The art of feeling at home - A how-to when you’re somewhere new
HOME; there are few words that emote quite like it. The word conjures such personal, palpable imagery. Home means different things to us all. Thinking of home can be joyful and sorrowful.
For some, home is a country, a village a house; for some it's their mothers cooking, the sound of native birdsong or a scent in the night air. Home is both tangible and intangible. For me, home is wherever my beloved is (and wherever my pyjamas are); and I am sure that's the same the world over – Home is ultimately love.
We humans and our ancestors have always adorned our spaces and left our mark on the landscape. We have painted caves, carved sculptures, and nomadic people such as the Bedouin developed portable villages embelished with rugs. We have the need to see ourselves reflected in the spaces we inhabit, whether they be short term abodes, or forever homes.
Bedouin wool rugs: nomadgallery.net, Venus of Willendorf: Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Handprints at Cueva De Las Manos.: H_ctor Aviles / EyeEm / Getty Images If you are new to a place, whether it be a new apartment, city or country it can be challenging to find permanence in the unfamiliar. Creating a sense of home wherever you are allows you to build capacity and can help fuel your growth. Feeling at home creates the safety needed to build a new life.
Here are my top interior tips on carving out a home & finding comfort in the unfamiliar
If you’re in a Short term rental
There can be a sterility to short term rentals. When we immigrated, we lived in 5 airbnbs in nearly as many months; Here are some of the ways we made it feel more homelike:
Move the furniture around to better suit how you live (take a photo of how it was originally so you can put it back when you vacate)
Placing framed and unframed photos of family and friends around really helped make the place feel more like ours – If yours are all in storage, like ours where, you can get some pics from your phone printed and delivered by Smart Photo or buy a mini printer like the Canon Zoemini 2 pocket printer
Buying flowers weekly. Blooms in the home will lift you immediately. And I’ve also found a bit of habit forming, ie going every Friday to the flower market, in itself builds a sense of belonging
Dress your rental with plants by accumulating small to medium sized house plants in preparation for your permanent home (make sure they’re not super fragile and easy to move, however)
Invest in a home fragrance, possibly one that reminds you of home or one to symbolise your next chapter. B certified company [Comfort Zone] have some beautiful fragrances that I adore
Place your favourite item(s) of clothing on show. I would hang my favourite dresses somewhere visible, even remove the artwork and replace it with some clothing you love
If you’re in a long-term furnished rental
The benefits of a long-term rental is there's permanence built in, you know you’re going to be there for months or years; but the same issues of sterility and impersonal interiors persist. All the above tips apply to long-term rentals, but you can add more pizazz depending on the length of your tenancy agreement.
Adding removable wallpaper is such a quick and low stakes way to make a space your own without damaging the wall beneath. It also can be reusable so you can take it with you to your next home. Peel and Paper have some gorgeous removeable wallpaper
Removing the existing artwork and popping your own up will make your rental feel so much more like home, and if you can't do that (or there are no hooks) 3M hooks do an incredible job (they can mark darker walls and aren't great on wallpaper, though)
Dress the space with rugs and cushions that you can take with you, just like the Bedouin
It might be worth speaking to the property owner before adding any of the peel and stick items.
Brick red checkerboard pattern wool rug from & Burgundy velvet round cushion from The Socialite Family. Piper Removeable wallpaper in ‘‘Fire’’ from Peel & Paper. If you’ve moved into an empty home
Empty homes are daunting – I mean, where to start when you need everything! This is a problem I have faced innumerable times (ok four times in truth, but it feels innumerable).
Buy a dining table immediately. In my opinion this is the most important item to prioritise (apart from a mattress and bedding of course). There's no other piece of furniture that serves as many functions. Dining, working, life planning/decision making, hosting and watching tv. Because a dining table is such an important bit of furniture, and finding THE dining table can take a long time, I recommend buying a garden set, so when the right table comes along you can repurpose the old one and it can begin its new life
Focus on getting your bedroom comfortable. It doesn't need to be designed, it just needs to feel good to wake up in and good to go to sleep in. Quality bedding, lighting and some flowers goes such a long way. Marshmallow does gorgeous bed linen and IKEA'S fado lamp is affordable at 15 euros and creates a lovely sleepy ambiance
Unpacking your suitcase is a vital step in feeling at home. Which when you’re in an empty space is easier said than done. If you can afford it, I reccomend getting a wardrobe as soon as you can. In my experience I’ve fond no better than IKEA’s Pax system — as its modular you can also build it in stages as your cash-flow allows. There are also some beautiful free-standing vintage, and second hand wardrobes available (facebook marketplace, pre-owned IKEA, ebay, OLX, Panomo and local secondhand stores are my go-to’s). Failing that a clothes rail and some hangers will do the job perfectly
If you’re overwhelmed by the interior design task ahead
Designing your home can be overwhelming at the best of times, especially if you've moved to a new country! So sometimes you’ve got to ask, WWDD? (What would Dorthy do?), She’d call on a new friend for help….. And I am that new friend — I’m Jennifer Day, the founder of Nuvem Interior design. Nuvem is a design practice based in Northern Portugal.
Our aim is to democratise and make interior design more accessible and friendly. We are not a traditional interior design practice. We have developed a variety of design packages to suit a range of needs and budgets, starting from €75. We offer economical design packages digitally so it doesn't matter where you’re based, we can help. The Nuvem approach to design is rooted in empathy and compassion. We believe relationship based design is the only way to create meaningful and long-lasting spaces for clients. We’re a small but mighty team with a big heart.
If you would like a free consultation or if you have any questions email interiors@dreamnuvem.com . Or click below to see our design packages.
