What is home? Getting intentional with interior decorating

Making a house feel like a home is an art and a science all at once.

It’s only when you start thinking about what home actually means to you that you realise that the very idea of home is pretty complicated.

In many ways, homes are an extension of ourselves.

No, really. Think about it.

This is what home means to us:

Our homes reflect how we see ourselves, what makes us unique. They are full of our memories, our souvenirs, and our past and present selves. Our homes are full of our dreams.

Our houses or apartments only truly become our homeswhen we focus our décor decisions on what makes us happy. You can have all of the good home design ideas you want: but if they’re not centred on you as a person, you’ll be left with a good-looking, soulless place that feels like a stage set.

This post looks at the art of creating a home, no matter whether you’re renting or you’re a proud new homeowner.

We’ll be exploring that through looking at what makes a room décor idea a winner, and how holistic design comes into the mix.

Finally, we touch on the ways we’ve made our own homes feel more like us so that you can kick start that homely feeling yourself.

Related read: Designing personality-led interiors for children >

Bring your room décor ideas back to basics

Finding the place to begin decorating the interiors of your new home can be stressful and overwhelming. You might have so many ideas swimming around in your head that it is hard to pin them down.

Also, there’s functionality here at play. Let’s face it, living spaces are getting smaller and smaller in recent years. It’s not uncommon that rooms have more than one purpose – home office in the living room, anyone?

Related read: How to create a cosy look in a smaller interior >

Keeping it simple is usually the best way forward, in interior design and life. In the words of author and entrepreneur Tim Ferris: what would this look like if it were easy? He was writing about productivity but might as well have been talking about interior design.

How do you decorate your interiors to reflect your personality as well as creating a useful, functional space?

Our advice: put the person at the heart of the space for a more holistic approach to interior design.

Putting some soul into your living space

Our homes support us not only physically or through sheer visual appeal but also spiritually and emotionally.

What can you do through your home decoration to make you feel more at peace on a fundamental level? Take the time to be intentional about your room décor, and really drill down into who needs what from it.

If this is all getting a bit ‘woo-woo’ for you, let’s pivot a bit and look at concrete ways you can conjure up that homely feeling with little effort.

Related read: Style Spotlight: 4 Secrets of Beautifully ‘Lagom’ Spaces >

Feeling at home: it’s all about you

We’ve pinpointed the essence of home as being a place to express your authentic self.

It’s the one place where you can be just as you feel on the inside, just as messily creative, or as sleek and minimalistic as you want.

How can you fast-track that familiar ‘home sweet home’ feeling?

Quick tip: choose special, meaningful items that tell your story. Select quality souvenirs on your travels that are reminiscent of a time or place, and, most importantly, that last the test of time. Collect keepsakes that evoke memories of happy times.

You’re the best person to know what you like and what you need. Start listening to yourself. If you’re moving with a family, think about them too: what do they need from the space?

Related read: What fabrics are best for when you have children (and messy adults) in the house? >

Once you have that settled, it’s time for the fun part: pinning down your interior design style. If you’re not sure, check out our Pinterest for some serious eye-candy and all the hottest interior design trends.

Finding your style is all about getting in touch with you.

The interior decorating techniques we use to (quickly) make a house a home

We asked our social media and PR team here what makes their houses feel like home and the answers seriously made sense. Working with your favourite objects, colours and materials came first, beating all other contenders.

Their advice included things like

• Hanging up familiar photos and artwork
• Proudly displaying your prized souvenirs
• Working with your favourite colours – they’ll naturally enhance your mood
• Creating texture instantly with textiles such as cushions and rugs, or even wall hangings
• Introducing your houseplants and vases of flowers to your new home as soon as possible

We then put the same question to our design team. They suggested inviting your friends over to flood the space with cheer on that fateful first day.

Related read: Entertaining In a small space: the only guide you need >

They also recommended buying something you have always wanted but could never justify before – something luxurious like those linen sheets you have been yearning after or that beautiful mirror. Something that will put your stamp on the place right away.

Home décor that comes straight from the heart

We really got in touch with our sense of self in this blog post. The definition of home can be as simple or as complex as possible, and that’s OK. It’s a big topic to wrestle.

We hope you’ve found our design guide to evoking that ‘welcome-home-feeling’ useful! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for interior design inspiration, tips and gorgeous pics.