There are places I remember. I remember my grandmother's lake cabin, with its soft beds and crisply ironed sheets, hand-tatted and delicately embroidered pillowcases, multiple handmade, softly worn, colorful cotton quilts, paneled walls, wood windows opened to the lake breezes, and the smell of grass and trees and the boastful sound of crickets. I remember the joyous sound of a dozen cousins laughing and scampering in and out of the tiny cabin, the old wood floors creaking, and the distinct sound of the tension spring on the screen door before it slammed open or shut. There were always delicious smells emanating from the small, crowded kitchen, like fried chicken, cornbread, or cake. I remember the way certain spaces made me feel growing up, and I am mindful of how they make me feel now as I reach back into my own memories, which to this day remain powerful.

 

What I feel towards my grandmother's lake cottage could be described as topophilia, “the feelings of affection which individuals have for particular places.” 1 Once popularized by the geographer Yi-Fu Tuan in his 1974 book, Topophilia, A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values, the term topophilia “couples sentiment with place.” 2 Apart from Tuan, topophilia is a concept often gestured towards, but rarely theorized or explained. Artists and critics seem to feel they know what it is, but never to define it rigorously. Topophilia (from the Greek topos “place” and -philia, “love of) has been defined as “a strong sense of place, often becoming mixed with the sense of cultural identity among people and a love of certain aspects of place.” 3 It was first used in 1948 by poet W.H. Auden (1907-1973) in his introduction of John Betjeman’s Slick but not Streamlined, meaning for a special love of peculiar places. 4 James W. Gibson, in his 2009 book, A Reenchanted World, argues that topophilia or “love of place” is biologically based, or even a spiritual connection, especially with nature. In other words, “it is the warm feelings you get from a place: a vivid, emotional, and personal experience that leads to unexplainable affections.” 5 When they stir us, they create emotional bonds that imprint themselves upon our memories. They can define us, move us, and even absorb us. Some places seem to transcend the physical realm. That transcendence can be because they are awe-inspiring, they feel otherworldly. Though topophilia is a term coined in the late twentieth century, it expresses a timeless sentiment.

Topophilia was a term I discovered while working on my Stanford thesis and it felt like a word I’d been searching for my entire life. Many of my greatest inspirations have come from my love of place. My passion lies in architecture, both historic and modern, in comfortable, charming interiors, and in the beauty of nature and gardens. I’m enthralled with lighting, texture, detail, and proportion. It is this heightened sense of space and place rendered through the layering of beautifully harmonized components that actualizes my creative worlds. My holiday and special event venues could be characterized by a kind of glorious sociability between reality and fantasy, a playful magic world not marked by time, but creativity, that strives to evoke an emotional response. I invite you to join my world of passion, creativity and topophilic adventures. Join me as I share the evolution of projects from my studio and home. I hope that these topophilic places and events delight, inspire, and move you.

Xo⁠
Cher⁠