ren·o·ven·tion \ˈre-nə-ven(t)-shən\
To restore to life, vigor, or a former better state using ingenuity and imagination.


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Finding Inspiration - Secret Spaces

After the broken pipe debacle my husband quickly lost his enthusiasm for renovating. The water damage significantly expanded the scope of our job and we both felt overwhelmed. While I was seeing new possibilities, he was envisioning a slippery slope of cost and hassle.

Fortunately, while channel surfing one day he found a special on HGTV called Secret Spaces. It featured the designs of "Creative Home Engineering" a company that specializes in secret passages and hidden doors. Below is a sampling of their work.
You can find their website at http://hiddenpassageway.com/ 











There were a lot of "oohs and ahhs" over the hidden doors and their various means of entry. One was opened via radio frequency transmission when certain chess pieces were aligned on a chess board. Others had a simple hidden latch or like the staircase above a simple key fob. My favorite has always been the bookcase that opens when you pull down a certain book.

Suddenly my husband was excited about the project again. The brainstorming began on where we could add a room that would be concealed enough to be a "secret". It was important to him that a stranger walking through the house would not be able to tell where the hidden door and room were. After all, that's what makes the whole thing so intriguing right? Eventually we did work out the details to make his inspiration a reality in our home. You'll have to wait to see it until it's fully executed -  no use ruining the surprise before then!

So I guess the moral of this story is that inspiration can come unexpectedly. It's easy to lose perspective on any problem by focusing in on it too closely. If your feeling burned out or are stuck with your project just take some mental time away from it.  When you have had a chance to put your own concerns aside you may just find the solution you were lacking. 


No comments:

Post a Comment