February 2024

What makes a happy home?

Part II. I wrote about findings of The GoodHome Report 2019 about how we perceive home happiness. One of the findings pointed to three emotions that are responsible of our feeling of happiness with our homes. They are (in the order of importance) pride, comfort, and identity. In this article, I would like to delve deeper into these three emotions, as they relate to our satisfaction with our homes.

It would be logical to think that a deficiency in any of these emotions would have a negative effect on our home happiness and that mitigating these deficiencies would make a home a happier place. Remodeling and interior design are one of the tools that could elevate the levels of pride, comfort, and identity. In fact, evaluating these emotions prior to embarking on any home project could be a game-changing approach to identifying actual needs of homeowners. It does not matter if you are do-it-yourselfer or hire professionals.

Do you feel pride in your home?

Let’s look at some possible conversations with a guest entering your home for the first time.

Scenario 1. After greetings, your guest says, “You have a beautiful home!”. Then, your guest moves with confidence to your living room and settles in a chair or on a sofa, while admiring your art or furnishings. You are beaming with pride while telling stories about your decorating or remodeling project, if done recently, or about family heirlooms that make the space so special.

Scenario 2. After greetings, your guest exchanges pleasantries and looks for your guidance as to where to proceed because it’s not obvious. Once in the living room, your guest scans the room for seating. There is a sofa facing a TV and a chair a few feet away from the sofa. The guest settles in the chair. You are on the sofa, feeling awkward because you are too far away from your guest for a comfortable conversation.
Scenario 3. You like you home in its current state, but you know it’s outdated. When you have guests, you often feel a bit embarrassed that your home is so outdated and mutter something about the need to redo the living room.

The homeowners in the second and third scenarios would not score high on the pride emotion. That reduces their happiness with their home and may, consequentially, reduce their overall happiness.

So, what is your scenario? An interaction with guests is one the best way to find out how proud you are with your home.

Do you feel comfortable in your home?

Let’s do a quiz. How many statements below are true for you?
My home is my oasis of peace and relaxation.
My home makes me smile and fills my heart with joy.
I have a comfortable place for all my activities (working, reading, cooking, etc.).
I have a favorite easy chair.
My family members have their private spaces.
My home has space for family gatherings.
My home has plenty of natural light.
I feel safe in my home.

What other positive statements about your home can you add?

Now, list everything that irritates you in your home. Examples:
My kitchen is dark and does not have sufficient counterspace.
My bathroom is cold, and I do not like cold bathrooms.
Every holiday I scramble to find sufficient sitting for my guests instead of relaxing and enjoying the company.
I hate that I cannot keep my windows open because of the road noise.

Obviously, we want the first list to be long and the second list to be short. Addressing the irritants will elevate your comfort and, possibly, your overall happiness.

Does your home reflect your identity?

We all are unique individuals. So, why do our homes often look so much alike? Of course, not everyone can afford a custom designed house. Most of the people live in neighborhoods with similar houses and shop in the same stores for furnishings. Yet, some homeowners have an innate skill of making a home their own, no matter where they live. Others hire interior designers to help them individualize their home. A generic home will not tell the world about who you are, and you may not have the feeling of connection to your space. Those who just replicate a store display or a magazine photograph without making connections with who they are, are missing an important chain link in achieving home happiness.

So, a simple decorating project and an expansive remodel should not be about just fixing something or everything that does not function; they should be about fixing what makes you feel proud of our home, feel comfortable living in it, and what represents who you are. Following these emotions may lead you to a happier home and a happier life.

How to start your journey to a happy home?

This article gave you some ideas about what questions you should ask yourself. Confused? There is help available. Bringing a professional on board for all or part of the work could have an invaluable benefit on the outcome. For example, I developed Interior Diagnosticsä to help homeowners and myself achieve a clear understanding of the needs, wants, opportunities and constrains of a desired home improvement. This planning tool can set you on the right trajectory from the start, saving you from possible costly mistakes and disappointing results. You can read more about Interior Diagnosticsä here.