Translucency is making a huge comeback.

Dream images: floating cushions, transparent walls and chairs and beds that are almost invisible. But it isn't a dream, it's reality. Translucent Lucite and glass are back in home design, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lucite, considered kitsch from the `70s, is showing up in furniture. Architects are designing glass walls. Home Depot's Expo Design Center now has 40 percent more glass tiles for sale than last year.

It appears to be a reaction against the dark, traditional decor that took hold in the late `90s. Lucite was popular in the 1940s, so it wasn't a new idea, but now it's retro. And some people like the sense of light and openness the material brings.

Plants nurture the soul and stimulate creativity

Dentist, Alex Della Bella has easily spent $15,000 to $20,000 on flowers to relieve waiting-room stress for his patients. The team dentist for the Cincinnati Reds also spends $50 each week on flowers to create a more appealing workplace for his employees.

In fact, a recent study on work and workplace stress shows that the presence of flowers or plants can have a measurable impact on creativity, production and worker well being.

Some industry experts believe people should view flower purchases the same way they think of a utility bill or a trip to the gas station: flowers bring fuel for the soul, providing positive and sometimes aromatic energy that relieves stress.

A groundbreaking study last year from a research team at Texas A&M University concludes that flowers should no longer be viewed as a workplace luxury. Indeed, flowers may be more important to spurring creativity than the coffee maker.

According to the study headed by Roger S. Ulrich, a behavioral scientist who is a professor of architecture and director of the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University, companies can expect a boost in worker creativity when green plants or flowers thrive at work.

The scientific study subjected 100 people, half men and half women, to several personality and creativity tests both before and after exposure to the workplace settings.

They found that if plants and flowers were in the room, people felt somewhat more pleasant and this was associated with significant increases in creative thinking. People were able to generate more ideas and the ideas were of better quality than when there was a common type of decor in the workplace.

Men working near flowers and plants were able to generate 30 percent more ideas than men who worked in the plain surroundings. Women near plants were also significantly more productive and creative. The benefits of flowers lasted for at least an hour, the study showed.

One final thought

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road, after much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

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Published: April 28, 2004

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Kathy Lamancusa is a trend strategis, professional speaker and author who tracks the forces that impact our lives. Over 1.6 million copies of Kathy's books are in print, and she has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including Oprah! She is a public speaker who can offer organizations entertaining and enlightening peeks into what is coming and what is shaping change so that they can better reach their own customer bases.