A favorite newletter article from March 2009:

I am sitting in the Millburn Public Library, which is just a few blocks from furbish. I just left a busy, noisy café in the area where I tried to sit and write and think, but it didn’t suit my mood or the level of introspection I needed at the moment. I came here on a whim and I am more than pleasantly surprised. The library, while not glamorous, is blessed with magnificent arched windows that stretch two stories from floor to ceiling. Seven of them sit in perfect symmetry with brick-laid panes of glass adding more geometry to the effect. The view outside these windows is an expanse of trees: the foot of our very own South Mountain Reservation. As of yet these trees are bare. But they are still beautiful in every shade of gray-green to grey-brown one can imagine. And there are thousands of them. THOUSANDS of trees! Right here outside these windows! All of them preparing to send out their first buds for the spring. The wonder of this profusion of trees. The generosity of it. The pure generosity of nature.

The best interiors always have an underlying element of generosity, like these towering windows. I always find that nature is the clearest sign we have that we are meant to live in beautiful spaces and live generously too. Think fields of flowers in an unimaginable array of colors, oceans with such depth of color that stretch for as far as the eye can see. Skies that grace us with a kaleidoscope of colors at every dawn and dusk. Mountains so tall we can see them from a hundred miles away.

Windows, light, and space fundamentally give a feeling of generosity. But even the simplest interiors can be generous. Being generous is about giving to us what we need to live and feel our best. It is about celebrating abundance, which we have even when we think we do not. Think richness of color, collections of treasured items well-displayed, a house filled with things we love, or one done with masterful detail. All are shows of generosity. A bowl of oranges on a dining table, a vase of gerber daisies by the bedside, carefully selected pillows, glasses, and tableware. These are all details which add generosity. Paintings and accessories which give us great joy. Spaces which function exceptionally well. Soft comfortable fabrics made of natural materials. Comfortable places to sit or breaking a room up into a variety of sitting areas is generous. How will you add a feeling of generosity to your home? Consider some of the tips below.

3 tips for making your home feel more generous

Make accommodations for the things that make YOU feel like you are living the good life. If you love to read, set up a nook with a comfortable chair, a good reading light, a spot table, and a nearby bookshelf. Get some nice tray tables so that you can have breakfast in bed. Make storage space for the baby’s toys in every room in the house so you always have something on hand to entertain them. Buy beautiful glasses for the wine you love to drink. Get storage custom-built for your record collection. Whatever you love, whatever will make your life function more smoothly, or make you feel like you are being treated, make a special place for it.

Find a design element you love and repeat it. Maybe it is a bright accent color repeating itself in several places in your room. A row of three matching bud vases sitting on a window sill. Matching table lamps in a striking shape flanking each side of the sofa or the ends of a buffet table. A series of black and white photographs. The repetition makes the accent more of a key element and it looks intentional rather than accidental. Make it about giving yourself MORE of something you really love anyway.

Be prepared to entertain. Have a game plan ready for when well-loved visitors are in the house. Is spare seating readily available or is there an easy way to rearrange furniture to facilitate conversation instead of TV viewing? How about keeping a tea tray and snacks on hand. Or wine and nuts and a block of cheese. Impromptu entertaining always feels very generous, and it is fuss free! Here’s the cool thing about how others view your home: If you have taken the above steps, your home will naturally feel generous to others because you have already been generous to yourself.

gen-er-ous adj.

1. Liberal in giving or sharing.

2. Marked by abundance; ample: a generous slice of cake.

3. Having a rich bouquet and flavor: a generous wine.