The other day I posted about the idea of home and whether our surroundings can make us more or less happy. I loved some of the comments I got on the post! Obviously, we all have very different ideas about what makes home, HOME. And I hope it was clear that for me, whether your house is a home really isn’t about how neat and tidy you are, or how much thought you put into interior design. It’s more about the ways you make your house a place you, and the rest of your family, wants to spend time in. And how small things–a clean countertop, a paint color you love, a photo on the wall–can make your home a happier place to be, and by extension, make you a little bit happier, too.
For example, one thing that makes me really happy is open windows. On nice days, I want the windows open as high as they’ll go. On cold days I’ll settle for opening the blinds or pulling up the shade and tying back the curtains. Coming into a room with drawn shades or stale air automatically brings my ‘happy-o-meter’ down a few notches.
Another thing I love is to be surrounded by my favorite books. They are my old friends. I notice that if I go into somebody else’s home and there’s a room with lots of books in it, I automatically have a positive feeling about that room, even if the rest of it is plain or dingy. So I always have a bookcase, prominently displayed, in a major thoroughfare of my house.
I love having a bowl full of fruit on the dining-room table. I think it’s symbolic of an abundance of good things in my home and life, and to me, fruit seems to sum up something that is healthy, attractive, sweet, and nurturing. If it were a bowl full of potato chips, I don’t think it would evoke quite the same feeling.
I love when my house smells good. A lit candle giving off some nice smell, or the scent of baked goods lift my spirits and makes my house feel so homey.
I am happy when things are in their place. We are never perfect about this–too many kids engaged in too many projects all at once to ever be totally on top of it. But the sight of a neat, clean table or counter gives me a little sense of satisfaction.
Here are some other common, simple things that make people’s homes feel happy, based on the comments on my previous post and Twitter:
- Houseplants (but only if they are thriving, not dead or dying!)
- Artwork you have a personal connection to–your child or family member made it, it speaks to you, you acquired it on a trip and looking at it brings back happy memories, etc
- Homemade things on display (whether you made them yourself or not!)
- Photos
- Fresh flowers
- Clutter-free surfaces (for me, tidy kitchen counters and dining room tables are big-time happy-boosters)
What would you add to the list?
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