Thursday 13 March 2014

No place like it


Those of you who visit here regularly will be aware that there's been a lot of talk about home comforts recently, what with my mum returning home after being in hospital.

It got me thinking about what makes a home a home. And wondering, what are the little things that make our homes uniquely ours? The things you look forward to returning to when you've been away (even if it's a wonderful holiday you've been on). What are 'home comforts'?

I was at playgroup with Joe the other day and overheard two mums discussing furniture - specifically 'Barcelona' chairs, an iconic (therefore expensive) modern design which I must admit are not something I'd be particularly interested in owning. Sleek minimalism isn't my thing at all. I prefer things to have a story and secondhand finds - along with all their knocks and scratches - are far more interesting to me. Mismatched items, things which have been painted and re-painted and loved before by others.

But home comforts are about more than interior design and 'things'. Yes, it's all about being surrounded by objects you treasure and which remind you of good times and family and friends. I love books and bringing nature indoors, changing things with the seasons. I also appreciate handmade things: ceramics, garlands, drawings.


But a big part of being 'home' is knowing you can do what you like, when you like. It's about familiarity and comfort. Knowing what's in the cupboards. Having things to hand: knitting, teabags, biscuits. Your favourite cup. The vegetable knife you like using because it fits in your hand just right.

It's also about feeling safe. And knowing that once the front door's closed for the evening you have to venture no further. You can lounge around in woolly tights and an oversized, shapeless jumper. If the phone rings you can choose whether to answer it or not.

Some people find that pets make a home. I would agree with that to an extent but we're currently pet-free (preferring cats) - Joe's into tail-pulling at the moment so we'll give it a while yet. One day I'd like a few chickens and another moggy.

Once upon a time, I lived in a really beautiful house. My friend described it to others as being 'like something from a magazine'. It was: white throughout, a glamorous kitchen overlooking the woods, painted floors, more rooms than were needed. I was miserable there. I was in an unhappy situation so I moved out - and eventually ended up here. Now that really felt like a home.

I've never understood the concept you hear on so many TV homes shows: people saying they want their home to look and feel like a hotel. Beige. Impersonal. I don't get it.

The fact is, anywhere can be made into a home. It's about surrounding yourself with things you love, which have meaning. It's about feeling comfortable, physically and mentally. Home is something you can take with you because it's unique to each and every one of us.

And to repeat the oft-used (but so very true) sentiment: there is no place like it. Sometimes it takes being away to realise and appreciate that.

22 comments:

  1. as my dad used to say, it's where they have to let you in !
    seriously though, i agree with you, it always seems sad that a tv show wants people to eliminate all signs of their personality to sell a house, tho' in some cases of extreme wear and tear or grubbiness you can see the point. and on the other hand we are all mad for mags and blogs that show us the quirkiest of homes and how we can do this too on a two pence budget !
    i am a real home bird and as a family we all groan when the door bell goes ! home is total relaxation, hunkered down, full of talk and probably noise and mess, but comforting and comfortable , the place you really are yourself.
    phew, you set me off there !

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    1. I have to say, I do love interiors magazines and TV programmes... I also have a diploma in interior design!
      Glad you liked the post. Home means different things to different people but it's my favourite place to be. Not geographically right now, but this is where we are and once the door is closed we can just relax and be us.
      And I know what you mean about the noise and mess. A toddler has made me much less neurotic about all that, and it's a good thing!

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  2. You mentioning those tv programmes made me wonder how long those makeover houses stay as pristine as they are when Nick Knowles et al leave. Turning one of those beautifully co-ordinate houses into a home, with your favourite coffeee cup out and your knitting on the sofa, the kids' homework on the kitchen table and the laundry waiting to be hung out...I bet it doesn't take long.

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    1. I hope not! I can't imagine wanting to live as though you're in a TV advert... most people feel the kitchen's the heart of the home and that tends to be the messiest room of the lot!
      A bit of mess makes a home :)

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  3. What a wonderful post, and I agree with pretty much everything you said. The way we've decorated and furnished our home has always been dictated by budget, first and foremost, but that can make one very creative. Yes, books, flowers, plants, handmade things, our favourite mug - all these are vital, and the people we love most of course. x

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    1. Oh yes!
      And I agree about creativity stemming from being on a budget. The current trend for all things home made is interesting; people used to make things because it was cheaper. Now we realise that mass-produced often means items have no story or meaning.
      I really do want to learn crochet and make a big blanket to curl up with!

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  4. I am very much with you on the home front, I really don't t do minimalist or show home. I have a friend with two children, both have one cork pin board on which their (neat) pieces of art are arranged neatly, the rest of the house has a Next feeling (with a higher price tag). I need my eclectic mix of art, mismatched furniture, new and old, I love random drawings blue tagged on doors and fridges, a comfy armchair moulded to my body and the moggies purring on my crochet blankets. And of course my gaggle of children, whose personalities are evident throughout the house, too. This post is beautiful Sarah. Cx

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    1. Thank you, Christina!

      I have to say, your home sounds perfect to me. I'd hate a bland house - we all need somewhere we can express ourselves creatively, don't we? And I'm desperate to learn to crochet so I can churn out those granny squares!

      S x

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  5. It's too often said as just something to say but truly, I LOVED this post!

    Our home is frankly shabby, but we've raised four kids in it, it's still lived in by three people and six dogs, and I don't care if the paint is peeling in places, the leather sofas are scratched and the floor is strewn with dog blankets, it is home. (I'm not good at untidy though, that drives me mad!)

    Sarah, I was hoping to email you but you're a 'no reply blogger', could you possibly email me so I can reply and tell you what it's all about x

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    1. Hi Annie! Glad you enjoyed the post... I could have gone on for ages but am always wary of banging on and boring people with my ramblings!

      I don't like untidy much either. It's par for the course with a toddler I suppose but it all gets systematically cleared away once he's in bed. My leather sofa is getting more and more battered but that's why I bought it - they really do look better with age, and ours will be going through the wars in years to come!

      I didn't realise I was a 'no reply blogger' - oops! Of course I'll email you x

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  6. I agree with everything you said, Sarah. I like everything in my house to be practical and comfortable. I don't like much clutter, but I don't like to clean-sweep my stuff either. I like things with a story best of all.

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    1. Me too! I don't like clutter because I don't like having to dust it all! Having said that, I do like having things dotted around which mean something to me... I wouldn't describe them as 'knicknacks' though!

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  7. Really, really enjoyed this post. Home for me is a cliché, after so many house moves, it is where ever our bed is and we are together.

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    1. I like the simplicity of that! I love our bed too - just wish I could spend more time in it...

      Thanks for your comment :)

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  8. Great post. I love to travel, always have, always will, but every trip, no matter how exciting, exotic or exhilarating, ends with an impatience to just be home. Yes, I often wish we were tidier or we had less stuff or the cats and dog would learn to wipe their feet or the house jobs list was all ticks. But I know that what we have here is the best place on earth. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. You too! It's true - travelling is wonderful but at the end of a trip, no matter how much you've loved it, there's that little tug homewards. I'm glad you love your home.

      All life's little niggles pale into insignificance when you realise some people don't have a home at all... I hope that doesn't sound too morose. If anything it's intended to remind us that we really can be happy with the simple things :)

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  9. Home is most definitely where my heart is with the people I love most ... this is a truly beautiful post and your words say it all ... wishing you a lovely weekend ... Bee xx

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    1. I hope you had a lovely weekend too. We did, but it always seems to go by too fast (even when we were woken at 6am this morning by Joe)...
      Glad you enjoyed the post x

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  10. Hello Sarah, I couldn't have described my love of home more! Wonderful post, full of meaning and comfort, that is what our home is and ore loved things are a definite. When we redid our kitchen 2 years ago I felt uncomfortable and realised it was because we were buying something brand spanking new! Something which is very foreign to us. I love to close the door and relish in my bit of home and forget all about the world out there, definitely in an oversized jumper ;o) xxx

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    1. It's my uniform of choice - the woolly tights are very important too. Perfect for lounging about in! I've always been a homebody and it's nice to know I'm not alone... I used to spend nights out as a student secretly wishing I could be magically transported home to bed!
      S x

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  11. I don't get the need for hotel style homes either! I like having my 'stuff' around me to see my familiar things, not put away with no personality. We're being braver and putting up more pictures and photos (banging hooks into our walls....well you just dont know what's going to happen!) A good friend of mine who travels for her job takes her own pillowcases and some pics with her to create a home from home whilst she's away. No, in my mind the only reason to have a hotel style house is if someone else is dusting it for you on a daily basis :-) hope you had a lovely weekend. x

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    1. We did have a lovely weekend, and I hope you did too.
      Dusting is a rubbish job, isn't it? I seem to have to do it all the time (must be the open staircase and the fact we live in one room most of the time).
      I do understand the 'home from home' thing. Nothing beats the real thing though. And I like that you're banging hooks into the walls. I've lived in a few rental properties in the past and you weren't allowed to do anything at all - so frustrating!
      Hope the pictures and photos look good and give you lots of smiles when you see them x

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