Designing Your Life With Expert Kelli Ellis

A few weeks ago, I received 2 emails that made me literally jump for joy. This was one of them. HGTV, TLC, and Bravo featured designer Kelli Ellis contacted me about her recently penned book on design inspiration. Do I Look Skinny in this House? How to feel great in your home using Design Psychology is set to release today on Amazon. She took time out to share some of ideas on how design can inspire your life. I’m so excited to have her here. Thanks Kelli!

The Inspiring Bee: If you believe a person’s home can be source of inspiration and creativity, can your home do the opposite? Can it be uninspiring and be un-motivating?

Kelli Ellis: Your home can absolutely “hold you down”… Imagine a room in your home that you basically walk by and do not really enjoy. Now, think about how that room makes you “feel” ..”Uninspired,” “blah,” or “it’s pretty but not functional.” Now imagine if every room in your home or the rooms that require energy, felt that same way. Can you imagine waking in a bedroom that is unrestful, working in a room that is a mess and dysfunctional, cooking in a room without the appliances you need? If you do not have the 3 F’s; function, flow and feel ..your rooms are holding you down. In simple terms, rooms that lack the 3 F’s are like computers that are 10 years old…Time wasting, energy suckers!

TIB: Can where you live bring more meaning into your life?

KE: Ask any person mountain or beach? view or pool? city or suburb? The visceral reaction one gives is based on a “gut feeling.” That gut is our internalized in our nervous system that tells us when we fight or fly and how we will react to most scenarios. If we do not honor our “gut feelings” we are wasting our time and energy trying to “feel” right and comfortable. Everyone is different but it is important to honor yourself and each other when deciding where to live.

TIB: What small things can a creative professional or someone who wants to be more creative do to invite inspiration and creativity into their home?

KE: First, eliminate clutter so you can find a comfortable place to find inspiration. You notice when you are on vacation and you feel revived, inspired, and relaxed. That feeling comes from being out of your everyday. Try to recreate that same feeling at home by clearing the visual clutter away and transforming a space to make it look new. Even a small corner in your home that you can claim to find some inspiration, is valuable.

Thanks so much Kelli!

{P.S. I’ll be interviewing her again soon with home office inspiration for small business owners and entrepreneurs on the Intuit Small Business blog.}