The best of bliss
The new world order has us seeking out singular moments of pleasure and in the first of a series on current décor trends. Sian Steyn outlines the thinking driving this lifestyle trend
WHILE the world may be increasingly unpredictable, the individual is moving to accentuate the positive by creating a blissful and bliss-filled space in his or her home. In other words, we’re all taking a step in the happy direction.
Perhaps your idea of bliss is relaxing on a sun-drenched veranda with a book. Perhaps it’s sharing your passion for food in a friend-filled kitchen — or simply soaking in a hot bath with the perfect cup of tea.
Four years after the global economic downturn, we’re no longer talking about the recession as if it is a temporary state of affairs. Instead, the prevailing mood is a refreshingly positive one: accepting a new world order where we all take charge of our own destiny.
That’s why the theme of this year’s Decorex SA exhibitions is about finding the bliss in your own life. We do not need anyone else to do it for us — we can create bliss around us simply by making our homes the sanctuary we have always dreamt about.
Decorex SA prides itself on constantly evolving and ensuring that the year’s show is in touch with the needs and mood of the moment. That is why this year will see us reflecting the décor world’s move into a state of bliss.
One of the world’s leading trend forecasters, Li Edelkoort predicted last year that the bliss of being at home in your own sanctuary was going to become an important source of individual fulfilment. Instead of feeling down about changed economic times, a new optimistic mood is giving us a feeling of freedom.
If we can’t afford to book an overseas holiday, well, then we might as well ensure that life at home feels like one long holiday.
From luxurious bathrooms to the simplicity of a handmade plate, from breaking bread with family at your kitchen table to the thrill of seeing your newly-tended garden unfold — this Decorex Joburg 2013 is focused on helping visitors find a state of sheer bliss.
Well known interior designer and award-winning stylist, Tracy Lee Lynch from Cape Town, has been invited to create an installation at all three of this year’s shows, inspired by the blissful trend.
For her cross stitch-inspired Decorex Cape Town installation in April, Tracy created a display of craft and design which celebrated what she called, “quiet time spent”.
Tapping into another prevailing trend, that of celebrating the fine detail and authenticity of handmade craft, Tracy explains: “My intention was to collect pieces that reference the blissful feeling you have when you make beautiful objects that require a gentle focus and a repetitive or a meditative process — like cross stitching.”
Inspired by Frederique Morrel, the French artist that repurposes vintage tapestries by covering her sculptural pieces with the stitched works, Tracy has created a feminine pink and floral sanctuary dominated by a screen of giant, quirky cross stitching. Tracy says that in researching Morrel, she was intrigued by the hundreds of hours of stitching and the quiet moments that must have been spent by mostly women sitting with the tapestries.
“The result was pure bliss and the time spent must have been bliss — an opportunity to unwind from daily chores and be creative without any anxiety as to whether the result would be beautiful or not. What’s not to love about colourful threads telling stories?” she asks.