Home Is Where They Love You

For the last ten days we have been staying at my parents home while our home is undergoing a renovation with a new bedroom addition. It is interesting staying in my "old home" as an adult with her own home. Because we don't live far we don't stay here for long periods, we simply drive home at the end of a Sunday evening visit. It is reassuring however that I still feel a distant feeling of home when I come through my parents door. The slight catch of the screen door, the distinct smell of fabric softener on the linens, the crystal water goblets and place mats on the table (my Mother will not eat dinner on a table without place mats...). The formal living room sofa that took many years to perfect the only possible position for slight comfort and the smell of je ne se que in the air...

I have been missing my home lately though, a space where I worked hard to create my version of "HOME". I have succeeded if the feedback I constantly receive is any indication. Upon spending a few moments in our house more new guests then not comment on how "homie" our house feels. The small touches I feel create this ambiance may seem natural but in fact were quite deliberate. I feel like a home should envelop you as soon as walk in the door. Wrap you up like a soft blanket with it's smells and warmth. I have tried to create this feeling in every room and every corner. In this attempt I have many photographs of our family spread throughout our home, most in sepia and black frames, a subtle reminder of exactly whose space you are sharing. Gourmet hot chocolates sit in the cupboard and the kettle waits readily on the stove. Bubble bath sits on the side of the soaker jacuzzi tub and fluffy white bath towels await. The only television on the main floor is hidden deliberately behind an armoir door so that conversation and a good book can take precedence. A screen door is essential to throw open and let additional light in along with a breeze to blow the curtains, also a must have, just so. Throw cushions, and blankets drape every overstuffed sitting surface so that if the impulse for a Saturday evening nap hits you, the space is prepared. Artwork was carefully selected for feelings they inspire; comfort, relaxation and peace. A candle lit here with a bouquet of flowers there complete the feeling with an addition of little corners of savoured items for interest. I love words in my home that make me happy when I pass. Over our patio door reads "Laughter is Sunshine in a Home". Our bathroom wall reads "Live Well, Love Much, Laugh often". Ben's room reads "Angels Danced the Day you were born" and "You are a Child of God". Our Bedroom reads "Grow Old With Me, The Best is Yet to Be".
I like an uncluttered fridge so the only things you will see on the front are two marble magnets reading "Simple" and "Joy" If I am lucky some of Ben's artwork will be hanging underneath. The same paint colour flows through our home, including the bedrooms. I like the home to flow in this way while defining each individual space with a different "tone, or feeling".

I am looking forward to returning home from "home" and walking through the door to familiar warmth. I will open the front door, get the popcorn maker out and curl up under a throw blanket with the two most important home accessories, without which my home just wouldn't be.