Houses, like all living things, have a life cycle and part of this cycle is to make a house a home. We’re surrounded by trees at This Home Grows, we got married in a family orchard and had a wishing tree that’s now in our garden! Oh, and I do like to bring branches into the house. You get the picture!? I also see tree’s as a symbol of life, don’t you? They start their life cycle as a seed, which grows, puts down roots and branches out towards the light. The tree produces blossom and bears fruit. Ultimately like us, they come to a natural end, but not before letting you plant lots of other little trees.
With a home, I think we go through a similar process. We put down our own roots, grow in our own ways and branch out. The house and the people living in it! Changing rooms sometimes over and over like pruning to allow re-shooting. In the end, we either start over ourselves or pass onto new owners. It’s a life cycle. If you’re wondering why the blog is called This Home Grows then you can find out more here.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this life cycle and how we go about turning houses into homes. It really intrigues me. Here, we’re working hard (over 6 years so far!) to grow the inside and outside of our house. But you know what, it doesn’t have to be about buying expensive furniture or even posh paint 😉 Sometimes taking the simplest approach can turn your new abode into home.
I really want to reach out and offer something personal in my posts that you can grow into your own. With that in mind, here’s how we’re guiding our house though its life cycle to make it a home. It’s all about feeling comfortable and expressing YOU. There’s no wrong way of doing it. The final results might look different for everyone but the underlying goal to make a house a home is universal.
Make Memories
Back to our tree’s life cycle. I think you could say buying a house is a bit like when you plant your seed. It contains everything it needs inside to grow and flourish. Like a seed, we usually only buy a house that has the right elements to make it a home.
‘This Home’ contained everything it needed to grow and become a potential ‘forever home’. Please read my post on Hunting For This Home if you’re on your own search and need some ideas! We moved into this house in 2014 and it became pretty memorable from day one. The day we moved in, hubby decided that single-handedly transporting our entire life wasn’t enough. He decided it was also the perfect time for a marriage proposal.
I wondered why he was in a panic to find the champagne glasses when I’d said plastic cups were fine. Instead of letting us crack open a bottle of bubbles and start congratulating ourselves that’d we’d moved….I was pretty much pushed out the door to retrieve some clothes left at my parents!? Anyway, it was a pretty special welcome home when I returned to see the driveway twinkling with tea lights. The candles continued into the house and I just prayed the dodgey electrics would allow us this moment! They did. Becoming new homeowners and a fiancé in one day, I knew it was only the beginning. We’d already started making This Home happy and putting down our roots to grow here. Â
We’ve shared countless memories in this house on top of those linked to its renovation journey to date! Those ‘pinch me’ moments shared within these walls make it more than a house. We hosted our first Christmas and celebrated my brother’s 18th birthday. I’ve left ‘This Home’ to marry my best friend and returned as his wife. And, not long ago it welcomed Esme as she became the first baby to ever live here…
Memories make a house a home and are integral to the house life cycle. They give it life! Well, we think so. Invite family and friends into the garden, eat pizza out of the box on the floor and enjoy the everyday. Nothing makes a house a home quicker than sharing it with special people in your lives.
You could say, we had a good feeling about living here from the start. Give my post, Buy A House On The Feeling? a read if you want to know more. Trust that feeling!
Needs Change
When planting a tree, it needs room to grow and branch out. In a similar way, we expand our home or adapt rooms to suit changing needs. We’re supposed to change and evolve. It’s totally natural to grow out of that wall colour or cushions on your sofa!? Thankfully, six years on we’ve transformed an internally dated fifties build into an inviting home. However, it doesn’t end there, as I feel our story in some ways is only just starting. Curtain call anyone, maybe I’ll even address the lack of them downstairs!
As a family of four, the functionality of the house has undeniably changed. Since Esme’s arrival but also working from home during COVID-19. We all had a lot to get our heads around with remote working didn’t we? I just had a waddle and swollen ankles to figure out as well 😉 Living differently in a pandemic changed how we’re all using our homes. It’s encouraging us to reflect on how we want our homes to feel; particularly when we’re living, working and relaxing in them. I believe you should start with how you want a space to ‘feel’ when planning a room. New research from Heal’s found that now is the time to reclaim some of those lost spaces in the home. You can read about the findings of this survey here. Let me know how you are planning to reclaim yours in the comments below or tag us @thishomegrows.
There are rooms we need to revisit and refresh as we’re at the pruning stage of the house life cycle. I’m not talking about the fundamentals but design tweaks to reflect how we have grown in this home. Changes are due to little feet (and paws) exploring the place and others are because we use the rooms differently. Your home grows with you.
One example of changing needs is our lounge and it’s at the top of our list to reclaim this year. The room has become an evening retreat as we’re using our open-plan kitchen during the day with Esme. The goal is to create a snug that meets the needs of a couple relaxing with flexibility to entertain guests (one day)! The ability to go up a gear. I’m learning, as life evolves (children may arrive), you ‘live’ in your home and we naturally want to make changes. Embrace them! We’re all adapting our homes to cater for the developing needs of our lifestyles.Â
Take Your Time
The life cycle of a house may span over many years. It’s perfectly normal to take your time and be in it for the long-term. Go with the grain! Those years add texture, warmth and become part of your home’s story.
We’ve all fallen down the rabbit hole looking at incredible room reveals achieved in a short period to look around our own gaff feeling disheartened. I’ve been that person sat amongst the pile of rubble thinking we’re months off even seeing some plaster, let alone a room! But hindsight is a wonderful thing and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. Take inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest without losing sight of your own style and scale of your project. You might learn how an obstacle actually led to a better outcome, or the balls-up mistake that stayed a while. Soak up all the knowledge before taking the leap of faith into that room renovation or full-blown rebuild. You never remember the bad bits and don’t be too hard on yourself. Growing a home takes time, years in fact, so enjoy the journey.
Step Aside
It can take years before some trees bear fruit. A bit like the house life cycle and the process to make a house a home. We cannot expect big changes overnight! Maybe, like us, you cannot afford the full renovation flip and need to save for those expensive projects i.e. bathroom and kitchen. We waited and it’s worth it – even with three months on microwavable meals during our kitchen remodel. Oh and traveling to shower at my parents before work during the bathroom renovation! It’s worth taking time to understand your home and get to know one another. Yes, a bit like dating! It’s no different to any relationship. You’ve got to put time in and work on it.
We did a lot to make this house safe in the early stages of This Home’s life cycle. If you’re in a similar situation and taking on a renovation project then think about living off site. It wasn’t a viable option for us but it’s something I’d consider if we could rewind the clock. I can only imagine that moving out and viewing from the outside-in might help decisions feel less clouded. Sometimes, being right in it means you can’t see wood for the trees. Stepping aside might encourage more objective decisions. You’ll certainly avoid fighting the losing battle of sweeping up rubble/dust for it all to appear again in an hour. Or is that just me?
That said and done, I always try to see the positive in experiences, as we can’t change them. Our circumstances encouraged us to think more creatively as a couple and shaped This Home. Living amongst the building works meant I was around to ask questions so little fell through the cracks! But quite literally we got stuck in, picking up our tools and knocking things down. Obviously, with expert advice! It turns out you can still grow your home whilst living in chaos. Some of our most cherished items and inspirations were found when they caught us by surprise. Creativity is a muscle, so use it. Being involved in the house will make you feel more confident and comfortable to make it home.
Curate Collections
You’ll find me changing up interior schemes by just tinkering our collections, shopping our home inside and out! Your beloved items can be the fruit that keeps on giving. Never underestimate the beauty of bringing textiles and personal items into the house to make a home. Remember how empty and echoey the house feels when you’ve moved out and removed all your belongings? Don’t wait to improve where you live. Adding inexpensive rugs, cushions, throws can instantly make a house feel more lived in.
Invest in items you can take with you, or even better add things that mean something. My dad retrieved his floor standing lamp from the loft that he’d bought for his first house – yep it’s been kept a long ole time! Hubby’s parents also loaned many beautiful pieces of furniture with real heart and they rooted our own story to this house. In fact, a lot has stayed.
If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know how much I love to decorate seasonally. One way is to bring the outside in and and well it helps that it’s free! “Silver white winters that melt into springs…these are a few of my favorite things”. Or find ways to repurpose, reuse and re-love your collections. Putting together things that bring you joy in a way that displays them and your space at its best is part of the house life cycle.
Please note, none of these are necessities. Maybe the memories are, but really, it’s a privilege to have a home whether you rent, own, or stay with friends or family. You don’t have to love everything about your house to be able to declare it your home. Focus on the good, change it, grow it and keep going if you’re renovating. If you’re about to start the journey in your new home then happy growing to you! Please share how you’re guiding yours through its life cycle and what you’re doing to make your house a home. I’d love to hear your stories.
Hols x