The Dream

The other night, I met my friend for dinner at a restaurant we have never been to. Later that evening, I noticed a man walking through the tables with his arms outstretched. He reminded me of a little boy who was pretending to fly. He came to our table as we were getting ready to leave, took out a marker and drew a flower and a smiley face on our carry out containers.

When I got home, I realized I left my bag so I called right away. The man asked, "you are the two ladies?" The next day I returned. He was washing dishes and came running when he saw me there. I explained the reason for leaving my bag behind and that it only contained books. He asked if I was a teacher and I replied, "no, I wrote these books." I told him that I'm an interior designer and one of the books is about decorating with intention. He was so surprised and thanked me for my perspective as he proceeded to tell me he's been told his restaurant could use some updates. He designed and decorated from his heart. 

George is living the American Dream. He came to the United States and opened Assaggi Bistro twenty years ago with next to nothing. He created this place, this beautifully designed restaurant with a mix of Rustic Italian, French Country, and a touch of Lebanese menu selections. His intention was to create a casual, elegant bistro setting with a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. This is why customers fill his restaurant every night. It doesn't matter that he could use a bigger bar or update some of the decor. He is living the dream and while the customers don't all know this, they feel it and they return, not only for the authentic food and attentive service, but for how good this place feels. This is what creating intentional environments is all about.