Anti-Depressive Living

I came across Jonathan Adler’s book called My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, full of fabulous bright pictures and vintage, yet contemporary, decor.  While much of the decor may not be for everyone, the book is fun, upbeat and happy, which seems to be Adler’s objective.  I can relate to Adler’s message because I share a similar philosophy.  Design is a form of personal expression.  And creative souls often find it necessary to customize their environment, surrounding themselves with things that make them feel good.  Color, decor, architectural style and scent are extremely important elements in my home.

Bright colors are vibrant and upbeat.  Pastels are typically more serene.  And there are g’zillions of shades of “whites” because of the seemingly unlimited number of undertones available.  Depending on the type of material walls are made of, they may be painted, wall-papered, tiled, textured or acid-treated – just to name a few.

Decor may include a specific design style, such as mid century modern, industrial or shabby chic.  Often, it may include an eclectic mix of several different styles with one distinct style prevailing.  In general, I think people typically respond to designs they feel the most comfortable with.  For some, it may have nothing to do with “designing” or “decorating” – it may be as simple as surrounding themselves by collections of family photographs.  And if that creates a happy environment for someone, then life is good!

Architectural style consists of more structural elements in a home, such as cathedral ceilings, staircases, skylights, wall and / or ceiling angles, fireplace mantels, etc.  Like decor, there is often one style complemented by several others.  But again, many people do not care about anyting architectural.  Maybe they are content with using color to “color their world”.

And then, of course, there is scent.  Some scents lift us from a fog; others calm us.  Mother Nature provides the means from which we can extract essential oils and scent our world.  So are these wonderful scents natural anti-depressants?  I am not a physician, so I cannot make medical claims, nor provide a prescription.  But like Jonathan Adler offers a prescription for “anti-depressive living” through art and design, I am comfortable saying that scent is part of my personal prescription to help me live an anti-depressive life.  I have tunnel vision on this subject, so there may be lots of people who do not know, or care, about scenting their environment.  Can you imagine that?!