A house becomes a home

MANILA, Philippines - When it comes to books, I wholly agree with the adage that “Variety is the spice of life.” My love for reading encompasses all genres of books, but there is one subject that I am passionate about: my abiding interest in interior design. This is the reason why Alexandra Stoddard’s book, Creating a Beautiful Home, has become my design bible. This book, which unfailingly inspires me, is not just about decorating ideas, it also delves into what makes a home. For me, this is an exceptional interior design book even without the glossy pictures.

I think by now, I must have spent quite a small fortune on design books and magazines. Although I love books, I seldom read them twice, but not a single day passes that I don’t take a look at the glossy pictures in design books and magazines. I think my daily perusal could also be a sign of design-book addiction. Browsing through these books is a fool-proof way to lift my spirit. I consider it propitious that I learned of Stoddard when her kitchen appeared in one of my design magazines.

Stoddard is a woman after my own heart. She is an interior designer who later on became a successful writer. I am in awe of her because I have long dreamed of accomplishing both feats myself.

She was first an interior designer before she became a writer –– this would account for her books on creating beautiful homes and living a beautiful life. I first read her books more than a decade ago, and have reread them many times. Just recently, I read Creating a Beautiful Home and Living a Beautiful Life again. These books inspired me to rearrange and redecorate our home, for the nth time, to suit our way of life today. My husband and I are now both retired and I feel that this calls for a simpler lifestyle. It calls for yet another serious look at the objects in our home that are no longer useful or appealing to us. I could hold a garage sale or recycle them as gifts, which have become quite acceptable nowadays. I believe that a home should not only reflect the owner’s personality, but also the changes that have taken place in their lives.

Despite her profession, Stoddard’s concept of a beautiful home is not necessarily the work of an interior designer. She writes, “I now approach interior design from a reverse point of view: The interior lives of the individuals who inhabit a house or apartment are important, not the traditional, and still accepted viewpoint that a house should be properly decorated.” An interior designer could certainly help with color schemes, furniture placement, symmetry, and other tricks of the trade, but for us who cannot afford an interior designer, Stoddard urges us just to have fun and not be afraid to break the rules in decorating. Good taste, she reassures us, is something we can acquire. She writes that, “Style really comes down to what makes you feel good.”

From my experience, design books and magazines are great help in finding one’s style. From the countless design magazines that I have perused, I have identified that I really liked the country home look, particularly the shabby-chic style. Although, I also love to look at minimalist designs, I would never be able to achieve that kind of look, nor could I ever live in one. I love to be surrounded by things I love; books, music, paintings, cherished photos, and beautiful and meaningful objects. This is what Stoddard meant when she wrote that, “We live in houses, and when they transcend into homes, they envelop your personality.”

For me, Stoddard is a kindred spirit, because just like her, I feel that I am a born nester. I think we are both fascinated by all aspects of making a home. We are also in accord when it comes to what makes a home. A house becomes a home when the place reflects your life and passions. It is home when you decorate it with meaningful objects because you want to live with things that are special to you in a style that you are most comfortable. Home is where you celebrate life with your family and friends. In totality, home is a refuge where you nurture and boost your physical and emotional well-being.

I had the experience of relocating four times in the span of three decades, which saw my husband and me living in four different houses that would eventually become homes to us. Being a childless couple, there were no major impediments to consider, and we usually welcomed the change and the excitement of another new start. We now live with my mother in our fifth home, our ancestral house. We have come full circle. I love every house we have lived in because each of them represents love, comforts, care, security, and on the whole, good living.

Stoddard affirms, “We can finish a house, but never a home. Once you fall in love with a house, you find continual pleasures in fixing it up and making innovations that satisfy your creature’s comforts.”

I couldn’t agree with her more. Our home doesn’t look like much on the outside; it needs repainting, which I don’t have the budget for, yet. However, just like a person, what really matters in a home is what is inside. For now, I love the interiors of our home; it makes me smile, but I think it will always be a work in progress.