Making your House a Home

I consider myself rather lucky in my current job as I get to venture inside the beautiful houses that people call home. I think we are all inherently just a little bit nosy. We love to see how other people live and how other people decorate their homes. Much like fashion and style, we love to take inspiration from real-life interiors – those homes that are attainable, lived-in and yet evoke a cosy sense of comfort and homeliness.

We spend such a large proportion of our lives at home – and if, like me – you’re a bit of a home-bird, you’ll understand the importance attached to making your house a beautiful home. I think this shift comes with age too. Moving away from home and moving into a house for University, I never really considered making the inside look particularly inviting. Perhaps because we always knew it was only ever going to be a temporary home for us?

It’s interesting how much home interiors can vary between people too. Again, like fashion, we all know the style and design that makes us happy. I love a cosy home that tells a story – one filled with second-hand finds, old furniture, books and plants. My partner however, craves minimalism, space and a more contemporary feel. I’m not really sure how we’ve made it work having such opposing preferences, but we both admit home is the best place to be and have come to a happy compromise.

While some of us may dream of a country cottage, or a sleek flat in the city, it’s not always possible to make this a reality. While the home we live in may not have the inglenook fireplace synonymous with a cottage, or floor-to-ceiling windows that we associate with high-rise modern flats, it’s possible to introduce a hint of country charm or a contemporary edge through your interiors and décor.

The beauty is, from the outside, no-one knows what the inside will look like. You can renovate, paint, wallpaper and strip. You can reveal character or hide it away, because in the end, making a house a home is a wonderfully personal, subjective and rather special undertaking.