Why 2026 Is the Year of Intention
At the beginning of a new year, there’s a quiet moment in those first few weeks before the calendar starts to fill up. A pause with morning coffee. A breath after the blur of the holidays. A chance to decide how we want our days to feel before we decide what they’ll hold.
As we step into 2026, we’re taking a cue from the opening chapters of The Artist’s Way — not as a productivity guide or an obligatory checklist, but as a reminder that inspiration is something we tend, not chase. Julia Cameron writes about recovering a sense of creativity by paying attention. She highlights the value of listening inward and making space for what quietly restores us. Creativity, in this framing, isn’t limited to artists. It belongs to anyone willing to notice what fills their cup.
That idea feels especially resonant as this year unfolds.
California living has always been about more than aesthetics. It’s about the ease that comes with each sunrise. 2026 is the year of intention — making room for light as we ease out of our New Year rest. The rhythms that happen when you’re fully present at home lead back to the self.
So for 2026, we’re setting a simple intention: find ways to fill our own cup without the pressure of adding more to our plate. Embracing cultural experiences we can share with a loved one in the hearth of our home. A small shout-out to something we read, listened to, or watched. Something you can enjoy right where you are — stretched out on your sofa, feet up, shoulders relaxed.
No pressure to optimize. No race to keep up. Just offerings we hope will meet you where you are and maybe make your days a little richer.
The Sofa as a Creative Space
One of the early ideas in The Artist’s Way is that creativity needs safety. A sense of permission. A place where you can show up as you are without judgment. We think about that often in the spaces we design.
Your sofa is one of the few places in your home where nothing is demanded of you. You don’t have to perform. You’re not required to achieve something great. You can sit quietly with a book. Let a new album play all the way through. You can watch something familiar simply because it comforts you.
This is why we believe cultural experiences don’t have to be big, expensive, or out-of-home to be meaningful. Some of the most sustaining moments happen in the in-between hours of our ever-busier lives — after dinner, before bed, and especially on a Sunday afternoon when the light shifts and time loosens.
Made by Inch Joyce sectional, baskets by Twenty One Tonnes, photography by Maddy Pease & Carly Hindelbrant
Our goal with this series is to honor those moments.
What “Filling the Cup” Really Means
In Cameron’s framework, filling the creative well is about input. Letting life’s chaotic beauty, boundless curiosity, and intimate pleasures in — without immediately turning them into output. That idea feels particularly relevant now, when so much of what we consume is designed to keep us scrolling rather than settling.
So when we talk about filling the cup, we’re talking about experiences that:
- Invite slowness
- Reward attention
- Feel complete rather than endless
- Leave you calmer, clearer, or quietly energized
The kinds of experiences that don’t require multitasking in a world that only adds to our to-do lists. Experiences that pair naturally with sinking into a well-made sofa and staying awhile.
What Los Angeles clients say
"We've worked with Kerri at Made By Inch on custom sofas for two living rooms and a sleeper sofa for my office — and we couldn't be happier. She's incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful, helping us pick the right designs, fabrics, and configurations for each space."
Hermosa Beach, California
"I absolutely love my custom sectional from Made By Inch. I walked into the Hermosa Beach showroom unsure if I even wanted a custom sofa — and walked out convinced. Kerri made the whole process easy, and I'm happy to support a local business doing it right."
Hermosa Beach, California
Reading as a Form of Rest
Consider reading as a form of rest for a moment. Reading as a portal to inner satisfaction, rather than a punishment.
Reading on the sofa is a small luxury that can feel radical in today’s busy life. You are what you read, and sinking into that small pleasure can unlock so many opportunities for the soul to feel truly fed. Not reading to learn something useful. Not reading because you “should.” Just reading because the language is good and the arrangement of words holds you.
In the spirit of The Artist’s Way, this kind of reading isn’t about improvement per se. It’s about nourishment. A chapter before bed. A few essays on a slow morning. A novel you return to because you already know how it ends, and that’s part of the pleasure.
As we move through 2026, some months our cup may be filled by a book that asks something of us. Other months, it may be filled by one that simply keeps us company. Both have their place.
Music You Can Really Sit With
Music is another quiet anchor of home life — not background noise, but something you choose deliberately and let play all the way through. The soundtrack to your day often leads to unexpected revelations about who we are and how we feel about it all.
An album listened to on the sofa with no skipping, no algorithm, no hidden agenda is a different experience than music heard in fragments. Just like reading a story all the way through, it invites you to notice pacing, texture, and mood. It turns your living room into a listening room.
We’re drawn to music that feels grounded and human. Lyrics that speak to our heart, and rhythms we can feel in our soul. Records that sound like someone made them in a real place, with time and care. Music that pairs well with low light, a throw blanket, and nowhere else to be.
These are the kinds of listening experiences we’ll be sharing — the ones that reward presence rather than distraction.
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Bring Kerri your brief.
Every fabric decision starts with the space — not the fabric. Book a consultation at 321 Pier Avenue and leave with samples to compare in your actual light.
Slower Hosting, Smaller Watch Parties
When we aren’t filling our cup alone, we tend to seek it in experiences with other people. Hosting and entertaining after the rush of November and December can feel daunting, but our intention this year is to curate gatherings that feel more like a hot cup of tea, not a sink full of dirty dishes.
A small book club with a chosen few leads to laughter, tears, and revelations each of us can nurture after the last friend leaves. A simple watch party of a new or classic show gives us the chance to make new connections and settle into the most basic human need: time spent with each other. No expensive decorations. No catered meal. Just friends sitting around the living room, experiencing the joy of feeling connected through a story on the screen.
There’s always a place for watching something familiar, comforting, or beautifully made. A film you’ve already seen but want to revisit, because you are not the same person you were the last time you watched it. A series with a strong atmosphere and unhurried pacing. Something that lets you exhale instead of leaning forward. Or maybe the latest guilty pleasure that feels more acceptable when you have someone on the other end of the sofa to share it with.
It’s all about perspective. Not everything has to challenge you. Sometimes filling the cup means choosing what feels steady and known. We find comfort in the stories we know the ending to, because so much of life has the ability to surprise us right off our feet. Rewatching under a throw blanket can be its own ritual — proof that enjoyment doesn’t always depend on novelty.
In our monthly shout-outs, entertainment will mean exactly that: something that entertains without exhausting.
Designed to Linger: How We Build Sofas in Los Angeles
Made-to-Order, Made-to-Linger
Our sofas are made-to-order because they are made-to-linger.
The way we build mirrors this philosophy. Each piece is handcrafted in Los Angeles, with lasting intention and materials chosen to support real living — the kind of living we intend for ourselves this year. No harmful chemicals. No shortcuts. Just craftsmanship designed to hold up to daily use, but equally to daily rest.
A sofa isn’t only a visual anchor in a room. It’s a container for your evenings. Your conversations. Your solo moments with a book or a record or a show you love.
Why We Build in Hermosa Beach
When we talk about designing for California living, we’re really talking about designing for presence. For staying in. For choosing comfort not as an afterthought, but as a value. This is the philosophy of The Artist’s Way woven into each stitch and seam.
Building in Hermosa Beach keeps us close to the homes our sofas live in — Manhattan Beach, Venice, Pacific Palisades, the Hollywood Hills. It also keeps the workshop close to you. You can visit. Sit on a frame. Hold a fabric in the LA light, which is the only light that matters for a piece going into an LA home.
Visit the Studio
If you’d like to see how a Made by Inch sofa is built – or sit on one in person – we’d love to host you.
321 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm contact@madebyinch.com · (310) 504-0896
A Way of Beginning 2026
This blog is an invitation. A sentimental series — not a recommendation list or a cultural authority. It’s closer to a note passed across the room.
Each month, we’ll share one experience that filled our cup, as a springboard for your own living. Something we returned to, something we thought about later, or felt better for having spent time with. We’ll keep it accessible and grounded in the idea that inspiration doesn’t have to be loud to be lasting.
If it fills yours too, that’s enough.
We want to leave you with a way of beginning, so to speak.
The first weeks of a year can feel charged with expectation. Goals stack up quickly, and intentions can quietly turn into obligations. The Artist’s Way reminds us that beginning doesn’t have to mean pushing forward. It can mean clearing space.
So this is us, clearing space.
A beautiful space for reading without rushing. A beautiful space for listening without scrolling. A beautiful space for sitting still and letting something simple do its work.
From our Hermosa Beach showroom to your living room, we’re carrying that intention into 2026. We hope these monthly moments meet you on your sofa, exactly as you are, and offer a small, steady refill.
Here’s to filling the cup, one evening at a time.
— Kayla
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “filling the cup” mean in The Artist’s Way?
“Filling the cup” — sometimes called filling the well — is a phrase from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. It refers to the practice of feeding your creative life through gentle, attentive input rather than pressure or output. Reading, listening to music, slow conversation, and quiet time at home are all ways of filling the cup. The idea is that creativity isn’t manufactured — it’s tended.
Why is the sofa described as a “creative space”?
Cameron writes that creativity needs safety and a sense of permission. The sofa is one of the few places in a home where nothing is demanded of you — no posture to hold, no task to finish. That makes it a natural setting for the slow, attentive activities (reading, listening, watching, talking) that quietly restore creative energy.
What does “California living” mean to Made by Inch?
For us, California living is about ease and presence — designing a home that supports staying in as much as going out. We build sofas with that in mind: comfortable enough to linger in for an afternoon, made with materials that support real daily life, and crafted in Los Angeles to suit the rhythms of our climate and culture.
Where is the Made by Inch showroom?
Our showroom is at 321 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254, open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. You’re welcome to drop in or book a consultation ahead of time.
What kind of sofas does Made by Inch make?
We design and build handcrafted, made-to-order sofas in Los Angeles — sized, shaped, and finished for the home they’re going into. Each piece is built with kiln-dried hardwood frames, considered materials, and the kind of craftsmanship intended to last decades, not seasons.
Will you be sharing more Filling the Cup posts in 2026?
Yes. Sofa Chats will share a small monthly note throughout 2026 — a book, a record, a film, a slow ritual. Nothing prescriptive, nothing exhaustive. Just one thing that filled our cup, in case it fills yours too.
