Being Inspired by the Little Bit of Magic in My “Backyard“

Photo: Being Inspired by the Little Bit of Magic in My “Backyard“
2012 @ Martina Ernst

This is part two of a two-part essay. You can read part one here.

Capturing what makes places like this park special
and translating this into livable and sustainable designs
would be magic in its own right.

This place resonates on an emotional level. This park is a place where you feel good and seeing the animals invokes a feeling of happiness and joy, not just in me, but in most people I observe. It has wow-factor in its inhabitants, people stop to watch the geese, they count the little ones and if they are regulars they keep track of their progress, they search for the turtles, sometimes you see people fish, but most of all you see them enjoying being near the animals. It’s the smiles, the awe, the wonder you see on peoples and kids faces when they watch. But even if you do not find any of the animals, it is a place of relaxation and peacefulness. The proof: people use it for walks, picnics, family outings and nature activities.

Why is understanding and capturing the essence of this so important to me? At heart, I am a designer who wants to make life easier and spaces more livable for people. Capturing what makes places like this park special and translating this into livable and sustainable designs would be magic in its own right.

Imagine spaces in your own home that would create this feeling of peace, recreation, joy and restoration. The key is understanding how we can in our limited way create an interior eco-system that mimics nature: making interior spaces feel alive. A few designers and architects are already attempting to do that, and in the future we will see more of this. And I will elaborate in the future.

At the end of my walk I stood on my favorite vantage point, the bridge that divides the main lake from the smaller ones. I had been looking out for one of the beavers, a real favourite of mine. And just when I was about to give up one of them appeared. It swam towards the bridge and just before the bridge it turned slowly, tail up, almost as to say “I am here, have a good look, bye, bye”. This is a little bit of magic right here!

Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Photo: Being Inspired by the Little Bit of Magic in My “Backyard“
2012 @ Martina Ernst