THE SANCTUARY IN YOU
A good designer should conspire to uncover the authentic you.
This is a process that requires the vulnerability of everyone involved.
Vulnerability. Not a popular word. Even those who share incessantly on social media are rarely telling it like it is but rather painting a picture of something imagined in order to impress.
Here’s the serious question—are you open to a little honesty now? Because the only way to create a beautiful interior is to discover the spaces within you.
The Sanctuary Living process always begins with what I call a Lean In, a time when we both look one another in the eye and have a long [and sometimes hard] chat about what’s really going on inside your home.
My client time always starts with a detailed questionnaire. Typically, the questions are read aloud, by me, with a particular emphasis and a deliberate pace. I underscore with music because I’ve learned that it sets a cadence and evokes an emotional engagement that is impossible to get to any other way.
There are 57 questions asked in a very particular order.
As the process unfolds, you will feel emotional. Caught off guard.
You may even cry.
You will feel vulnerable. And heard.
Maybe for the first time.
You will find it curious just how relevant seemingly irrelevant questions really are.
Your answers will surprise you. Maybe shock you.
The process will linger. Invade other spaces of your life.
You may feel restless. Frustrated. Only at first.
And then revelation will come.
Once it does, change is inevitable.
And with change. Transformation.
Can questions really do that? Oh yes they can.
For the sake of propriety and time, I’ve included a choice list of favorites to get your creative juices flowing and to leave you wanting more. After all, when it comes to self-exploration one can only take so much.
Here’s the bottom line—Sanctuary Living is founded on the principle that Interior Design begins with what’s going on in you, not around you. And in a world where every single decision we make is externalized, that’s a revolutionary thing.
THE SANCTUARY IN YOU
[An abbreviated questionnaire designed to reveal the essential you]
Put on your favorite music [you absolutely have to share in the comments what it is]
Don’t overthink the question.
Write what comes to mind.
Give yourself plenty of time.
Make sure to share your favorite answer in the Comments and share all of your answers with me via email at jkraft@sanctuaryliving.net.
Visit Sessions on the website to register for your personal time with me.
THE QUESTIONS
Close your eyes.
What color do you see? Describe it. Choose one—bold or serene.
How would your best friend describe you?
When you arrive home, do you hope someone is there, or that you are alone? Why?
As it is right now, what is the one feature in your home that best embodies who you really are?
Using only adjectives, describe it?
What are you afraid of?
Pets or no pets? Why?
Without naming it, describe your favorite room in the house based upon what you are doing in it.
You are exhausted and need some down time. Where do you go?
Sunshine or dark?
Without overthinking, use four words to describe, “home.”
What frustrates you the most?
Are you happy? If not, why not?
What is the thing you struggle with the most?
What is your favorite color lipstick?
As if you are describing a relationship with another person, how would you depict your relationship with your dwelling?
How many home decorating magazines do you have in your home/possession right now?