How to turn your house into a home
Not every home is a house, and not every house is a home, but every house has the potential to be a home. If you're looking for that down-home feeling that brings back the comforts of childhood, a little piece of those innocent times – a home slice, if you will – then you've got to be willing to put in the work. Let's take a moment to close our eyes and think of those images that conjure "home." Apple pie, family togetherness, all that jazz. How do we imbue hominess where otherwise there is none?
It's worth noting that the words house and home have pretty distinct meanings. Webster's defines a house by focusing on the structure itself: "a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families." The home, on the other hand, is more about familial ties, social bonds: "one's place of residence … the social unit formed by a family living together … the focus of one's domestic attention." The home, then, is somewhat less concrete. Home is the product of social bonds, a concerted effort by a group to make a place all their own.
How does one create this "home?" More importantly for our purposes, how can Lands' End help?
It’s all about the details
Crafting a homier environment is all about the details. Little touches here and there make you feel more at home and signal to visitors that you love where you live. Hang up pictures of the kids, graduation photos, baby pictures, art projects – anything that comes from the family. Details like framed memories help establish a sense of longevity and permanence. They also help signal that this isn't just a place where a family lives – it's where family bonds are formed and strengthened.
The holidays are a great opportunity to work some additional hominess into your home. Nothing says classic home styling like needlepoint stockings. A personalized needlepoint Christmas stocking, with the family member's name embroidered right at the top, is such a Christmas classic. Visitors and family members alike will take one look at the row of stockings hung by the mantel (with care) and think to themselves, "Hey, this place is feeling downright homey!"
Give your towels a personal touch
Let's think about your towels for a moment. Couldn't they use a little refresh, and aren't they a little…impersonal? Personalize your bathroom with some new bath towels for that homey upgrade. Monogrammed bath towels make a bathroom feel more cohesive and custom, and they add that extra-special something that your old towels just can't deliver.
If you're getting new towels for the bathroom, why not go ahead and get a coordinating monogrammed shower curtain to complete the look? Lands' End shower curtains are designed to match many of our towel designs, so your bathroom will be looking like something straight out of a catalog. A catalog for well-loved homes, that is. Don’t forget to add in some additional storage options and bath mats for a polished look!
This is also a great opportunity to take a good critical look at your kitchen towels. Doesn't your kitchen deserve the same treatment as the rest of the house? Try adding some monogrammed hand towels into the mix and see how quickly you feel your home becoming more and more lived-in, loved, and lovely.
Add some flair to your living room
The living room isn't a done deal just because you've added pictures and stockings. A couple more finishes really help bring it all home. Seasonal throw pillows add some flair to otherwise boring couches and chairs, and fleece blankets are great for snuggling on cold nights or while watching movies with loved ones. Add a couple extra pillows and blankets to the living room, and you'll have a hard time getting anyone in your family to do anything but sit around and watch TV and play board games. Take it a step further and add some bean bag chairs for your kids and younger visitors. It’ll just add to the comfort factor.
Visitors will know this is a home, not just a house, from all the enthused and congenial family members genuinely enjoying one another's company.
Making your house a home
This final image is what's most important here – making a home is most centrally about the people. A home reflects the people who live there, whether that's through the names on their stockings, the blanket they love, or their smiling faces in picture frames. A home brings people who love one another together, and it projects that love to anyone who walks through the door.