how do you want your home to feel?
How do you want your home to feel? It is a question I think about a lot. It is a question I wonder as a guest in others’ homes. And, this is one of the first questions I ask clients.
I can see how the feeling in my home now has evolved from spaces I lived in during my formative years. As a young girl, my bedroom was colourful and cosy. Not loud in your face colour but one that added warmth and personality to a room. My Mum always had (and still does!) a gift for creating spaces that you wanted to hang out in and, together, we curated a bedroom that I loved as a young girl and more so as a teenager. It was my sanctuary. My hideaway. I spent hours in my room dreaming life away. When friends came over they, too, happily plopped themselves down and retreated from the world.
When I was in university, my various bedrooms always had lively posters covering the walls, a colourful duvet on my futon bed and a desk complete with the requisite pens, highlighters and extra floppy disks (yes, floppy disks). It was in university that I started to figure out that I worked best in a space that would start calm and tidy but after longer study or writing sessions would look like a tornado had swept through. Papers would be scatted all over my bed, books lying open on the floor and clothes piled in front of the door so it wouldn't easily open. It wasn't unusual for me to be using a pencil to wind my hair back into a bun because I couldn't find a hair elastic in the mess. Often, my roommates had to move papers out of the way in order to sit down and hang out. But then, once I submitted a paper or wrote an exam, I could easily tidy my space, quickly putting things in place, and the chaos would recede.
While my decor style has evolved over the years there have been some pretty consistent themes of how my spaces have felt over time.
I have always tried to balance calm and chaotic. The kind of calm when everything is organized. The kind of calm that happens when the house takes a deep breath after everyone has left for the day. But also allowing for chaos. Chaos in a good way. A way that makes the house feel alive. A way that lets you know the space is about the people who live there not the stuff that surrounds them.
Home doesn’t happen overnight. Homes grow and evolve just like the humans who live in them. I have always loved spaces that feel bright and happy and colourful. Nothing slush coloured on my walls! At times, this meant my spaces were bathed in bright yellows and eggshell blues. I have mellowed over years and now strive to have enough colour to make a home feel alive without looking like a can of paint barfed all over it.
I have always thought of home as a retreat from the world. It might be the cosy front porch sofa during a summer storm or the flicker of candles in the darkness of the winter months. There are always blankets to tuck into while watching TV and comfortable chairs around the dining table that encourage lingering long after the meal is finished. Creating a safe haven for my family and a space to stay connected to each other has always been important. This has been tested time and again throughout the past fifteen months of pandemic-land.
I love having family and friends in our home. A space to share pieces of our lives. A full snack cupboard. Playing cards or enjoying a meal together. I love a home that is full of love and laughter where everyone is free to be themselves. I want people to remember moments of joy and giggles amidst the chaos.
Home, to me, is a place that is perfectly imperfect. A place that sometimes shines and other times is slightly askew. A series of collected memories, items with meaning and spaces that serve more than one purpose.
At the end of the day home is where my people are. I know I can create a space that is both a retreat from the world and welcoming to others at the same time. I have grown patient over time and now allow for home to happen all while feeling joy in experiencing life's moments together.
So, over to you … I would love to know ... how do you want your home to feel?
PS - if you want to create a life & home you love subscribe for more inspiration - I share even more in my Letters from Sarah that I send regularly