We recently moved into a new house, and from the moment we visited it, I instantly imagined how each room would take shape. A home is really a feeling, but on a deeper level, to me, home is intrinsically linked to my well-being. So much so that it wasn’t until I left my previous home that I consciously realized the real meaning and importance of home and how deeply ingrained it is in shaping of who I am.
When we put our house on sale, I wished for the perfectly planned scenario, but, it did not happen. The sale of our house came in fast and we had to move out fast, before we could find another place we called our own, which meant having to transition, stay in a rental place with most of our belongings tucked away in boxes, for a few months.
Those were I think the longest months in my life, and as much as I tried to stay cheerful, hopeful and focus all my energy into finding our next place, it still took time. And we still had to stay in a place that I hated. This period was the hardest, but also the most eye opening because it truly made me take conscience of the importance of home… and home is not necessarily a house per se, it can be anything, anywhere that makes us feel at home.
It was hard for me to enjoy time with my kids, hard to cook a meal I enjoyed, hard to work, to be creative, to get inspired and even to have a good night sleep. Every time I set out to do something, I was halted by the fact that whatever I needed was somewhere in a box. I refused to bring out many of our stuff because all this had to be a transition to me. I could not get hold of a candle, or a vase to put some fresh flowers, not even some basic necessities that the kids or we needed. I remember at some point having set out to prepare a meal with wine in it, and half way through I realized my wine opener was… in a box. I did know in which box because I had numbered and organized everything, but we had to remove many boxes to get to the one that had the opener…. We reverted to another solution to open the wine, funny but not funny! One thing is guaranteed, you do get creative when you need to go by!
As I realized to what extent I was not able to feel at home, to feel peaceful, I promised myself that I would rethink everything is the next place I called my home. I’ve always loved decorating and upgrading my home, but now things took on a very different meaning. Now it was no longer about what I only found beautiful and wanted to have in my house, but rather what feeling I wanted to have, what environment I wanted to create, what memories I wanted to live and what I wanted to inspire. That does of course include the beautiful things that make a home, but they can’t just be beautiful, they need to be meaningful.
Now that I’m slowly settling in with my family in our new place, I’m trying to create the home that is meaningful to us, choose things intentionally, start from the inside out and think of what I really want to feel in each room, in each corner, be it the brush I use to make the dishes or a piece of furniture we chose or upcycled, be it how I choose to love my place with all its imperfections, and how I embrace the journey to make all this a reflection of who I am and what I want, as an individual and as a family.
I believe that home is our anchor, our safe place, our secret garden. It’s the place where everything starts, and it’s from there that we open up to the world. A place I call home is a place that makes me smile when I see my child run from one room to the other, it’s the smell that fills my lungs and soothes me, it’s the haven I resort to when I look for balance and focus, it’s the laughter, the good meals, the smell of coffee in the morning, the warmth of sunshine coming through the kitchen windows, the taste of a kiss and the comfort of a hug. Home is where we feel good, and it deserves all the attention and care that I can give to it.
As I move through my journey of recreating home, I hope to share and inspire you to do what you find valuable and nourishing to your heart and soul in whatever place you call home. I hope to give you the desire to think about how you home.
With love xo