What is home?
Shelter, history, sanctuary…
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
I’m writing this on what would have been my mum’s birthday, in a house filled with memories of her and pieces brought back from the home she created. Many of her books fill the shelves in my study; the handmade patchwork quilts she stitched cover the beds of myself and my husband and our children; her garden bench sits outside.
Of course, this is my own family’s home, so her presence is one among many – we’ve lived here for 12 years, and our possessions and evidence of our pastimes and passions fill the spaces. A new kitchen has been fitted and the wallpaper has marks from hanging pictures on the wall for an artists’ open house. The kids’ rooms have evolved with them and the sofa broken by a toddler jumping too hard, too often on it, has been replaced by a new one his 20-year-old self begrudgingly tolerates (‘I miss the old one; I could have had it,’ he tells me). My husband has a favourite chair at the kitchen table, where he works and plays music (there’s always music).
We craft the spaces we live in with both intention and indifference. We carelessly accumulate items, then decide it’s time to declutter. We can spend hours choosing paint but seconds considering if we even like the room we’re sitting in. We negotiate shared spaces with care and neglect what we need to feel content in our personal corners (or maybe, for you, it’s the other way around).
We all deserve a home that provides shelter, in both the practical and psychological sense. We want to feel welcomed when we walk in the door. Quite simply, we want to feel at home. But making a home – truly, thoughtfully creating an environment that celebrates, comforts, cocoons and connects us – doesn’t happen by accident. And that’s where The Coach House comes in.
I’m a journalist who’s written for years about lifestyle, wellbeing and interiors. I’m also a qualified self-development coach working with individuals to help them build the life they want to live. With The Coach House, I’m bringing these two worlds together, with a fortnightly newsletter that explores how we can make our homes the environment and experiences we most want them to be. And for paid subscribers, I’ll be sharing coaching questions that you can apply to your own living space, so it becomes the home you most desire, whether you own it, rent it, or it belongs to your parents or someone else.
There will be challenges. It’s not always easy looking into the shadows or airing out the dusty corners, and you may decide to let go of some things you’ve been holding on to in order to make space for the new. But how amazing is that? You get to explore the place you already occupy, kick off your shoes and settle in. I’m looking forward to visiting your inbox every fortnight.
Thanks for reading The Coach House. I’d love to hear your feedback, so do drop me an email at andreachildscoaching@gmail.com
If you’d like to know more about coaching sessions with me, please visit my website andreachildscoaching.com I offer a free intro call to discuss how we can work together.