There are homes that you come into and want to stay longer. There are other homes that after you walk into your only thought is "Can I leave already?" How do I achieve the former? Through its atmosphere and décor.
When I lived in Germany I learnt that they only invite you into their home if you are considered a friend. Strange idea I thought because I know and do different. I agree however there's a certain level of trust when welcoming someone to your home. There is also intimacy that goes along with it. If you let someone into your home you allow them to get to know you a little more. And visit after visit you learn to trust them. At first, you invite them to your home and over time you give them access to your heart. What else can be more special then a heart to heart friend? Please be my friend and be invited to my home.
The pictures from my home were taken by Mirella. She's with us for years photographing our growing family and passions. She's the creator of my "face" picture on my home page.
The atmosphere...
It's created by the people who live in the house. Are they beautiful? Are they living their lives beautifully? The first shape of who are; you get… they say, in your mother's womb. Then, through your childhood and here I have to mention your parents. That’s how you become who you are. Usually. Hopefully. I have good parents so it’s easy. They created me as a beautiful person.
For a very long time when I thought of home I thought about my parents. Their values, rules, talks, gestures and above all the love that created a beautiful home atmosphere. Their house is always full because… people like to come back there. The reason is they feel welcomed, listened to, accepted, interested, valued, fed and entertained.
Would I like to build a home like that? Definitely.
How do you make people feel...
Welcomed? You greet them with a smile and express your happiness for their visit. Stop whatever you are doing to be with them.
Listened to? You look into their eyes, ask questions and genuinely pay attention to whatever they want to tell you. Show your interest in them and their stories.
Accepted? Don’t judge and let them be whoever they want to be.
Valued? Appreciate their opinions and not criticize their views or decisions. Don’t give advice unless asked.
Fed? Serve good food and drinks. Ask if they want or need something.
And lastly, entertain them. Be funny. Play music.
One of the compliments I value a lot is that I’m a good hostess because this tells me I’m on the right road to having a home with a good atmosphere. I learnt hospitality from my parents but there's a Bible verse that I like too - Hebrew 13:2
Do not neglect hospitality for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.The décor…
If it comes to home beauty it’s a little about colors, natural materials, fabrics and a lot about style and taste. I have been moving a lot in my life so I was exposed to different home ideas. I had to decorate quite a few places so I gained experience with what looks and feels good. There are things that I drag with me from country to country. They have become part of what I represent with my home. Here’s what I like and how I’d describe my style.
SIMPLE YET BOLD. You can’t exhaust yourself and others with overwhelming amount of objects, details, patterns, textures. Less is more. Here will be bold colors that stick out, make you notice, stop and stare. Red was always my color so that’s what it is.
When you move to a new country you miss your girlfriends so I bought this painting to keep me company and fill in my loneliness. I called her Natasha. I struggled to find a colorful and small, European style couch here in America. I succeeded eventually. The table is from my husband's bachelor times. The candle holders moved with me from Germany. The burlap sack was actually a liquor bottle packaging. I do like to reuse things. The blanket was a gift from my real girlfriends that I eventually made over time. The lamp and the pillow that I bought completed the set up.
COZY YET CLEAN. That’s the fabrics. Warm textures, fluffy. You just want to hug it or hide under it. And white is my color. Clean. Everywhere. Even though white may seem boring I never have enough of it and don’t stop looking for it. I also really like flowers, plants and greenery.
The chair is probably my favorite piece of furniture. It moves from room to room serving practical purposes rather than being just my beauty. It was a feeding place for the babies. Accompanied by blanket and blush pillow it's also my spot for my morning tea and enjoying the sun. The stand also travels and was very practical for flowers in the "princess room" (my spare room before children). It then was used for kids books in the living room and dry goods in the food pantry. Since we like it so much we actually have two of these. The lamp went so well with the chair that I couldn't avoid buying it. The flower was my "Mother's Day" gift and the statue was a wedding anniversary present. The picture was to celebrate my daughter. The candle besides being pretty brings a nice smell.
ARTISTIC BUT NATURAL. They say the beauty of art is that you don’t have to know it or understand it. It’s just for you to admire it. Feed your senses. I have few pieces that speak beauty to me. However, art is always a work of human endeavor. Natural beauty is very unique and one of a kind. Here is my fondness of turquoise that lives in my dining room.
The farm style table was a wedding gift and we wanted it with the bench to make it cute for the children. If I recall correctly that's a cherry oak finish. The big light with a little bit of metal goes well with it. The painting puts your imagination to work and a tiny bit of gold makes it happy and shine. Matching curtains and carpet add the warm feeling for family gatherings. The flower and the candle may be boring by now but that's what I usually do. And the spoon... from my parents home!
Are you happy with your home? Both the atmosphere and the décor? What have you brought into your home from your parent's house? What do you want your children to remember from their childhood home? What do your guests say about the atmosphere? Do they like to come back?
Do you like your home décor? Do you think it's beautiful? How does it make you feel?
I didn't mean to exhaust you with all these questions. My intention was to motivate you to rethink your home. So that you, those who live there and those who come, get a feeling of beauty. Your beauty.
Mirella
beautiful photographer, who uses her passion for nature to help people.
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