DESIGNER MUSINGS: LOVE, JOY, HOPE AND PEACE

In a tough year, basking in the “silver-lining” feels of the season (no matter how aspirational they may seem) is one way to feed yourself more than just your share of pudding. With a focus on four of our favourites—love, joy, hope and peace—our community of designers weigh in on how the holidays are delivering for them.

“The holiday season is really all about family for me, and it brings me so much joy. I love Thanksgiving in particular, as I always tackle making dinner with my sister. The recipes can be a bit touch-and-go sometimes but we have a lot of fun. What brings me peace around this time of year is being able to put my phone down and take a break from work and social media. I think it’s healthy to step away from it all periodically. When it comes to hope, I have a little one, so I have to be hope, create hope, and have hope for her.”

– Mary Alice Malone, Malone Souliers

“Shutting off from work means being with my family. I find games are a way to really engage everyone and truly take your mind off anything else. Charades is what we play every Christmas Eve—we team up with one grandparent, one grandkid and one aunt or uncle on each team. Even at our holiday party in the office, we always engage in games, whether it’s Charades, Scattergories or Pictionary. I’m such a dork this way. Everyone makes fun of me for it, but I love it.”

– Amy Smilovic, Tibi

“Spending time in nature brings me the most joy and inspiration, creatively speaking. I am originally from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, so each Christmas I really enjoy the opportunity to road-trip back up north and spend time with family by the beach, whether it’s hiking, surfing or swimming. This is one of the rare times of year that our Holly Ryan Studio closes its doors for a little while, so it is one of the few opportunities that I get to truly switch off and unwind. The time spent with family and immersed in nature is really invigorating and I find that it’s the perfect way to reset for the new year ahead. I feel like this is especially necessary this year! Bring on 2021.”

– Holly Ryan, Holly Ryan

“Time is running fast. The holiday season is almost here and, given the current challenges, it will be a very particular time. Since having complete freedom is difficult this year, I have had to refocus. Instead of the end-of-year parties and meetings that usually happen in December, I will focus on what is most important: spending time with my family on a sailing boat—a small, isolated space. I have redetermined what is fundamental in my life. My loves and my hobby release me from this year's difficulties. And the ocean is our Mother Nature.”

– Eiichiro Homma, Nanamica

“The end of each year is an important time for us at Song for the Mute. We are a small team with only 10 of us at our Sydney studio. Working closely together means that we are fortunate enough to share family-like bonds within the team. For our annual Christmas celebration, we always go away as a team for a weekend. This is a time we use to rest and reset together, and to share in the successes of the past year, giving all of us a sense of closure and clarity.”

– Lyna Ty, Song for the Mute

“This year, we’ve all chosen a beachfront holiday home about two hours north of Sydney in a town called Patonga. The beaches here are a true defining feature of Australia, and we like to take advantage of that whenever we can. The weekend will be spent swimming, relaxing in the sun and eating great food. It has always been essential that we share quality time together outside of the studio and relax as a team.”

– Melvin Tanaya, Song for the Mute