Page 111 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2022

Technology has continued to dramatically advance and the luxuries of the 1950s, such as vacuum cleaners and televisions sets, are now taken for granted. Having only one television set for the whole household seems unimaginable today. It’s more likely homes have a television set for every room. Vacuum cleaners that replaced the broom and dustpan will now sweep the floors while you are not even home. Smart plugs will turn lights and appliances on and off with just a voice command, and a refrigerator can even let you peek inside while you are at the grocery store!
But not all advancements feel so frivolous. The American Dream home has had an impact on our natural environment and our health. However, scientific progress continues to offer better solutions. Solar and battery technology, lighting innovations, and improved building components are helping us achieve some balance between the built environment and the natural environment.
While environmental, economic, and cultural influences have impacted what we consider an American dream home, the desire to have a place of our own has never changed. Our home has always been a statement about who we are and what we want people to think of us.
Trends may cycle through the decades, making the old new again, as if we will do it better each time we revisit tradition. Back to the kitchen for instance. They have expanded again! Smaller, compact kitchens are fading away, not because we’ve gone back to cooking more, but because that’s where we live these days. This time around, it’s where we entertain our friends, where we work, and where we have meaningful interaction with our children.
We are more focused on comfort too, needing our homes to be our refuge from a hectic, sometimes uncivilized society. We want a place where we connect with our family, recharge our resolve to live our best lives, and encourage one another to dream big.
When Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, he set the American Dream in motion. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We are free to pursue our own destinies. We are free to live in our own version of the American dream home, where we spend time with those we love, instilling in the next generation the values of freedom each of us so rightly cherishes.
Holly Harrison has been a licensed interior designer for over 35 years. Shannon Stage has spent nearly 20 years in the giftware industry. Together they own Sassy Bird Interiors in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net July 2022 | 111
Happy
Fourth of July!