Bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to the home
“Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home,” — is flexible; simple is thrifty; simple is timeless; simple is sustainable; simple is resolved complexity. I’m in love with the subhead in the title, “The Luxury of Enough.”
Just think about that for a minute. Because we sometimes tend to be so materialistic we don’t imagine that having enough is a luxury. But, oh, it is.
In reality, what home means to each of us is very different. We have varying ideas of what it should be, what we expect from it, how much it should cost and what it says about us.
One thing that is quite apparent is that regardless of what size our homes are — big, bigger or biggest — that price doesn’t directly equate to the good life. I’m sure we all have friends and acquaintances living in every type of home, from the most modest to the most extravagant, and can attest that some of the most contented souls live on the more modest side.
It seems that today we are all more interested in the types and decor of our homes. I know that years ago that was not the prominent case. Folks just wanted a home with certain rooms that would fulfill certain needs.
Today young people look at it a little differently than, say, us older ones do, but we all have a definitive desire in our living spaces.
I was recently asked to address a group of ladies in a retirement facility, and I was amazed at their interest in maintaining the lifestyle they had before the move. They asked a lot of questions about decor, and it made me very happy to see that those of us who want certain styles and living goodies want them regardless of where we are hanging out.
Another tenet expressed in the book is called “honesty in building” and says that simple doesn’t refer to the type of home design “but as an approach to building a home marked by honesty and careful choices. Simple homes are, above all, authentic. They make no pretensions. More important than size, cost of style, the simple house says what it is, it expresses the carefully considered needs and tastes of the people who live there. It is not designed to please someone else.”
We see that in model homes. Most often folks are given the opportunity to upgrade or go for standard amenities if they are actually building a new home.
So as we move on, regardless of an issue of money or style, whether it’s the simple home you long for, or the mansion on the hill, keep in mind that neither guarantees success or happiness.
That’s entirely up to you.
Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural and Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant and stylist specializing in home staging. She can be reached at creativemuse@cox.net.