Home is a pretty big concept to some of us. While the world is seasoned with home veterans, who grew up in places warm, safe and inviting- the world seams overflowing with those of us who didn’t.
And like, with everything else, we often find ourselves fumbling around in an effort to find some guidebook that sums up exactly what a home should be.
Some of us turn to Pottery Barn catalogs, movie/television sets and blogs.
We open credit lines at furniture galleries.
We max out credit cards.
We keep looking and trying to create that flawless showcase home which balances the perfect amount of staged, lived in qualities while it also helps the people in it to look as happy and content as the glossy photos inspiring us makes theirs seem.
Some of us compare ourselves to the Proverbs 31 example and become Stepford Wives who eat, drink and breath the perfect image of submissiveness, well manicured beauty and quiet, well behaved children.
Neither one really gets us any closer to the art of homemaking though. The truly amazing thing to me is that, despite popular slogans or cliches, a home only needs TWO elements to make it the best possible home it can be…
A spouse does not make a home.
A Child does not make a home.
A dweller does. A. One. One person living within a space- be it a trailer, a tent, a loft, an English Tudor. The means of the shelter does not matter so long as one person lives there.
Furthermore, that residing soul does not need an endless line of cash/credit.
They do not need an artistic spirit.
They do not need incredible painting skills, or amazing antiques and collectibles.
They only need to be authentic.
In case you are having trouble following, let me sum it up for you:
ONE person + housing structure + authenticity= HOME
Simple! Say, hypothetically, you adore the color salmon and you don’t know why but you just love those x-ray botanical prints, teddy bears and the smell of candy corn then by all means, fill your home with those things that you love and you will get it.
I am grateful that I have a beautiful family who fills my home, but this was not always the case. Through infertility and an early hysterectomy as well as a bitter divorce which left me suddenly single- I found myself creating a true home, (true= TRULY me) for the first time. All of the time I’d wasted designing the most beautiful nursery I could imagine, pointless… All of the time I spent designing spaces for other people, wasted… And with $40 I bought this yellow daisy comforter, a daisy wall print, a butterfly cut out and several 12×12 sheets of paper. At days end my walls were covered with paper butterflies and I felt, for the very first time that I finally had a place where I belonged.
It seems like we always have someone telling us it is peaceful here, or nurturing. Honestly, I think the main attraction would be the energy. Not to sound all hoky and weird, but no one feels at home in a model home showroom- no matter how expensive the decor is. You know? Because it feels cold and detached. A home truly is simply an extension of the people that are in it.
Look around you, wherever you are. What is one thing that catches your eye that you know is an authentic element of YOU?
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