I am honored to have have been a graduate student, and later an adjunct professor, in the department of interior design at florida state university (recently ranked first in the nation by deans and department chairs of 122 colleges across the country). a grand achievement! 

in my time there, the one thing i learned that stays with me more than any other thing is a guideline i use daily in my home and the homes of my clients. a quote by william morris, considered the father of the arts and crafts movement. 

"...have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." 

"imagination is the beginning of creation.

You imagine what you desire,
you will what you imagine,
and at last,
you create what you will."
                                       
               -- george bernard shaw