Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Wabi Sabi / 01

As I mentioned last week, over the next few months I want to explore the concept wabi sabi- the beauty in the imperfect, incomplete, and impermanent. I want to think about messes and half done projects and joyful, unstyled moments. Real moments, real places, real people.

This series begins with Jill from Lune Blog, who in addition to maintaining a beautiful blog, runs an online vintage shop, with amazing pieces that beg to tell a story. I am thrilled that she was willing to share her words and pictures. I've been reading her blogs for years and coveting all of her vintage treasures.  Her's was one of the first blogs I started reading, so it sort of feels like a girl crush is coming to my hose for the first time. It's an honor. Thanks, Jill.


Exploring the real, authentic, imperfect homes of others.

Tell us about your home.


My husband and I live with our two kids (ages 2 and 8) in a century old prairie home in the heart of Winnipeg, Canada. It's a great solid house with character, but enough modern upgrades to make it fairly easy to upkeep. The house isn't large, just over 1000 square feet, but it's just right for us. That's not to say that it isn't a challenge to find space for the big lives of two energetic children, stocking space for the vintage sales I run, and a place for our collections. Things can get messy VERY easily around here.


What is your relationship to mess, to disorder?


Mess affects everyone's mood differently. I think over the years I've found a good balance of staying relatively tidy while not obsessing over everything being perfect all the time. I'm well aware of the fingerprints on the coffee table, or the fact that the floor clearly needs a good swifter, but that won't stop us from having a tea party first. I don't want to live in disorder, but I also don't want that fact that life is naturally messy to restrict my ability to go out there and really live it up! I'm ok with imperfection. Our biggest deep cleans happen before company comes over, which is just a great excuse to have visitors over more often!





How does your home reflect wabi sabi?

Wabi Sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. I think that's such a great perspective when it comes to our home. The eclectic mix of old fixer-upper furniture, loved vintage pieces and modern bits in our living spaces reflect that sentiment. It changes and grows, and offers comfort. It's easy and un-demanding. It accepts a little extra abuse, and can wait for attention. That lack of urgency puts us in a position to enjoy the offerings of the present. Right now is what counts in a child's life, and as a parent, I am learning to appreciate that the current moment is the one that needs to be cherished the most. I want to be remembered as a mother who was fun and brought adventure into the lives of my children, not the one who had a really sparkling clean toilet and never left a bed unmade.



What do you find beautiful?

I suppose I could sum up everything that I think is beautiful as belonging to nature. Humanity, emotion, a warm breeze, great tasting food, and the full green canopy of leaves that hangs over our street in the summer. Seeing something I've never seen before gives me the most beautiful feeling of discovery. Experiencing life through the eyes of the people I love is so beautiful. My country, Canada, represents beauty in that it has given us license to live in safety and able to look uninhibited, wide eyed, upon the world around us. This life isn't always fit for a magazine, but I appreciate that it's mine to live, and that is a truly beautiful gift.


Jill, thank you again. 
To see more of her home, adventures, and beautiful children, check out her blog, Lune Vintage,  and her Instagram@lunevintage.



2 comments:

  1. I love an introduction to this awesome blog this way, because a little imperfection only underscores the beauty of her shop and space. This series is gonna rock. The bar has been set high.

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  2. Didn't she do a great job? So excited.

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