Furnishing your home can be one of the most satisfying and rewarding activities in life – it really is good for the soul, but before the furnishing, comes the home.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a tiny studio apartment where two bods are a crowd, a high-rise apartment, an old weatherboard, a modern townhouse, a 60’s brick veneer or ex warehouse – whatever and wherever it is – it is your home, your haven, your castle. 

The term ‘my home is my castle’ has been passed down through the ages – it is so true; our homes are our castles.  In essence, the term simply implies that you have ultimate control of what happens in your home, you can do as you please and you have superior authority over anyone else as to who may or may not enter into your private space. 

Yep, really sums up why, when we enter through the front door, we have that wonderful aaaaahhhh feeling.  There really is nothing like it; I’m home – I can do what I want, when I want and more importantly, I can just be me.

We get what our homes mean to us but what about the home itself?  Have you ever walked into a completely empty house without a stick of furniture or any form of decoration and instantly felt something?  That ‘something’ is hard to define, it’s an intangible feeling that comes from the house itself. 

I call it a ‘feel’ or a ‘vibe’.  It’s an instant ‘feel’ I get the minute I walk over the threshold.  Having entered countless empty houses over the years I have found that similar ‘feels’ repeat from house to house. 

I, and anyone who understands what I am talking about, can pretty much put such feelings into two categories; a good feel and a bad feel.

We recognised this phenonema from the first house (the first of many!) my husband and I entered when looking for our first home.  It was so powerful and instant – we both simultaneously got the same feel from the house.  From this point, we realised how important to us the feel of a house is. 

I began to think that houses have souls; this led me to wonder what actually gives a house a soul and then the feel it gives?

The answer didn’t come to me until we bought a lovely little weatherboard on a tiny bit of land in the heart of a bustling, community driven inner suburb. 

We walked in through the front door for the first time and instantly got such a powerful but wonderful feeling … a feeling of warmth, harmony, peace, love and happiness all wrapped up into one overall feel.  Yet, the house was empty, the carpets old and stained along with that old smell you get from a house that has been closed up for some time (I had to stop to the urge to run through and throw open all the windows!).

On the day we won the house at auction, we went in with the agent to sign the papers.  In the kitchen was a large gathering of the family who owned the house.  There was a happy din of laughter, popping of champagne corks, the clinking of glasses and general merriment.

They all stopped when we entered the room … then we were suddenly surrounded by a beautiful, warm and welcoming family – they hugged and congratulated us.  They explained how their much-loved, recently passed, mother had lived in the house for more than twenty years and how much she loved her home and her garden.  They then shared some of the many happy memories they all had growing up as children in the home.

One came up to us and said “we hope you love this house as much as we all do and have as many happy times as we all have had’’ – with teary bright sparkling eyes she went on to say “this house is a home, it has given us so much happiness over the years and we wish the same for you”. 

We lived for many, many happy years in that house – it embraced our family, became our protector and our haven.  So many wonderful times with family, friends and our fur-children … so many happy memories created.

When we sold the house, we met the new owners; the first thing they said to us was “we just loved the ‘feel’ of this house the minute we walked in”.  We knew our beloved house was in the right hands, once again.

Here-in-lies the answer to my question; does a house have a soul?  To me that answer is a definite yes.  My personal belief is that houses attract a particular type of person, those people contribute and almost feed the feel of the house and so it goes on from owner, to owner.

Recognising the personality and feel your home exudes along with the style and era are important to consider when creating a look that will not only reflect your own personality and lifestyle but to reflect that of your home.   

Our tastes are all so different, one person’s take on styling will not be another’s but this is a good thing … it makes all of our lives so much more interesting – seeing other people’s ideas challenges and inspires us and, at times, can open us to furniture styles we would never have considered before. 

We hope our eclectic collection of furniture will give you some inspiration when furnishing your space and achieving the feel you are after, no doubt to compliment the feel of your home.  Remember there are no rules - you don’t have to have the same style from a particular era throughout your home … thoughtfully placed, beautiful original furniture from different eras can complement one another so well.

Be rewarded with that ‘aaaaahhhh’ moment every time you walk through the front door, and most importantly, enjoy your home, your castle.