When I was a kid, my house was as old as my father. He had such a dominating personality. My father, as a person, was a knowledgeable man – he loved books. So you can imagine we had plenty of those. We even had a library with thousands of books in it. My father was a punctual man and all his life, he had a lot of commitments. So we had clocks – a lot of them; in every room – on every desk – of every size. He didn’t believe in scoring lavishness so our house was very simple and studious. My childhood house stayed that way until my mother found her voice later in her age…and that’s when my house also found a delicate kick in its blood…

A house is usually greedy of love and attention. It carries the traits of the person who dominates it or loves it. When we go to a house which is not looked after – it is actually depicting that person who had stopped caring for it. Houses age and if there is a hearty person living in it, then the house refuses to grow old – just like that person. But amidst all this growing up journey, there is this one super being who has the power to push the reset button and allow it to grow all over again – no matter who else has the strongest hold in the house. That super-human-being, which is all powerful, is called a child. No matter what age you (as the strongest influencer in the household) want your home to acquire, that little kid has that spell which nobody can break.

I had a creativity bud in me since forever. When I got married, both destiny and my in-laws gave me a chance to build my house from scratch. I don’t know whether I have mentioned this earlier or not but ever since I have gotten married, its been four times I made my house from scratch.

First, my husband moved to Lahore when I got married back in 2011. Back then, we took an upper portion of a house on a rent. My first home was twenty-eight year old at the time of its birth. lol. It was young and jubilant – it matched the spirits of a girl who had dreams. It also got deeper influence from  a young man who was creative and never believed in anything that was regular. That man was my husband.

I made my second home in 2014 when I moved into my own house. We had built it together. After our office, we would go out and buy stuff that would depict our style and liking. From the door knobs to the bathroom tiles, this house was born when it was in its early thirties. It was a true standing reflection of its owners. 

Zeeshan is very creative, his style is subtle. He loves modern themes. He is clean and likes things in a certain way. My house in Lahore – was all of that and more. 

Then my first born came and my house had to push the reset button. All of a sudden, it became one year old. I remember going from room to room and packing all the collectables I had placed at every nook and corner of the house. I made three bags and shoved them into the cabinet. Slowly and gradually, my living area had toys scattered all over. We taped all the sockets and put a fence outside the staircase to guard our baby’s movement.

Then we left our house back in Pakistan and came to Aussie land. We got an apartment for ourselves and to accommodate our kids, it was furnished accordingly. Despite me having a creative bug inside me, the place I lived at, kept juggling between year one and four 🙂 Since the walls are not accessible to the kids, you can say that that was the only part of my home which was aging with me and reflecting my taste.

I lived there for two years and then moved to another apartment. This time, my children were between 3 and 6. A year into this house and I welcomed my baby number 3 and woah – my home lost its head over its shoulder. Lol.

Just kidding.

On the contrary, by now, both my house and its household are at a better level of maturity. My kids understand my love for home décor and don’t really break anything. (Thank God and touchwood). I have now managed to keep it the way I have always liked it to be. Kids do create mess – this is the beauty of their age but then, I have learnt few life hacks to keep it clean once they are finished playing. Few spots have been designated to do creative art, playdough making – this is both for the protection of the house and inculcating some organization in their innocent minds.

It is very unfortunate that Zeeshan doesn’t get actively involved now. He is busy and mostly traveling due to work. Its just me who keep experimenting every now and then. But then again, he gives me feedback and help me in keeping or discarding certain things. I usually change stuff when he is coming home after few days; I know he would like the change and feel special. I love it when he notices the little details – I feel that my house is saying ‘thank you’; I feel that my work has been recognized. And that’s what matters to me.

All in all, at the end, I just want to say that just like mine, your house is you – It carries the same burden and the same energy as you do. So when you are sitting leisurely in your living area, just look around. If you think that the house is tired. Then that’s the prime time, you need to pause and re-align your life. And at the same time, your house needs to freshen-up as well. 

Bring a plant…

Move around some furniture pieces…

Give away some of your old cooking pots to a new and needy house…

Bring a small rug – paint a wall – lit a candle

Live minimalistic – yet in style…..

You will feel nice – I promise you that…

Spending time at home is relaxing and caring for it is therapeutic. Loving your house is like loving yourself. Do give your time and attention to the place that provides you shelter. You will cherish it always.

Have a splendid day ahead, until then !