In the last two newsletters I have been detailing elements of “the look” of Furbish. Today I would like to talk not about “a look,” but about an ethos, a whole way of living that defines my entire point of view on interior design. Yes, big stuff. But let me tell a simple story to explain:

One recent Friday night, after a crazy, raucous dinner with three kids under the age of four, two sets of parents broke new ground.

We put the kids to sleep all together, enlisted a trusted babysitter, and took a completely spontaneous drive into Manhattan to get dessert and drinks. Our wound-up toddlers didn’t fall asleep until well after 9 PM. By the time the two mommies in question dusted the fingerprints off our jeans and slipped on some heels and lipstick, and the papas in question decided whose car to take, which way to go, and where to park, it was 10:15 PM.

The lovely, friendly, and casual atmosphere of Ayza Wine Bar got the bleary out of our eyes real quick. Forget the fact that we had already eaten dinner. The food looked good. We ordered rounds of appetizers, drank really good Lambrusco and Malbec, and shared plates of dessert. We talked about business and life, and the fact that the last time we’d all been in the city together without the kids, the eldest of the 3 toddlers was still in her mama’s belly!

By 12:30 AM someone noticed the time, and we all knew we were doomed the next morning. Surely the kids would wake up somewhere around 6 am and show no mercy. Ah the woes! We rushed back across the Hudson river. At least there was no traffic at this hour.

At 1 AM I was carrying my sweet, sleepy little son from the car to our house. He was awake and I was questioning the sanity of our little excursion. Just then he said, “Look Mama, the moon!” There it was. I walked into the middle of the street and together we stared up at the sky. I showed him the planet Mars, glowing low to the west, the trees rustled in the breeze, and my heart was beyond happy. This, I suddenly thought, is it! This is the life I live to build a stage for.

What does a room that captures all the needs and wants and aspirations of a life like this look like? Can an interior capture happiness, optimism, comfort, energy, and all the little bits of the practical and the impractical in our lives?

The way we live today is basic, but not. The style we want is dressed up, but not. Our lives are full of demands and pleasures, and interests that we squeeze out precious time to pursue. Ultimately, our spaces need to pull off the same balancing act that we do, reflecting all the realities and hopefulness of living a very full life very, very well.