What makes a house a home?

Our house is untidy but clean,and i always love coming back to it.
So thats what makes it homely for me.
First thing i do is put the kettle on and get cosy.

Home is that place that gives your heart a little lift every time you turn the corner and see it after you've been out.

Warmth and a welcome.
But actually Kittylester says it best, and another way of saying it is home is where the heart is.

I think, as a visitor, the 'homeliness' comes from the people who live there making you feel welcome and comfortable. So if I have to avoid pet hair or move stuff to sit down, then I don't feel welcome. If no-one offers refreshment, or whips my cup away before I've finished, or tuts at my biscuit crumbs on the floor, then I don't feel at home.
I like a house that feels lived in, family photos on the mantelpiece, books/magazines lying on a table but not covering it, children's toys in one corner but not all over the floor.

SummerJ



SummerJ

Home is where the WIFI connects automatically...

My beautiful rescue Yorkshire terrier made my house a home. He made sure that it was a cleaner home too as he insisted, through various means , that I mop most of the hard floors at least twice a day. I would gladly take up my mop again to have him back as the house seems so dull and empty without him .

Television, knitting, books, comfy sofa, photos on wall, Scentsy oil burner, a pile of magazines.

Time.

A fire place or stove. Books. Comfy sofa and a rug. The sound of loved ones in the garden.

A wife!

A loving companion

Lots of books for me and not clinically spartan.
I have a dear friend, also sister in law and I never feel truly comfortable as both are very houseproud and I’m glad to get back to my ‘eclectic’ surroundings.

A dog.

I live alone and have done for many years since my divorce. To me the comfort of the familiar, my books, collections and things I consider beautiful are the essence of my home. I also like pools of light in rooms-even if I am not in them I can see the glow which, although I realise is ecologically questionable, is good for my mental health as I rarely feel lonely. Of course the most ‘homey’ thing of all is when my family visit, I am cooking and my grandchildren are clamouring for food!

A dog. And I only wish I had one!

Two friendly (and well behaved!) cats - though these are put outside if my friend with allergies is coming to see us. Home made food to give to welcome vistors. Good lighting, conversation and comfortable chairs.

having somebody to share it with,mine's never really felt like a home since I lost my husband

FC I promise my DGC would never try to lick you!?
For DH a home should have a dog.
Me, I like it clean, warm, comfortable and ready for visitors.

Just the feeling that you can relax there ..whatever that means to each and every one of us.

Hate cream coloured carpets in high traffic areas of the home they are a sort of tyranny or any where I am made to feel I’m not clean enough and have to remove footwear.

My 2 dogs, my hand knotted large wool rug 30+ years old and still going strong, a few ornaments that remind me of places I've visited, my DC and DGC when they visit, the football and blow up guitar belonging to my DGC on top of the cupboard. I would say a home is full of memories.
I hate very tidy minimalist houses all painted grey. Never feel at home in them, but each to their own. My best friend's home is very clean but very cluttered. Reminds me of my childhood home so i feel very at home there when I visit.

A dog and/or a cat. Loaded book shelves, many plants. Soft sofas, high backed chairs for watching TV. Candles to counter odd whiff off ancient dog. Always fairly clean, but not obsessively so

Love and favourite things around you

Family to share with

A real fire, have wanted one for over 50 years (age now 70). Moved house 3 times but still no fire.