Welcome back to The Seven: TRH’s quarterly musings on news, insights, and trends for better spaces, and better lives.

1   Lunar Year of the Fire Horse:  Could not be more excited about this!  The speed of a horse, the intensity and ‘totalness’ of fire. A powerful, transformative year; which plays into our being mindful, needing/having a supportive physical environment. From the Chinese Learning Institute, check it out, and buckle up!

2   Their 15 minutes are up: Black-framed windows.

That white quartz with the same, faux-random gray veining on every 6×8  (and bigger!)manufactured slab. Or those violently-veined products in huge sheets.  White Panda tile, I’m looking at YOU!

White-on white-on white decor. Especially in kitchens. Sputnick light fixtures.  Cowhide area rugs, fake or real, but especially real. Instant furniture. (See #4).

PROCESSES

3   Softer:  Awareness and cultivation of environments and routines for a gentler day that’ll support a stronger you.  Good sleep is key;  think upgrades to bedding, towels, and jammies.  Shut your phone off at night, and keep it in another room. Waking to mellow jazz or bird calls instead of a traffic report, and citrus-scented soaps in the shower. Clothes whose style and texture feel good against your skin. Dialing back on the multi-tasking, and over-scheduling. Incorporate what you can, when you can, and enjoy the results!

4   Slow: Patience. Allowing time for things to combine, unfold, and build into their best. It works for food and relationships (aka ‘slow burn’), now there are signs the pendulum is swinging over to a decorating style that favors quality, meaning, and the enjoyment of collecting pieces vs. efficiently ‘accomplishing’.  I say step away from the phone and the apps, and HANDS-UP to hands-on decorating.

WALLS

5   Microcement: It’s a totally customizable, seamless wall covering applied on-site. It has the same soft sheen, warm and nuanced colorations of Venetian Plaster, but is waterproof and more durable, making it an outstanding choice for luxurious BAs at pretty  much the same cost to install a hand-screened wallpaper.

6   Did someone say wallpaper? Walls are the largest surface in a room, giving you the most opportunity to shape the look of a room. Could be in the form of a whole-wall mural, or an elegant grasscloth.

From the traditional to modern and whimsical, great pick-m-ups for small or niche spaces like powder rooms, mud rooms, and laundry rooms. Definitely helped by easier installation (and removal) processes including self-adhesive panels.

7   Voting, Civics, and Community: Yes,  I’m going there. There is too much at stake not to. Primaries start in 2 weeks, so make sure you are registered, info is current, and matches your driver’s license. Any name changes via marriage, divorce, or other transition?

Kids who’ll be 18 by each election day can register now. So can many formerly incarcerated individuals. (In NYS voting rights are automatically restored upon release, but you need to re-register.)

Chat voting up in your circles. Show up for all the elections, help if you can, and plan your vote now if you’ll be traveling, or for any kids who’ll be away at school. More info at vote.gov.

Be aware. And be visible so others can find you, and show up for your neighbors, too. None of us can do everything, but each of us can do something. Daily check-ins Heather Cox Richardson,   More info Indivisible.org  and League of Women Voters.