00:00:00:00 – 00:00:12:13
Unknown
You know, true quality is invisible because when it’s there, you don’t have to think about it. Listeners, stay with us. We’re going to do a deep dive on quality and why it matters.

00:00:18:01 – 00:00:30:10
Unknown
Welcome back to the space to be well. I’m Michelle Paul, office and I’m Valerie Portman. Yes you are. I am. And we are here today talking about wellness. Design is a philosophy.

00:00:30:10 – 00:00:44:05
Unknown
and we continue in our first season. Speaking about, wellness design and how it impacts us and how it is an important part of our well-being in the environments that we live in and work in.

00:00:44:05 – 00:01:23:22
Unknown
And so, we spoke about, the principles of wellness design in our last two episodes, and they’re important. We talked about luxury, the big L hospitality, the big H, and listeners, we’re going to talk about the big Q today, which is quality. Yeah, quality. Quality is an important aspect and principle of wellness design. It plays a key role in that’s in quality, has the ability to, to help us to have freedom, you know, freedom from worry, freedom from distractions.

00:01:24:00 – 00:01:49:19
Unknown
It gives us peace of mind. It gives us confidence. And, and that’s important in our daily lives as we go about our days, no matter where we are in our home or our work, it’s so important to to go about this in our daily lives. And, you know, I find it interesting that when we talk about wellness in general, you know, everybody understands the concept of quality nutrition.

00:01:49:19 – 00:02:18:14
Unknown
And we all know there’s a derivative of that. We have, you know, well-being, physical well-being is a direct connection of quality nutrition, quality supplements, quality workouts. We all understand that, mentally, physically, it impacts us and enhances our well-being. But we don’t really talk about quality environments as it relates to our well-being. But there is a direct connection.

00:02:18:16 – 00:02:54:03
Unknown
Yeah. It’s something that nobody’s talking about. And we want to go on record saying, here were the first to make that connection between quality and well-being. There’s a distinct connection, you know, we’re willing to pay for, you know, quality substance supplements and, those modalities that we talked about, even wellness treatments. Right. You know, going to the these, wellness establishments, but there’s, you know, the old adage, you get what you pay for and but what do you get?

00:02:54:03 – 00:03:18:18
Unknown
You know, like what you you hear the old and you know that when you’re buying quality that you get what you pay for. But I think we need to take this down a deeper path, because, yes, you get something that lasts long, you get something that, you know, sort of stands the test of time. I think those are obvious, you know, sort of what you would expect when you pay for something of quality.

00:03:19:00 – 00:03:59:07
Unknown
But there’s a deeper benefit. Absolutely. I think with quality there’s actually a lot of different layers to quality as it relates to design. You know, whether it’s starting with the quality of the decisions that you’re making, whether it’s the quality, the inherent quality of the design that you’re you’re building in your environment and whether it’s the quality of the materials and finishes that we talked about or, I mean, and we I think we can go on and on here.

00:03:59:07 – 00:04:29:14
Unknown
The quality of, of in totality is just really, so important to that connection of well-being. There’s an economy to quality is there. You know, we talk about this this economy and you know getting what you pay for. And there’s a formula essentially, you know, and this is what we help our customers do every day is yield that return on investment.

00:04:29:16 – 00:05:03:03
Unknown
And that investment is in yourself. It’s in the people that are participating in this space. I completely agree with you that this is something that, there’s many different levels to quality. And I think that I want to start by talking about the preplanning because you get what you pay for, but you get what you put into it, right in the quality of the work that you put into creating your environment will be you’ll be a direct recipient of that, either positively or negatively.

00:05:03:05 – 00:05:19:05
Unknown
And, this is I’m taking you back again, listeners to the resonant framework, because that’s call quality planning. Quality planning is doing the deep dive on your identity. Quality planning is doing a deep dive on your rituals and your behaviors.

00:05:19:05 – 00:05:32:20
Unknown
really focusing on the, you know, on the functional aspects of the space, quality planning is looking at your why and understanding why you’re doing something, and why you’re creating this design.

00:05:32:20 – 00:06:12:18
Unknown
And, quality is looking at the connections and how people connect in the space. And when you do this and you do this effectively, you put the quality time into the planning. You yield a quality result. So true, so true. I mean think about the opposite of that. You know if you decide one day you know what I’m going to do this remodel, I just, you know, on a whim, you know, I was inspired by this Pinterest image and now I’m going to, you know, at go locally, I’m going to pick up some furniture, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.

00:06:12:18 – 00:06:35:00
Unknown
I repaint, blah, blah, blah in a weekend. Bada bing, bada boom, you’ve got a new space, but at the end of the day, does that is that a lasting decision? Did you make good choices? Was the planning there? And I, I would have to say that nine times out of ten, you are going to wish that you had.

00:06:35:00 – 00:06:58:16
Unknown
Oh, maybe I should have thought about that a little bit more. Because now I have to redo something. I don’t like how it turned out. Exactly. And I’ve always said this. This is why I think it’s, you know, something that you need to be thinking about. I’ve always been a proponent of living in a space first before you spend money building out a space.

00:06:58:16 – 00:07:01:20
Unknown
And, you know, I’ve experienced this many times.

00:07:01:20 – 00:07:23:09
Unknown
know close friends and family who have built homes from the ground up and and when typically when you’re working with the builders, you’re making, hasty decisions about superficial things. What is the handles? What is the countertops? You know, and those are decisions that those are easy decisions.

00:07:23:10 – 00:07:51:09
Unknown
But there’s so much more that goes into creating an a quality environment than just a decision on the countertop in the hardware. And so it’s all about living and understanding and doing the the quality, understanding your lifestyle, understanding who you are. And sometimes that takes time and it really comes back to this economy of quality and what you put into it.

00:07:51:11 – 00:08:03:19
Unknown
To your point, if you make mistakes, that’s money right there that is not well spent. And time and time. Yeah. And you can’t get that back. No. Absolutely.

00:08:03:19 – 00:08:09:14
Unknown
At the end of the day, when you’re thinking about your own well-being, here’s a big thing.

00:08:09:16 – 00:08:44:18
Unknown
It’s a life well-lived is a life that functions and runs in the proactive realm. It’s a life that is lived in your parasympathetic nervous system. When you are living a life that is in the reactive mode, then you’re living in your sympathetic nervous system, which is is not where you want to be in terms of being proactive.

00:08:44:18 – 00:09:09:15
Unknown
There’s such a big difference when you’re living proactively, you you have the time to take care of yourself. You have the time to take care of people in your life. You have time to achieve, you know, goals in and plan, for your future and, spend time taking care of yourself or planning a vacation, whatever that is.

00:09:09:16 – 00:09:21:21
Unknown
And so when it comes to quality, quality can hold you back. So when you’re, when you have, poor quality furniture in your space, let’s just think about those friction, you know, those

00:09:21:21 – 00:09:40:00
Unknown
things in your home that cause friction, whether it’s the squeaky cabinet or the drawer falling out or the floor that’s rundown. These all relate to quality issues in quality hold you back and then you’re always being reactive, don’t you think?

00:09:40:02 – 00:10:04:10
Unknown
Oh, 100%. You know, if if you have even, let’s say, a, chip of paint missing on your wall or, crack somewhere. And every time that you walk by that squeaky piece of furniture or that chipped paint, your mind automatically is going to, oh my gosh, I should get that fixed. Why haven’t I gotten that fixed? Oh my gosh, that’s on my list.

00:10:04:10 – 00:10:37:13
Unknown
And and instead you’re you should just be you’re mentally you should be somewhere else where your brain’s forward thinking about, how how you can be proactive and things that you’re doing to better your life and not necessarily just stuck on, you know, something that needs a better quality repair repair because you’re focused on distractions? Yeah. Every little detail is a distraction, whether it’s, you know, the the paint job that needs to happen.

00:10:37:19 – 00:11:09:16
Unknown
And so there’s ways to create finishes and furniture. You know, we think about we talk about craftsmanship that goes into. So it’s this back to this economy of quality. What you put in will yield that result. And so, you know, rather than investing in a floor that needs to be refinished year after year after year, why not think about investing in a floor that doesn’t require that in is going to stand the test of time?

00:11:09:18 – 00:11:39:02
Unknown
Because what that does is it gives you freedom. Freedom from the distractions, freedom to be free. And it gives you that peace of mind. You know, it really is all about, you know, the space, you know, really just seeing your cared for, you know, that you’re seeing, that you’re, you know, focused on on your well-being. I think you really did such a great job of that, Michel.

00:11:39:03 – 00:12:13:13
Unknown
At your home. Right? You you remodeled your floor into just this beautiful porcelain tile for that very reason. Right here. You wanted ease of maintenance. You wanted something sustainable. And that was just going to stand the test of time and that yielded such a great result for us. Exactly. And I think our experience in working in the commercial fields has really helped to push me more towards commercial in my home.

00:12:13:15 – 00:12:45:11
Unknown
And today commercial is amazing. You know, the fabrics and the finishes that go into commercial grade finishes, including porcelain floors are, amazing. And I incorporate a lot of commercial grade into my home. The porcelain floor always looks meticulous. It is no maintenance other than, a quick sweep or a vacuum. And, and then the other element that I use in my home is commercial grade fabrics.

00:12:45:13 – 00:13:14:15
Unknown
They’re soft, they’re beautiful to the touch. And I’ve had my dining room, upholstered chairs I’ve had for, oh my goodness, a long time. Yeah. And they look pristine. Yeah. Well I mean that’s the thing with high performing fabrics is that it’s nowadays with commercial you can really find that balance of something that still looks really beautiful, really a luxury.

00:13:14:20 – 00:13:23:14
Unknown
And also, is going to wear like a show that has the quality associated with it for a long term use.

00:13:23:14 – 00:13:44:13
Unknown
even a big proponent of, you know, durable panels on the wall, even porcelain walls or porcelain panels that look beautiful. They look like, marble or stone or, quartz. And they have this beautiful look and feel to it, and they’re completely maintenance free.

00:13:44:15 – 00:14:19:08
Unknown
You know, paint does chip. So if you’ve got kids and you know, you’re they’re running around the house, even a good commercial grade A vinyl, wall covering can be very durable in a home and, hold up better than, than paint can many times. Yeah. Absolutely. You know, coming back to you kind of briefly mentioned the idea of craftsmanship and I think that really is a big talking point when we talk quality and craftsmanship.

00:14:19:08 – 00:14:55:14
Unknown
And, you know, I think on the surface it really resonates like this idea of kind of this premium kind of, idea of, you know, really bringing together the aspect of a fine material and, a person who’s actually crafting this to perfection. But I think it could also even get a little bit deeper than that, because with craftsmanship, I think you can establish this sense of trust.

00:14:55:14 – 00:15:25:03
Unknown
You know, that whoever’s making this piece for you, that, you know, they’re creating something that it’s that’s meant to last. It’s meant to be, used and, you know, to have that wear with it. What do you think about craftsmanship going. Oh, well, and I think it’s contagious. Yeah. I, I love your point that you made about, you know, when you think of craftsmanship, you think about people.

00:15:25:03 – 00:15:59:00
Unknown
I mean, we we, you know, meticulous craftsmanship is really important. We use, you know, we have craftspeople. Yeah. We’re a craft based company. And so our, our furniture is, is handmade, you know, much of it. And so we understand that meticulous quality that goes into craftsmanship. And there’s pride associated with that. You know, when when somebody makes something and they have that, pride of what they’re doing, that means they’ve put tender loving care into what they’re creating.

00:15:59:04 – 00:16:36:17
Unknown
And that translates to the receiver in. So some ways this is there is some this idea of, of craftsmanship being contagious in, in we as the the person who’s now experiencing that craftsmanship is, is were receiving that love were receiving that care that pride translated into something that now is a mirror of what they created and how that, loving kindness went into now creating that safety and care and a tailored piece that’s in your world.

00:16:36:19 – 00:16:37:21
Unknown
I love that.

00:16:37:21 – 00:17:07:14
Unknown
You know, the other part of craftsmanship is, you know, what goes into an in terms of, you know, how does the floor feel underneath your feet? You know, there, you know, when it goes into craftsmanship, even a good quality floor is important in craftsmanship or think about a chair, right. A good quality chair and how it’s tailored to you and the craftsmanship that goes in to a chair that just fits you just right.

00:17:07:16 – 00:17:42:04
Unknown
A lot of times that’s there’s an unspoken, language that happens when craftsmanship is made and it’s made and tailored for your lifestyle. You know, that intentional part of design, like, that’s that’s the freedom that, you know, I think we’ve been talking about, too. It’s like it’s having a chair that actually a sofa that fits, it fits your exact preferences and and that quality just really is going to resonate.

00:17:42:06 – 00:18:03:09
Unknown
And long term just help you live your best life. Exactly. It says you’re valued. It says you’re cared for. It says you’re safe. Yeah. You’re not going to sit in a chair that’s going to fall apart. Okay. Exactly. Yeah. That’s so true. That would be the worst.

00:18:03:09 – 00:18:24:08
Unknown
when you’re thinking about quality and you’re on a budget, we we talk about this with our clients all the time. There’s no right or wrong answer, but you need to decide do you want to buy disposable or do you want to buy quality? Either way, you know, coming back to this economy of quality, either way, you pay for it.

00:18:24:10 – 00:18:46:12
Unknown
Yeah. And in some ways. So let’s take, for example, a waiting chair in, in a medical spa, for example. You know, you can pay, you can pay, you know, $299 for a waiting chair. That’s most likely going to be residential grade. And, and it’s maybe going to last, if you’re lucky, three years, maybe a little bit less.

00:18:46:18 – 00:19:08:04
Unknown
And then you’re going to end up buying something new to replace it. You know, we have some clients, they come to us and they say, you know what, I am going to want to mix up my chair. I, I’m not one to commit. And, you know, therefore making the decision and making the intentional decision to buy something disposable because you, you do want to mix it up.

00:19:08:06 – 00:19:32:22
Unknown
And but either way, you’re paying the same amount over the long run versus somebody who says, you know what, I want to invest in quality today because I don’t want to think about it three years from now. And that’s what gives you the peace of mind when you’re thinking about quality. Yeah. And I think, too, when you decide to make that decision that you want to invest in quality today, I think

00:19:32:22 – 00:19:48:09
Unknown
what that also does is allows you to just feel more free in your decision and that, you know, you can live the quality of life that you want to live right now, today.

00:19:48:11 – 00:20:10:23
Unknown
And you don’t have to wait, you know, three years from now when you decide to invest in that, later. So, well, and we know how fast time goes, right? So it may be. Oh, I don’t want to worry about it right now. Yeah, but you will be worrying about it sooner than later because we know how fast time goes.

00:20:10:23 – 00:20:30:11
Unknown
So, you know, you may not worry about it today, but you are going to have to worry about it. You know, two and three years from now. And so that’s just something I think that’s important to be thinking about when you’re making those decisions on a budget. We help our clients. And that’s I think that’s it’s an educational process.

00:20:30:11 – 00:20:44:16
Unknown
Right. Just knowing you have a choice in what you do and just understanding the results of those choices, quality decisions, quality decisions, exactly.

00:20:44:19 – 00:21:09:01
Unknown
Have you guys ever noticed that when you’re in a quality environment, you actually carry yourself differently? Have you ever noticed that, you know, if you’re, walking in a really high end boutique, you’re carrying yourself much differently than if you’re in a sort of, you know, corner, grocery store that, you know, I find that in.

00:21:09:05 – 00:21:43:18
Unknown
But that’s, that’s that’s no joke, right? I mean, there’s truth behind that. We do carry ourselves differently in quality environments. And so when you’re thinking about it and I’ve always said that when it comes to well-being and you’re thinking about, you know, confidence, there is a direct connection between quality and covenants and how we carry ourselves in the spaces that we live in or participate in, like the boutique, for example, or a high end hotel is another example.

00:21:43:20 – 00:22:06:21
Unknown
And I think you really need to be thinking about what is that like in your home. Absolutely. You know, on the day to day, do you think about, you know, how you’re going to present yourself, what you wear? Does that give you confidence? Is it a quality, piece of clothing or is it a quality handbag that you carry?

00:22:06:23 – 00:22:40:07
Unknown
I think those same principles you can apply directly to your environment because that environment that you’re surrounding yourself and you know. Well, think of how how many days of the year we are inside our built environment. And if you think of the quality that if you were in a highly quality type of space, how much different your life may be, versus the opposite.

00:22:40:09 – 00:23:07:08
Unknown
So I think that’s so important. It’s so important. And that’s the whole connection between quality and wellbeing. This is why quality is such an important principle of wellness design, and one that has to be talked about. It has to be discussed. It has to be, reviewed and thought about it in these, design projects that you’re working on because quality matters.

00:23:07:10 – 00:23:42:05
Unknown
Quality does matter, just like people matter. And, you know, if you have good quality, you’re you’re making people happy. Exactly. Giving them confidence. And them to feel safe and secure and valued. Yeah. You know, that’s what goes in for business owners. We talk about this a lot. You know, if you want to if you offer quality services in your environment does not near your quality services, it is a reflection on what services you’re offering.

00:23:42:05 – 00:24:24:00
Unknown
I’m telling you right now, your your environment has to me or the quality of service that you’re offering, because how your environment looks and feels to your customer will make a big difference as to whether they they trust you. Because with quality comes trust. And that’s true even when you’re visiting a friend or family, you know, member in in their home, do they have an environment that you can trust, like is it and how does that foster relationship and open up people they when when people feel when they trust, they feel safe and they open up more.

00:24:24:02 – 00:24:48:12
Unknown
And so, you know, listeners, if, you know, we talked about the business, but even in your own homes, how is your house built to facilitate this idea of trust so that it fosters conversations and people feel safe to open up, whether it’s with family, friends or, you know, extended family that you have in your home.

00:24:48:12 – 00:24:58:02
Unknown
drop us a line, let us know what your thoughts are about quality and some of the experiences you’ve had with quality and how it makes a difference.

00:24:58:04 – 00:25:20:22
Unknown
You know, we’re, always looking to hear from you and, we’re really excited about these principles. We talked about luxury. We talked about hospitality. We talked about quality and next week we’re going to talk about the principle of spa. That sounds so fun. I can’t wait to.