Home Is…
What is it that makes a House, a Home?
Many moons ago, while I was completing my final semester at uni (finishing my Bachelor of Interior Design), I became intrigued by the notion of Home and the various contributors that establish a sense of belonging and ownership over and within a space.
What is that X-factor that takes a structure (whether bricks and mortar or something else) and makes it a home?
What is that special spark that allows a family, caravanning around Australia, to still feel grounded?
I began to examine people on the move, from those who travel regularly for work all the way through to the ‘homeless’ and I detected a common thread, an underlying tone that we as humans apply to life. We seek to establish a sense of alliance and connection, wherever we are. Sometimes it’s found within the things we own, sometimes we find that belonging in our family and personal legacy. Most often, it is a combination of both.
That’s little me, Keziah, in the middle. (Weren’t the 80’s kind on our eyes).
Growing up in a busy house with lots of siblings, I realised (at 21) that I was the only one who had never swapped bedrooms with someone else. The bedroom that I had occupied from the age of 10, was still the same room that I was occupying in my early 20’s, and I was incredibly sentimental and protective over that space. So it got me wondering WHY I was so sentimental about that room (gosh, it was just a normal bedroom), and queried whether it was my belongings, the room itself, or the experiences within that space, that created my sense of home within those 4x4m walls.
Now, I could venture down the path of turning this blog into a rehash of my somewhat existentialist explorative Dissertation, but I’ll save you the never ending references and footnotes. There is one particular quote however, that continues to resonate and explains rather well, why we find the process of packing and moving to be so momentous.
“Whether we know places with a deep affection or merely as stopping points in our passages through the world, they are set apart in time and space because they have distinctive meanings for us… they are geographical modes of existence.”
In essence, we are creatures marked by time, and the spaces that we occupy offer a roadmap of our lives.
This makes relocating quite a vulnerable and emotional process. It’s an upheaval of our lives in more ways than just the physical. It’s a recalibration of our emotional ties and is often a process of letting go of the old, an acknowledgement of the closing of a chapter and an acceptance of stepping into the new - whatever form that may take.
We regularly find ourselves in this same space with clients, when we begin a declutter or move process with them. Often we are welcomed in to long-term family homes with plenty of memories, belongings and sentimentality, to begin our gentle process of sifting and sorting, to uncover the core element of what makes that space a Home for them. Sometimes it’s a particular piece of furniture that’s been kept in the family for generations, or a collection of photos. Sometimes it’s the walls themselves that hold the memories of our younger years, the childhoods of our babies and the growth of our journey as adults. Every individual has different reasons and stories, but the common theme is this: Your home is where you build your history, and history is how we track our footprints and impact in this world.
Disconnecting from the space that has housed and held you (and your loved ones), is a really big process. Organising the logistics of your relocation is a really big process. Sorting through the excess to ensure you are only taking those pieces that really help you to feel “at home”, is a really big process. At MH, we have assisted with making new Homes of all sorts, from young families who are upsizing excitedly into a larger space, to our elderly clients who are downsizing for any multitude of reasons. And regardless of whether it’s a happy or sad move, there is one consistent tone that we observe: overwhelm.
We understand this process deeply, and ensure that at all stages of your move, we meet you where you are at. If you need to chat through your memories as a means of saying goodbye, we will be that listening ear. Any precious items to be packed will be handled with the utmost care. Your photos and memories will be safeguarded and unpacked thoughtfully into your new Home.
You can rest assured knowing that our team are some of the most sensitive and caring people you’ll ever find (we’ve made sure of that, just pop over and meet them here). Whatever it is that makes your house a Home, we will preserve and bring with you to your new space.
We will walk along side you, through every step, to ease as much of the load as possible.
x MH
