Home means so many different things to so many different people. I love that it’s such a democratic and expansive term, open to interpretation and as colourful and varied as an enormous house filled with differently decorated rooms. When I think of what that word actually means to me, many aspects of what home is – and should be – ultimately come down to the idea of connection.
In a purely physical, architectural sense, a home is a series of interlinked spaces that are joined together to make up a functional location in which we exist and reside. However, it’s only through other associations that it becomes what we recognise as home.
Emotional, mental and interpersonal connections layer on top of this physical structure, transforming it, giving it a pulsating, vibrant life of its own. The people we invite in, the things we fill it with, the way we decorate – everything plays its part. These decisions are the electric currents linked to a big metaphysical defibrillator, which jolts the heart of home alive and makes it beat fast and strong.
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In a nutshell, this energy is what we try to harness in every issue. It’s not just about stuff and shopping (although these play a part), but about tapping into the humanity that dictates how and why we live the way we do.
This month is no exception to that endeavour. That’s why we bring you an entire section dedicated to all things bathroom – perhaps the one space where we can truly be ourselves, whether that’s naked and stripped back to exactly who we are or pampered and preened to face the world as we want it to see us.
Elsewhere, we tackle the conflicting style directions shaping 2023: a move towards convention-shattering futurism inspired by the ethos of the Memphis Group versus a thoroughly modern approach to minimalist decorating. To my mind, these opposing new takes on established interiors ideas and movements are both a clear reaction against the turbulent times we have been living through these past few years.
We also tracked down real people winning the storage battle with creative and clever solutions. Plus, for those shorter on space, there are lessons to be learned from a Dutch home that proves style needn’t be sacrificed when every inch counts.
Finally, talking of emotions, I challenge anyone not to be moved by the touching story of filmmaker Robert Rafalat and his London home – a fun, colourful tribute to his late sister Zu. Sadly, life is fleetingly brief, but home transcends and lives on. While it’s only a place we inhabit for a relatively short time, make the most of those connections that transform it into whatever it means to you.
