the anatomy of designFAIL (part 1)

As part of the Back to Basics group, I begun last week to consider the ways in which problems occur in my life relating to the more basic and concrete elements of my surroundings. Narrowing it down, it became very clear to me that the main problem I faced was that my surroundings simply did not work for me in one way or another-- The functional arrangement of my living space always leaves something to be desired, and I rarely have much of a passion for the objects which adorn my clothes and my walls, though I constantly strive to bring liveliness and cohesion to all of these things.

Great, problem identified.
Next step is to take a look around at my surroundings to pick out some symptoms.