly grew up listening to classic rock and that is still my go to on a regular basis. Although I love country, rap, pop, and many more.
Using music as inspiration for interior design
So I've been toying with the idea of naming my projects after songs I love. The main reason for this is that I want to name a project based on a song that reflects how I feel about that project. Its interesting how our memories are tied to things like smell, sound, texture,etc.
I dont want to say that we grew up poor because to be honest I really dont remember wanting for anything. I never went without food, and always had what I needed to live a happy childhood, but we werent well off. My mom worked multiple jobs to make sure I never went without, and my dad did the best he could in construction. My parents were separated my entire life, but some of the earliest and happiest memories I have are when i was little and it was just me and my mom and watching her dance around and sing in our tiny kitchen to These Eyes - by The Guess Who, Pink Floyd's - Money, and Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin. So every time I hear these songs I can picture that home with the small round wood kitchen table where I would dye easter eggs and eat the snacks we would share after school. The linoleum floors were an old yellowed white, and the exterior was a subtle grey/blue with a big yard.
During the weekends I would go to my dads house. He rented a modest one bedroom home. It was dark and worn and the stereo-typical bachelor pad with the essentials but it is where I called home with him. He would take me every Friday to go out to eat for spaghetti or pizza and then we would swing by blockbuster to have a movie night. Every Friday night I would pick Romie and Michelles High school reunion, and he would sit and watch it with me without a single complaint, even though he had seen it a million times before. But for the rest of the weekends we would sit and listen to his record collections and he would talk to me about the Beatles and Bob Marley. And he would ALWAYS have on the oldies station in his truck. My dad died when I turned 15 and unfortunately the only things I got to keep from him were his record collection, a few photos, a ring and his gold chain. So those memories of listening to those records in that dark basement home was something I will never forget. And singing at the top of our lungs to All I Have to do is Dream by The Everly Brothers, or Redbones - Come and get your love.
As I grew up my love for music continued as my mom remarried and we would all sit and listen to all of the classic rock that I always loved. My grandmother was even a huge influence on the kind of music I love today. She was a musician in a rock band and played the guitar and sang. She also owned a music shop and I loved to listen to her play when I was a kid as I spent every Tuesday at her home.
So with that long backstory on my life now explained. That will hopefully shed some light on why I am choosing these names for my projects. I dont want to just name them something that has no real meaning. Homes and families have history, and I hope the homes and client we work with can have the same happy memories that I did growing up. So I try to select a song that I feel represents how I feel about the home and the project to manifest that type of energy for the future and their fresh start in a new space.
Today, we play music pretty much every day in our house and my kids know the words to a lot of the classics like I did. We laugh, and cry, and live our lives in our home and I feel like music is one of the best ways to bring back those memories.
So if you have a Favorite song that brings back a good memory, comment it below. Id love to hear what music makes your house a home.
I'm working on compiling a list of all of my favorites to share with all of you. I'll make sure to update this post with the list once I have it completed.
