Some furniture is beautifully designed, other pieces are strictly functional, but there are certain pieces of furniture that have the power to evoke emotions. For me, that special piece of furniture was a velvet green couch.
Maybe your grandad had a special recliner, or your mother had a beautiful cedar chest. There exists furniture in our families that have value to us beyond their price tag. Whether ornate or utilitarian, the value derives from what it means to us.
Growing up, my family didn’t always have a lot. Much of our furniture was well-used and had the markings of surviving several years in a house with 10 kids. But there was one piece of furniture that was different. Amidst the beige walls of the 70’s my parents proudly displayed a green velvet couch.
But it wasn’t just the hue of this couch that set it apart; although I did come to love the familiar green color and the life, growth, & safety that it portrays. No, I loved this couch because it represented success. The rich velvet made me feel rich. The fine craftsmanship made me feel like I had something truly valuable. And the way my family regarded this unique piece of furniture further instilled the fact that it was the reward for a lot of hard work.
Over the years, the way my parents and siblings revered that couch became a little silly as the springs began to sag, the legs collected scratches and scuffs, and the green velvet began to fade and wear. It was almost embarrassing when friends would sit down and sink nearly to the floor. And yet, I was the silliest of them all because I just loved that couch all the more.
It wasn’t until several years later when I was feeling like I had hit a glass ceiling in my workplace as a producer that I decided to launch out with my partner Dan Craig to start our own production company ISP Studios. Those first months weren’t easy. It was a lot of long days followed by even longer nights. But at the end of one of our first major projects with the Dallas Cowboys we had finally received our first major paycheck. I was ecstatic as a young entrepreneur to receive her first big pay-day. While congratulating each other on finishing the project, someone asked how I was going to celebrate, and I knew exactly what I was going to do.
That night I took my earnings and I bought myself a green velvet couch.
ISP Studios has now celebrated their 20th anniversary and I still have that original green velvet couch. And I continue, with major successes and milestones to buy more. I now have 6 couches. My home, office, and studio are furnished with beautiful velvet couches because it’s a reminder to myself of success, the humble beginnings from which we started, and the blessing it is to have reached many of my goals.
As I look back, it’s interesting to me to think how we become products of our past, and that the environments we grow up in have the ability to shape our perspective, but ultimately we still have the choice to design our lives to our liking. Growing up, the luxurious velvet of the couch meant that you were prosperous and I’m happy to say it still has that meaning for me years later. Every time I see a green velvet couch it’s a reminder of what’s inspired me over the years.
Never forget where you came from.
