Home,
You are my retreat. You are where I go to settle in, get away,
put my feet up, and have some quiet time.
You safely nestle us away from the rest of the world and offer an environment
of peace and calm.
You are a reflection of
me. You proudly display my design
choices and wear accessories like they were made just for you. You let me paint you and update you so we
stay surrounded by elements that showcase what we love and admire on your walls
and floors.
You clean up nicely. I love the feeling of having those routine
chores done almost all at once so you
feel crisp and clean and inviting. I
like working hard at getting you to that point, and I love enjoying the tidy
fruits of my labor.
You are the backdrop of our
easy entertainment. Whether it’s an
evening or a full Saturday of couch lounging and TV or movie binging, you are
there to call us to some downtime, offering a deep, snuggly place to recline
and pillows to go along with it. You
don’t seem to mind a few dropped popcorn kernels or a couple of plates stacked
on the coffee table ottoman.
You are a culinary hub. It can be a simple dinner or an afternoon of
baking, and either way you have lighted counter space to spread out on and get
to work. With an apron in place, I love
to mix, whisk, chop, boil, and bake my way to tasty dishes and treats. You may look like a big floured, splattered
surface in the end, but what we dish up together is worth the clean-up.
You are more than a welcome
mat. You open your doors to guests and
family and are a gathering place in celebration or simply togetherness. You offer them a place to stop and visit or
share a meal or a milestone.
You are a master bedroom
haven. You hold our warm, soft bed and
more pillows than he would have chosen on his own. You pull back the covers and allow us to bid
the day farewell for hours. You have my
favorite bathroom layout with our own space and privacy and enough closet
storage to allow me to still shop.
And now, you are a nursery,
getting ready for another resident. We’re
working together to turn a now-empty space into a new retreat for a little girl
who is on her way. You’re where we’ll
rock and sing and play and wish for sweet dreams while we watch her grow.
Home, we couldn’t have chosen a more fitting place to start
and grow a family than you.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star February 8th.
