Hmm, could Dr. Mercola’s advice this morning help chase away the winter blues?

“Thinking outside the box is more than just a business cliché. It means approaching problems in new, innovative ways and conceptualizing problems differently. One way to beef up your out-of-the-box thinking skills: Study another industry. Go to the library and pick up a trade magazine in an industry other than your own, or grab a few books from the library, and learn about how things are done in other industries.”

As I thought about my conversation this weekend with an ingenious architectural designer, I pondered on how to transfer his industry’s information to invigorate the dark, cold January and February winter days.

First a few key points from architectural designer Charlie Gabhart, then questions on how you might transfer some of his information to help remedy the winter blues…

People build houses that are aggravating. They bump around in them. They don’t have the environment they need. They start blaming the spouse and each other for not being happy. The house is causing their unhappiness.

• You can write this down: When a house is finished, if the owners talk about what a nightmare it was, the nightmare is the result, not the building of the house. If they get a good result, then the nightmare of the building evaporates.
• The ego causes unhappiness. People fantasize on a dream home: ego. They want to look and feel successful: ego. They want the house to do so much for their self esteem: ego. When they get it built, they have a monster. It doesn’t feed the human spirit. They don’t get the emotional result they were hoping for.  Why is that? Because what they think they want that will make them feel good only feeds the ego. They think social entry with a big house is going to do all these things for them. It is a letdown. It doesn’t manifest the result they expect. 
• How to overcome? Build the right structure, something that addresses the human spirit, the real emotional need. The ego/bolstered self esteem are not needs. Design should address the place to do whatever they do, whatever their lifestyle is. Is the core of their lifestyle to eat? Sleep? Entertain? Hobbies? Design to support their way of living, not how their friends and neighbors will perceive them. If it is ego-designed, not one square foot will they enjoy. They are building for what other people will think – “curb appeal,” “show home,” “dream home.”  
• Key recommendation: let the sun in. Position the house for entry of the sun. In a place of business, have sunlight/natural lighting in the ceiling. People come in and don’t know why. The color yellow on the inside and on the outside attracts people. It is the color of the sun, a cheerful color.
• Make the perceived space larger. Open the stair railing so you can see above and below. Let light flood through the space.
• Houses don’t lead to divorce when the inhabitants are emotionally happy in them. The wife gets what she wants. The husband gets what he wants. They are out of each other’s hair. If they want to do different things, each needs space – according to their individual needs. A couple can build a huge home, and there not be space for either one of them.
• The house should support them emotionally. Decide on the emotion, then build to the emotion. What is the desired emotion? Happy? Carefree? Stimulating? Stability and security? To impress friends? If you desire freedom, build a park; if oppression and control, build a school; if somber, build a funeral home; if cruel, build a jail. How do you want to feel in this place? Design to that. “Design to the emotion.”  How do you want to feel?

 How can you transfer the above design industry wisdom to help breathe life into cold, winter days?

• In what space do you spend your waking hours? What combination of rooms do you spend the majority of your time? Is it your office, your family room, your cubicle? Renovation will take some work. What end result do you want to keep in mind so your effort melts away into pleasure?
• How can you change your office, your family room, your cubicle to feed your human spirit?
• What is important to you to include in your space? What is at the core of your lifestyle? What kind of emotion is most appealing to you? What feels right to you?
• How much sunlight are you getting every day? Are your windows covered or open? Can you bring more sunlight into your space? If direct sunlight is not possible, can you bring in full spectrum lighting? What colors are on your walls?
• Is your space open, light, and spacious or closed, dark, and cluttered?
• Do you have a space that you can go, just for you? Does your spouse or significant other have a personal space?
• What does your space feel like? What emotion comes to mind? If you are not happy with your assessment, what can you do design to your emotion?

 Hmm, perhaps when you redesign your favorite spaces, you might find it feels good all year long?