Making Your House A Home

Happiness and love, safety and security; these are things we all want to feel when we’re at home.  A lot of these feelings are down to the people we live with, but undoubtedly our physical environment plays a huge part in how we feel when we are at home.  I’m always pondering what makes a house a home.  I love going to people’s houses and seeing how they have made it uniquely theirs.  Their art, their plants, their cookbooks, their piles of shoes in the hallway, all telling the story of them.  

So, some things that really seem to make a house a home…

 1. Cherish Your Collections - Collections tell the story of who you are.  Maybe it’s a jar of shells you gathered at the beach over the holidays, a stack of books waiting to be read, or shelves groaning with your favourite records.  

2.  Let It Evolve - The most interesting homes are always changing, reflecting the lives of the people who live there.  Your home should be filled with things you love, a record of who you are, where you’ve been, and where you dream of going.  As well as adding little bits you pick up here and there, remember that the quickest way to switch things up at home is to play with the stuff you already have; rearrange the furniture, move your lamps around, or rearrange the display on your mantlepiece.  

3.  Follow Your Gut -  What is the point of playing it safe?  If you want to paint your living room bright pink, then paint it bright pink.  Better to go for it than play it safe and always wish you’d done what you really wanted to do.  And if you hate it?  Paint over it and move on.

4. Forge Your Own Traditions - That might be as simple as lighting some incense every morning, making pancakes on a Saturday or setting the table for breakfast. Your home is your refuge from the world and you can do whatever you makes you feel good about and enjoy being in your space.

5.   Embrace The Flaws - Got a massive scratch on the kitchen table or bike scuffs on the hallway paint?  Embrace these as they are signs of a life lived.

6. Use The Good Glasses - I’m a firm believer in using your favourite things every day.  I’ve taken all the old mugs we got with easter eggs to the charity shop and now every time I make a coffee at home, I use a mug that I love.  Don’t save the ‘good’ things for a special occasion.  Use them and enjoy them every day.

Enjoy being in your space.

Patricia x