To celebrate the upcoming Christmas season, I have asked one of the designers I have had the pleasure working with this year to write a guest post. Today I want to introduce Courtney Petrin. Courtney and her husband own a fabulous firm down in Sarasota, FL. Her and her family live in an adorable home where all her design magic blossoms from. Be sure to check out her social media channels and website which will be linked at the bottom of this post.
It feels like leading up to the holidays; our weeks are filled with work deadlines, holiday events, and family commitments. Over the past three months, I’ve been feeling the urge to slowdown and take time for quiet, slow mornings at home and doing mundane household tasks. I’ve realized how much I love to be at home. I love the comfort of home and how it fills my soul. I suppose it’s no real surprise that a glorified homebody would end up in the home design field. However, it’s more than that. It’s the place where I can become centered. The place I can get away from the noise, the stress, and the everyday grind.
I spent all of my late teens, twenties and early thirties going at such a fast pace that I often compromised my health for it. The pursuit of my own self afflicted benchmarks and deadlines; as if I would fill some sort of internal void once I hit all of them. Instead, I was left with feeling more and more depleted. At 35, I realize what my mind and body needs most. I also realize how that extends to how I can function as a parent, a wife and designer. It use to be the stillness felt like failure. Like I should be filling it with a productive task. An uncomfortable emptiness that I would have to fill to feel worthy. Now it feels like joy. Stillness feels like I’m giving my soul exactly what it needs. I’m no longer running from it but instead I seek it. I need it. I’ve learned I’m ok with going a slower pace to build our business so I can be present with our daughter. Stillness that allows me to be mentally healthy and so I savor her growing up in a place of gratitude. Stillness means I can notice when my body is out of balance and I can check in with myself. Stillness is my meditation. It’s my gift to my family, my clients, my work and most importantly myself.
Since Christmas is the time of giving, there is no better time to reflect on the gifts we neglect in the pursuit of the superficial ones. My wish is for us all to realize that all your deadlines will still be there and the chaos isn’t a badge of honor. Take a a long breath…and be still…I promise you will find something better….
Xx Courtney
Courtney Petrin | Co-Owner – Designer
I’m a self-taught designer and I pride myself on my ability to maneuver through varying styles while incorporating my client’s tastes and preferences through my perspective. I view each relationship with a client as a partnership-combining my vision and their style into a uniquely curated design. My background in advanced clinical psychology has been extremely useful in working with clients and understanding each of my client’s needs and personalities. In all, I love home and love creating functionally beautiful spaces that reflect the people living in them. Courtney Petrin
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