There is as myth propagated by some that when Columbus first came to the America’s the native tribes couldn’t see the Spanish ships because their minds simply had no frame of reference for something so foreign. I don’t believe it. But what I can imagine is a bunch of them gathering on the beach tilting their heads in puzzlement as they strained to categorize what exactly they were seeing.


Because it is true that we do all have trouble visualizing what we aren’t familiar with. Or as the German playwright and poet Johann von Goethe famously said, “We only see what we know.”


That truth, by the way, is the reason for hiring an experienced designer for your project, and for remaining open to collaboration with multiple perspectives. Because only seeing what we know means we’re all likely to miss out on a lot of possibilities.


It’s also probably the best way to stay humble and open-minded, and non-judgmental and to remain teachable and young at heart and flexible. Because we only see what we know, and when you consider all the things that can be known, we don’t know much.


People say I know a lot about designing homes. What I know is there’s a whole lot more to learn. But if that seems true it’s only because of two things: First, I’ve made it one of my lifelong passions to weaponize my curiosity. Yes, it makes me a nerd but it keeps me learning.

And more importantly, somewhere along the path I realized how truly freeing it is to embrace my own ignorance. If we only see what we know, and we don’t know much, then we are blind to most things, even what may be right in front of us … and what I want is to see.


I don’t celebrate ignorance because I want to stay that way. I celebrate it because the world is so old and big and I am so young and so small, there’s simply no way for me to escape it. So I embrace my ignorance and hold it close, and spend it liberally wherever and whenever I can because I know no matter how much ignorance I get rid of there will always be plenty more where that came from.


Being aware of my ignorance becomes rocket fuel for my journey. It opens my eyes to see more. It keeps my ego in check and humbles me. It makes me a better artist, a better designer, a better leader, a better husband and father and a better friend.


I try to stay aware of my ignorance because the smartest person in the room is always the one who knows enough to know they don’t know enough.


So today maybe you learned something about a space in your home that’s been right in front of you the whole time. Well done! Now let me encourage you to take the awareness of all that you still don’t know and head out the door on a new adventure. Try to see the world from a fresh perspective, with new eyes and an open heart.


You just might be surprised how much life is hiding in plain sight right in front of you. And you just might be surprised how far a little well applied ignorance will go toward building yourself a beautiful life.