Ever thought about a unique way of taking advantage of the healing power of humor? How about designing your home to be “humor friendly”?
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By Cheryll Gillespie
Originally found at Cochrane Times
We all know the saying laughter is the best medicine and there is no doubt that laughing is good for you, just as there is no doubt in my mind that most of us don’t laugh enough.
Nothing boosts our mood and our energy levels like a good laugh with friends and family, so our project at home this week is to encourage more laughter in our rooms.
Wow, wait a minute, I don’t mean that we are laughing at our plastic lace dollies table top or the plastic still on the lamp shades — if you have either of these at home remove them quickly and don’t tell anyone about them — this is no laughing matter!
Alright back to the project at hand, bringing laughter into our rooms.
Let it be known that if we can’t get a full blown belly laugh out of anyone we’ll settle for a good giggle or two. Hey, at least it’s a starting point. The stats say we laugh approximately 15 times a day although that seems high to me as I count giggles, therefore I’m not convinced we are all reaching our giggle quotas. So in the name of good taste and chic decor let’s try to raise the laughter quotas.
To bring laughter into our rooms try some of the ideas below :
1. Look for art that makes you giggle. There is a lot of whimsical art out there that will bring a smile and perhaps even a giggle to your lips. I have a great oversized painting of a clown holding a bottle of wine that has hung in our kitchen for years.
2. Place framed photographs on horizontal surfaces that inspire giggles. Funny animated faces you’ve captured on camera of friends and family. Goofy moments etc.
I love photos that either appear as art, not the traditional all in the family gathered around the base of a tree kinda photo but rather action shots or captured moments.
Don’t have any such as these? Then keep your camera close at hand and the next time someone in the family laughs try catching a shot and then have the shot printed in black and white and put in a frame.
Here’s another example, when we were shooting in Brazil, a country known for its beaches and thongs I was able to capture and create a photo montage of folks that I thought should not be wearing thongs.
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The 90-year-old grandfather, the 90-year-old grandmother, the 300 pound lady. These are now the fabulous black and white photos that sit on the night stands in our lakeside home’s guest house.
3. We have Curly, our life size butler statue that greets each and every visitor to our home. Even when we walk through the door we say hello to Curly, which never ceases to bring a smile to my face. He’s always in touch with season — he was busy serving up Halloween delights yesterday. Guests are always startled and amazed at his realness.
Even smaller collectibles and statues can bring big smiles to a room. For example, when we were shooting at a home in Hong Kong last month the owner had a passion for frogs as we travelled from room to room frogs keep showing up in unexpected places. This had our team giggling with each ribbeting discovery of a new frog.
4. Pets always bring laughter into a home. Dogs, cats even fish can provide you with an endless supply of giggle and love. I can’t imagine life without all of our four-legged and finned family members.
If you are looking to bring an animal home please remember to consider rescuing an animal before buying from a breeder. Hundreds of pets are put down every month simply because no one thought to inquire about a shelter and adopting a pet. This is no laughing matter but the love and laughter that pets bring to a home is truly priceless and genuine.
5. In small spaces such as a powder room look to provide a chuckle with a wild wallpaper or if you can’t source a paper that makes you smile, paint the walls a dark handsome shade and then using a paint pen write your own messages on the wall.
It’s imperative that we encourage laughter in our homes. Think outside the box and strive to bring home a few more giggles.
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