Design, Craft, and Meaning: Part 1
The Importance of Beauty: Beauty is not extra. It’s essential. A meditation on why beauty matters in our homes, our work, and our lives.
There are moments in life that ask nothing of us—no decision to make, no task to complete—only that we pause long enough to notice.
A breeze through linen curtains. The curve of a hand-thrown bowl. The flicker of candlelight dancing on a well-set table.
Moments like these are stitched together by one unifying force: beauty.
And beauty, I’ve come to believe, is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
We live in a world dominated by utility. We're taught to chase efficiency, convenience, and profit. The faster, the cheaper, the more optimized—this is the drumbeat of modern life. But beauty doesn't march to that rhythm. Beauty interrupts. It slows us down. It demands presence.
And that is precisely its power.
Beauty isn’t passive. It does something to us. It opens the heart, softens the edges, makes space for awe. In a world that often feels transactional, beauty reminds us we are not machines—we are human.
I think of the old homes in Charleston, the artisans in Florence, the handmade pieces I’ve seen crafted with reverence at Salone del Mobile. These are not just things. They are expressions. They carry intention, soul, time. They ask us to treat them with respect. They invite us into relationship.
That’s the paradox of beauty: the more deeply we engage with it, the more we’re changed by it.
Some will say beauty is impractical. That we shouldn’t care so much about aesthetics when there are bigger problems to solve. But I would argue that beauty is what gives those solutions meaning. Without beauty, progress is hollow. Without beauty, function becomes sterile.
Beauty is not extra. It's elemental.
It is the emotional infrastructure of a meaningful life.
So let this be an invitation. Not to consume more beautiful things, but to notice them. To live with them. To create them. Whether through architecture, cooking, writing, or the way we welcome a guest into our home—let’s elevate the ordinary.
Because when we prioritize beauty, we’re not just making things look better.
We’re making life feel richer.
Reflection Points: The Importance of Beauty
1. When was the last time you truly noticed beauty?
Think back to a recent moment—perhaps as simple as light through a window or the feel of a favorite object. What did it evoke in you? Did you pause? Or move past it?
2. How much of your daily life is shaped by utility over intention?
We often default to what’s fast, efficient, or convenient. In what ways might this have dulled your experience of beauty or meaning?
3. What objects in your home carry soul?
Consider the handmade, the gifted, the well-worn. What stories do they tell? What care do they invite in return?
4. Where do you experience beauty as presence, not performance?
There’s a difference between something beautiful and something meant to be shown off. Where in your life does beauty feel intimate, grounded, and alive?
5. What rhythms in your life need interruption?
Beauty, as the piece suggests, interrupts. Are there routines or mindsets you’d like to slow down or reframe in the name of living more fully?
6. Do you believe beauty is practical—or essential?
Many dismiss beauty as frivolous. How would your choices shift if you accepted beauty as foundational to well-being and progress?
7. What would it mean for you to “elevate the ordinary”?
Whether in your work, your rituals, or your relationships—how could you infuse more care, design, and presence into the everyday?
8. How do you define a “meaningful life”?
What role does beauty play in that definition? And is your current lifestyle aligned with it?