Ask Erin | What is the Difference Between a House and a Home?

by ERIN SHARPLIN LOVE  |  erinlove@panachebyerin.com

When you walk through the door of your house, do you feel relaxed, or do you feel stressed?   Obviously everyone should feel happy and relaxed. Your home should be the place you rest and restore yourself.  If it is not your refuge, maybe you should think about the difference between having a “house” and a “home.”  

Here is a hint: Every time you are in your home, you should be stimulating your five senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch to make your house really feel like home.  For instance, have you ever been in a Williams-Sonoma store?  How did you feel?  What did you smell?  Did you taste any samples?  Were all kinds of beautiful products in your line of sight?  Did you hear  upbeat or relaxing music playing at the time?  Did you roam through the store touching everything that caught your eye?  I bet the answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes!” Now, I am not suggesting that you should make your house smell and look like a Williams-Sonoma store (unless that is what makes you happy).  What I am suggesting is that you take a cue from them and work to engage all of your senses.  

SCENT – Scent is the most important because it is the first thing you notice when you walk through the door.  How does the atmosphere smell? Is it fresh and clean or dingy and dusty?  Or, maybe it smells like the scent of apple cider or left-over cooking from the night before?  Scents evoke comfort and relaxation, so make sure to include your favorites to make your house feel like home.  You can do this with candles, essential oils, plug-ins and more. *Tip-  The first thing I do after cooking dinner is run my essential oil diffuser.  It removes any smell from cooking, so when I awake the next morning the room smells fresh and clean. 

SIGHT – Obviously, this is also one of the most important of your “home”senses. if your space is cluttered and disorganized, you will feel tense and frustrated.  The goal is to have only the items you love and use in your home, so start now to get rid of anything that causes you stress or anxiety.  Try this –The next time you walk in the door after a long day,take note of what you notice and how it makes you feel.  Then work to change that one area.   Continue this process until the next time you come home, you feel happiness, gratitude, and relaxation.  *Tip – Style your home, especially the area in which you enter, with something that makes you happy. For example,  I have a candle and a potted plant on my entrance table at the moment.  

HEARING – What do you hear upon entering your home?  This may seem like an odd question to ask, but really think about it.  Most of you will probably say “silence,” especially if you are typically the first one home in the evening, but your house is never completely silent.  Instead, we grow accustomed to the sounds in our home and begin to ignore them or not notice them at all. Today, I want you to notice them.  For instance, maybe you have a pet, and the first thing you hear is barking to welcome you home.  Or, perhaps you hear the air conditioner humming.   Maybe you hear the clink, clink of your sink dripping.  All the sounds you hear consciously or subconsciously have an affect on your mood.  For instance, if you hear the clink of your dripping sink, it is alerting you of an issue that needs repairing.  Get it repaired!  To put it another way, maybe you would love to hear the welcoming bark of a dog upon arriving home but haven’t taken the leap.  Take the leap!  Make your house a home!

TOUCH – What do you touch as you enter your home?  Is it a stuck or jammed door that causes aggravation even before you enter?  Fix it!  When you step inside, are you welcomed with the soft touch of a decorative rug or the clink of hard tile?  Choose the one that makes you feel the best.  You should also be surrounding yourself with decorative accents, such as pillows, blankets, and cushions that have different textures and patterns you are attracted to.  Even the soft fur of a kitty cat can make your house feel like a home.  What can you add to your home today?

TASTE – This final sense is all about the food and drink that you have at home.  Take time to savor your favorite foods and indulge when you can.  Now, I am not saying that you should blow your diet, but I am saying that you should treat yourself as often as you can!   Have your favorite wine while enjoying a hot bath.  Have a second piece of chocolate after dinner.  Savor a warm plate of pasta if it is your favorite food.  Maybe it reminds you of your grandparents and that is exactly what makes a house feel like a home.  And don’t forget to try new things, too!  Expand your taste buds with new recipes weekly!  

Whether you have lived in your home for years or you just moved in, you can establish routines and rituals that welcome you home day in and day out.  All it takes is letting your five senses lead the way.