Room With A View

 

 

Every significant conversation of my life has taken place in the kitchen. The living room is for TV and lounging. The bedroom is for sleeping, reading and writing at my desk. Every room serves a purpose, and somehow, the kitchen feeds us, acts as office, craft table, and Christmas present-wrapping station, and manages to catch all our most serious heart-to-hearts somewhere between the plates and cups. It's the center of every home, really. The ceiling echoes our laughter and the table top soaks up our tears. It's where the food is. It's where we gather, with our families. It's where the wine is - don't forget that.

 

When we live in a kitchen, we want an outward view: a nice picture window to watch the birds through while we sip coffee (or wine!). But when I'm writing a kitchen, it's the inward view that's important. It's what's inside that room, the laughter and tears of the characters, that matter. It's the heart of their homes, and I want my readers to feel that. And it seems only fitting that the characters have their big talks, their heart-to-heart game changers, in their kitchens too. I'm guilty, I'll admit, of using imaginary kitchens a lot. I love them. I love designing them in my head.

 

These kitchens - white and butcher block and Southern - remind me a lot of Jess's kitchen at Rosewood.

 

Rosewood has a rocking chair front porch too. Porches are for easy, aimless conversations. Maybe more wine. Gentle breezes. And dreams. So many dreams. I dream my dreams on the front porch, amid the smell of gardenias.

Paint this house white, slap some black shutters on the windows, and it looks a lot like a section of wraparound porch at Rosewood.

Don't mind the fat cat...

 

I do a lot of writing in my bedroom. Ellie's a writer too, so I always wanted her to have a dreamy, romantic vibe to her otherwise subtle and tasteful bedroom. I love this bed.

 

 

While characters are looking out, we're looking in. That sounds peeping tom-ish, doesn't it?!

 

Some characters haven't found their homes yet. I'm still helping them with their search...