In the next few paragraphs, I’m going to convince you that your idea of what makes a home is wrong – or rather not really, you in a sense.
We’ve seen what homes look like in mainstream television, films, photographs- whatever piece of media that you can fit four walls into. There’s a certain kind of element that we expect our homes to look like, like something that we’ve already seen or that is recognizable. We’ve plucked ideas from our subconscious and from scenes we’ve seen before. The most common ideas that we ‘come up with’ have already been replicated elsewhere. We’re merely just borrowing the idea.
So how often do we personalize our homes, really? Or is it a fact that most homes are copies of each other? How far does the term original go, in the context of the place we’ve spent most of the last two years in since the pandemic started? There’s been a growing interest in furniture and interior design as majority of us are now realizing the need to edit our homes to make them suitable for a work environment or just to entertain ourselves within these four-walled spaces. Some of us have become plant hoarders. Others have started creating fitness areas when gyms ceased operations. Point is; home isn’t just a place where you rest and watch TV anymore; it’s most likely where you spend your day from morning till night in these difficult times.
I’ve recently watched several short documentaries of interior designers and architectures explaining their projects over the past month or so. One thing th
at struck me is where these creatives extract their ideas from. Their inspiration does not only come from projects of other creatives they’ve admired, they also come from the original houses they are in the process of reinventing. One such example is when one creative, was inspired by the original vintage-stained glass door of her terrace. The colors of lilac purple, pinks and blues were replicated throughout her home. She described it as ‘creating conversation’ between the pieces she chose to display throughout the living room, kitchen and the hallways.
The colors were replicated in the form of stone walls, built-in shelves and art pieces. The main character of the show was a contemporary light fixture when lit up, glowed a soft hue of lilac and pink. It was chosen deliberately in contrast to the traditional stained-glass door and this contrast, I think, more often than not goes overlooked – tradition versus modern.
Forget copying ideas from magazine pages, think! Think about what truly makes you, you as an individual. What are you inspired from? What do you like and dislike? What are you attracted to, what kind of conversations can you make within your home? Will it sound like an orchestra symphony? Or will it sound like the quiet of an art museum, where its guests admire the masterpieces on display in silence? Will it sound like the quiet bustle of a café downtown, where morning meetings are held or where a giggling fit of ladies are having their weekly brunch? There’s simply so many possibilities!
Why make a home, look just like a home? Why not make a home, look like your favorite place in the world- the one place you couldn’t go without?
I would want my home to look like a library or a corner bookstore. That’s the one place I couldn’t go without. I would want step stools to reach the top shelves and a seat by the floor to ceiling window, to read. I would want my home to look warm, cozy, inviting but almost have a cave-like quality to it where I am a pretend explorer adventuring into the unknown. I would want each corner to incite within me a build up of excitement- with book shelves crammed everywhere. I’d amass an arsenal of pillows and blankets to cuddle up with, as I turn page by page, and reminisce chapters that I’ve read before.
In a sense, my home would be recognizable to myself and only to me- not anyone else. I think that’s the key to making your home, personally your own.
Photos by Irfan Rosli (@_roniin)
Location: Urban Salvation Main Gallery