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Body, Mind, Spirit "What is...Where is Your...?" Robin Lennon has dubbed herself "an architect of the psyche." In her role as interior designer and teacher, she transcends the traditional "rules" of decorating. She guides clients toward giving birth to personal environments that please the eye and nourish the soul--personal spaces that are harmonious with their lifestyles and unique inner selves. In her recently published book, Home Design From The Inside Out: Feng Shui, Color Therapy and Self Awareness, Robin reminds us that a home should serve not only as a physical structure for our bodies but also as a sacred space that celebrates all our senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and intuition. She advises readers to clearly define their deepest needs and desires before they begin drastically altering their external environments. Perhaps most important of all, she encourages us to make certain our living environments reflect our feelings, our needs, our beliefs, and our preferences, not merely the "experts" notions of what is currently in fashion.In essence, this inspiring Manhattan-based designer believes that decorating is more than choosing furniture or duplicating a glossy layout from a home magazine. It can and should be a process that stimulates and celebrates our natural sense of wonder and artistry. Home design, in its purest form is life design. It is a reflection of inner self, a pathway to spiritual awakening and growth. This is a path that Roben herself has traveled, in a journey spanning three thousand miles and more than two decades. Early in the 1970's, Robin left her parents' opulent home in Beverly Hills, California, turning her back on what she perceived as shallow materialism and the ever-present social pressure to be and act a certain way. She felt stifled and out of sync with her environment but didn't know exactly why. She had studied metaphysics since her teens and was fascinated by the vastness of that realm but had not yet made the connection between metaphysics and her art. At the time, she knew only that she had to flee, to find that elusive something that was missing from her life. She moved to New York City and started classes at the New York School of Visual Arts. Still rebelling from her previous lifestyle, she immersed herself in avant-garde art forms. The more shocking and inaccessible her work became, the more she liked it. She was making a statement. Or so she believed. In time, she met a mentor who suggested that she wasn't contributing much at all or making a creative statement: she was using her inborn talent to express negativity and encourage abuse.Aware of her need for guidance, Robin became involved with the Pathworks Spiritual Community in New York and embarked upon a pilgrimage of self-discovery. She learned to trust and listen to her higher self, to reexamine her inner sense of beauty, to become acutely aware of her surroundings. She learned about color healing, bioenergetics, astrology, and the relationship between spirit and matter. The connections between home and art, between home and self, slowly began to take form in her mind and heart. She realized the powerful effect of a person's environment on his or her health, relationships and overall well being.Propelled by her discoveries, Robin decided to use her art to contribute to society, to be part of the world rather than apart from it. In 1979, she opened Roben Lennon Inner Designs™, developing a system that integrated the more material, traditional aspects of home design with the mystical teachings she had embraced during her own spiritual journey. Today her business, along with her personal life, is flourishing. With childlike excitement, Robin says that she finally feels totally in sync with her environment. When I met Roben at her lakeside home in New Jersey, I was immediately struck by her unique sense of style, which featured an eclectic, cozy, whimsical mix of colors and textures. Her home is a place where family heirlooms sit beside Elvis statues, where satin- and burlap covered pillows share the sofa, where hand carved animals from the Yucatan rest upon iridescent table coverings. In the background, her cat, Angel Puff, purred contentedly to the twangs of country music. Robin has been hailed as the fairy godmother of design because she stresses possibilities--not limitations. She encourages people to experiment, to relish their mistakes as leaps of faith, to overcome barriers, and to fashion their dreams into tangible realities. In this interview, she shares some of her ideas and feelings about inner life design with the confidence you, too, can unearth your own personal style and find that sacred space she calls "a home for your heart." November/December 1997 |