What is Home?

Home.  House.  Casa.  Villa.  Abode. Your home has a specific character, no matter what you call it.  There is a history and a feel to a home.  It has a unique personality which can be highlighted by your décor choices.  But at the end of the day, home “is” what you make it to be.

In working with clients I always ask what home is to them or what they’d like it to be.  From there, we partner on how to achieve that character and sense.  Sometimes it’s an entire new look; other times it could be new pillows and rearranging the furniture to experience a different view.  Below are some thoughts about the meaning of home, regardless of how it looks.

So, what is home?

Home is a retreat from the outside world.

It is where you come together as a family and reflect on your day.  Whether at a fabulous dinner table or on a living room rug, it’s the place that is safe and without distraction to truly listen and communicate with each other.

Home is where the music is always loud.

It’s always a concert venue in the making.  It’s where you can dance, sing and play air guitar like Eddie Van Halen and no one will judge.  In fact, they will only love you more.

Home is rain on a metal roof while you’re still in bed.

It’s the amazing feeling of realizing it’s raining and you still have time to fall back to sleep before the alarm goes off.  Wrapping up in a beautiful duvet and sinking deep into your pillow.

Home is a collection of old and new.

For example, a grandmother’s chair that you’ve reupholstered.  Your wedding china that you use everyday.  The Round Top find that fits perfectly and comes with a story.  The art that represents places you’ve traveled.  The leather chairs that were absurdly expensive, but so worth it.

Home is snuggles on the couch.

It’s the feeling of piling on a couch, wrapping up and waiting for the sound to kick in on an anticipated movie.  Or the quiet time with a loved one and a glass of wine talking about the day.  It’s a Saturday morning without a place to be – but on the couch.

Home is chicken and dumplings.

We all have a favorite meal and smell of something special cooking that reminds of us home.  So no matter if I walk into my parent’s house or the chicken and dumplings make their way to mine, I’m home.

Home is the excitement of decorating for Christmas.

We love all the holidays, but there’s something extra magical about Christmas.  Opening the bins (and bins) of Christmas décor is cathartic.  It’s the anticipation of what you’ll find inside and where it will be placed in the house.  It’s the fun of securing new items or adding to a collection.

Home is waving goodbye to loved ones as they depart.

Deanna Dikeman took photos of her parents waving goodbye for 27 years, and turned it into a photo exhibition.  The underlying theme of the exhibit was home is people, not a place.  Waving goodbye to grandparents, parents, children, siblings or friends is all about the time you just spent and memories made, and that is home.

What is home to you?  Share your thoughts in the comments or simply bring it up around the dinner table tonight.