Simply Lovely Interview Series No.1: Grace of Sense and Simplicity

Good morning, friends! Happy Thursday (well, why not?)!
Today I want to introduce you to Grace, the  author of the design and travel blog Sense and Simplicity. I don't read very many blogs, but hers is on my short list - well-written, beautifully photographed, inspirational, yet completely accessible. Like all of us, she's a multi-tasker: "I'm a speech-language pathologist by day and a design-loving mom by night."
When I asked her, "Grace, would you be interested in being first in my new Simply Lovely Interviews series?", she said, "yes". I'm thrilled to have her (and her photos!).

Rayna: How and when did you develop your interest in design?

Grace: Design has been my passion for as long as I can remember.  As a child, I would make up families and then design houses for them.  The homes would be inspired by books I was reading or houses I would see when we traveled.  Often, my indulgent father would drive through the ritzy areas of whatever town we were visiting, so I could see the big houses.  And my parents would take us on tours of historic homes and open air museums - I loved it all.  When I would see an interesting house, I would spend the rest of the day trying to figure out a floorplan that would fit with the exterior. 

I remember some of the homes I designed when I was young.  After visiting my uncle's friend who lived in a mobile home, I was obsessed with decorating one in gray and green.  I also remember designing a lighthouse home, little cabins, and country houses.  I remember one country home in particular I designed that had a children's wing and an adult's wing, which I thought was very clever (still do).  

Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario

Rayna: What's the story behind how your blog began?

Grace: About six years ago I started reading on-line decorating discussion boards, which led me to discover blogs.  The very first blog I found was Restyled Home, and I was fascinated.  I spent days going through Linda's archives and reading years worth of posts.  I was a complete stalker!  I still love Linda's style and credit her with my love for blogging.  I read blogs for two years before I decided to have one of my own.  I resisted starting a blog because I was afraid blogging would take up too much time (there is some truth to that), I wouldn't have anything to write about (definitely not true), and nobody would be interested in reading it (thankfully, also not true).  

Three Christmases ago my husband showed me how easy Blogger was to use, my family encouraged me with all the things I could write about, and the name "Sense and Simplicity" popped into my head, which seemed like a good name because it reflected who I am and also alluded to a book I enjoy reading.  It all seemed to fit together so I committed to writing my blog for one year.  It has been two and a half years now and I still love it.  I find blogging to be such a fun creative outlet for me and it has really awakened my interest in photography.

Glenburn Tea Estate, near Darjeeling, India, August 2011

Rayna: Grace, some of my favorite posts are your travel posts. Best travel tips?

Grace: I love to travel and really feel it gives me a whole new lease on life when I go somewhere new - it feeds my soul and everyone needs that. I feel compelled to explore a new continent, country, city, or even a nearby attraction every year. Some years are big travel years - like last year with my eight-week trip to France, Bangladesh, and India - and some years we stick closer to home - like this year.  

I try to travel light and take the minimum amount of clothing and shoes.  If we are taking more than carry-on luggage, I always make sure I have a change of clothes in my carry-on so I could survive if my checked bag got lost.  I also mix up the clothing between my husband's and my suitcases so if a bag goes missing we aren't out of all the clothes for one person.  

I'm a big fan of cross-body purses, but especially love them when I travel. In the photo below, you can see the yellow one I used when we were in France last summer.  Because it is small I can't pack too much in there making it heavy to carry, but it is big enough to hold my camera, a snack, money, tissues, and a lipstick ... and is in a fun colour so I feel stylish wearing it.  And most importantly, it doesn't hurt my shoulders or back to carry it all day and it leaves my hands free.

Étretat, Normandy, France, July 2011

I think the single most important thing you can take with you when you are traveling is the right attitude.  You need to have an open mind and just figure anything that happens - short of catastrophe - is all part of the experience.  If there is a huge monsoon that floods the streets so you can't go anywhere, then just enjoy watching the world float by your door (see photo below).  Or if you are so cold at night sleeping in your tent that you end up wearing everything you brought with you, including your raincoat, then just keep in mind it will make a great story later. It's curious how often the difficult times become the memories you laugh about later. All your experiences - good or bad - are part of the narrative of your adventure.

Bangladesh during the monsoon, August 2011

Rayna: Every entry on Sense and Simplicity is so inspired! How best to translate a picture online/in a magazine to your own home?

Grace: I love pouring over pictures in magazines or online and find that is where I get many of my ideas and inspiration I use when decorating my own home.  Sometimes it is the overall feel of the room that inspires me. I study a photo to find the general direction I want to follow in our home in terms of style or colour. Pictures can also help me define my decorating style. 

However, the most common way I use pictures is to study the details.  For example, I may be trying to figure out what kind of window treatment to use with an arched window, or how to arrange things on my coffee table, or how to combine painted and natural wood in a room.  So I will search for solutions that appeal to me and then implement them.  Oh, and if you want to see the solution I finally found for our arched bedroom window, have a look at the photo below.  It only took eleven years to figure it out!  

While I like looking at fabulously decorated high-end rooms and homes, it is the small, more humble homes that really appeal to me.  I love seeing a well-appointed, carefully curated, nicely proportioned room.

Our master bedroom - with the final curtain solution to the dreaded arched window

Rayna: Let's play complete the sentence. "The secret to a happy life is ..."

Grace: summarized by these three things:

• always maintain your sense of humour
• know what is important
• in all your relationships, have a thick skin and a tender heart 

My happy spot on the dock at the cottage 

Grace is also on Pinterest. There, you can see why she's my go-to tastemaker. See here.