Rethink Quotes

“Understanding the person or people living in a home is a far greater need in design than focusing purely on the aesthetics. The home is designed around emotional needs.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Our interiors are an insight into our brains. It is a collaboration of design, art, humor, irony, functionality, and the street.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Good design adds value”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“It's as if many of the middle class have discovered aspiration isn't about having a home that is large, showy and full of bling and are instead focusing on the private, unpretentious, and sustainable.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Simplicity isn't about being a cold, hard minimalist. A different way of looking at simplicity is to take note of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi. It is difficult to translate it directly into a Western sensibility but it is a way of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Delicate design isn't cutting it for most of us. We are harking back to primitive aesthetics celebrating the imperfections of natural materials, highlighting our current yearning for simplicity and honesty.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“For centuries, the Japanese have been a great influence on how we can incorporate nature into our homes by incorporating natural fibers and materials and blurring the boundaries between indoors and out. The Japanese emphasis on connecting with nature comes from the roots of the Shinto religion. Shinto temples incorporated the belief that Kami (Shinto gods or deities) live inside of every living thing, from the mountains to water to rocks and trees. To be closer to Kami the Shinto temples were built around trees, rocks, and mountains in harmony with nature.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Using the human spirit as a starting point for architecture, design, and interiors is the mantra for this movement. Those successfully creating holistic homes put the human being in the center of the design process for the home.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Modern design is about realigning your priorities to help keep you focused on the important things in life.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Kitchens are not being designed as living spaces where nature and technology are seamlessly integrated. Studio Gorm's Flow 2 Kitchen incorporates an organic cycle where food is grown, stored, cooked, and composted.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Clever design converts and changes according to need.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Optimistic design isn't a particular look, it is a movement of residential anarchy. It goes much deeper than using bright colors - it's an attitude displaying self-empowerment, nurturing a more upbeat approach to living. It is about doing things differently, to kick against what is currently on-trend. The only guiding principle is that there is no guiding principle.
It is a crusade where a new breed of self-curating, design-smart amateurs who blog about their rebellious design have led the way. They have coined the world 'undecorate.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“The home of the future is not as sci-fi as we imagine. Instead of whizbang gadgetry and the bells and whistles reminiscent of The Jetsons, the home of the future is all about sustainability, energy-efficient design, an expression of the individual, and a hotbed of creativity and inspiration.”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live

“Decorating is a completely personal expression (much like fashion). If I am lucky enough to have a flourishing career based on my taste and skill, I would advise my clients as I do myself: rules are to be understood, then judiciously broken.
- Alexandra Meyn”
― Amanda Talbot, Rethink: The Way You Live