No, I'm not an "interior designer." Except as 'interior' means feelings, memories, love, friendship and the desire to please. Those are my inspiration, the tools of my trade.

Just as a painter or photographer is driven to capture a certain scene, I must create a compatible, balanced living environment. In an office or cubicle, a new apartment, a beach rental, even a hotel room.

Nowhere is what I make more evident that in my own home.

 Nope, I didn't straighten up for you. There's usually a book here, a magazine there, remote controls everywhere. And I mentioned I'm no photographer... it's a much lighter space when windows aren't covered against the hot August sun.

What I make is not about taste or any specific style, although I am definitely not a 'minimalist.' It's about, well, comfort. Pleasure. Acceptance. Most people immediately feel at home, respond to its tactile and visual surroundings. Though the spaces are large, the feeling is intimate, and cozy.

Colors, textures, patterns merge with each other, with the bold jackets from scores of books, coexist in harmony with fabric and leather, wood and marble, steel and glass. Contemporary, traditional, modern and vintage blend easily too.

 I wish you could see that lamp up close, it was made from our grandmother's genuine antique brass samovar.

All framed by the shifting outer light from walls of windows. All reflected by the vibrant inner life of countless photographs. Not professional shots of strangers, but pictures of us and those we love, living our lives.

They're everywhere. Some carefully grouped, some randomly placed. On shelves, tables, counters, walls in an eclectic variety of frames, a counterpoint to our equally eclectic taste in art. 

 The white porcelain statue above (top shelf, right) is a gift my BFF brought from Singapore to complement the green statue in the Lichenstein (below) on the opposite wall.

 Completely different art in the front hallway, direct from Japan via a great aunt's collection of hand painted Japanese hanging sculpture.

Family and friends. Individuals, couples, groups. Candids and posed. Graduations, bar and bat mitzvahs, proms. Soccer games, dance recitals, trips and holidays share space with a variety of art.

  My favorite stretched canvas in primary colors offsetting my favorite sad Bookbinder, both coexisting comfortably with the kids and grads.

There are babies, children, teens, adults, seniors. All generations at all stages of their lives. Many still with us, many grown with children of their own. Too many sadly gone.

A friend once told me my home reflects my personality -- warm, bright, cheerful, welcoming and very comfortable. And wherever I am, my friends and loved ones gathered around me. 

I would keep them that way in reality if I could. I would make them all as happy and healthy and strong as they appear in the photographs in my house.

 Chinese food, old friends and football. So, we have a TV in the kitchen/dining room. Deal with it.

People and memories come alive all over our house because I have made a vivid and collective community of loved ones. Although frozen in time, still a warm, integral part of our lives.

Everybody loves my Wedding Wall -- group portraits and candids from every wedding in our immediate family. Now extended into the third generation. The Wedding Wall is getting more crowded every year, and I love it.

 Three weddings since this was taken. More pics to add!

We're a blended family on my side. We don't say "half sister" or "step brother." We say, "our parents." So I have three sisters and a brother. My husband has two brothers. Collectively the second generation numbers 17. Over half of them have children of their own. That makes for a lot of pictures.

   Even above and on the bar...

I've learned over the years, life is so precious, the fabric of a family so strong and yet so infinitely delicate, I am compelled to capture it, past and present, in my own way. 

Family members grow, move, marry, have children, divorce, age, die. We've lost more than our share but I keep their images with us always.

Nowhere more evident than on my famous Black and White Wall -- family photos going back four, no, Five generations, all black and white, mostly in clear box frames, filling a ten foot expanse of wall painted a deep rich red. (It's the header on my blog if you hadn't noticed).

Stiffly posed couples and children in high-button shoes from the late 1800's. Flappers and their Fellas from the 20's. Men in World War II uniforms. Kids on the beach in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Studio portraits of the businessmen. Glam shots of their wives from the "Mad Men" days.

School photos of Boomers from the 50's and 60's. Oh those mini-shirts and that white lipstick. Newspaper and private photos of influential and artistic luminaries members of the family have been fortunate to know.

Our family and America's history, a testament to changing times, styles, mores, lifestyles and experiences, live on that wall, and throughout our house.

I made our home a loving tribute to friends and family, then and now and every time in between. You can make your home that way too. Gather those old (and new) photos -- and get to work. Have fun. Take chances. Go crazy.

For some inspiration, look at the very top photo again, see those pictures arching over the desk? My sister Judy helped me place those with such loving care. It took us a whole afternoon and was so much fun.

They are all my son, from kindergarden through high school. A great way to display school pictures. To view and remember a child's (or your own) journey to adulthood.

Make your house more than a home, make it a warm, comforting, colorful place for all to see the past, present, and future.

And btw, creature comforts also available here...