8 Ways to Make Your House a Home

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” – Benjamin Franklin

1. Family photos instead of paintings. 
   Despite the fact that good quality paintings cost a fortune, a great way to bring a personal touch to your house, and make it your home, is by using family photos as décor. Now, bare in mind, this is not to be overdone – you don’t want your house looking like a museum. The best route to take is to choose a few of your favourite family shots and have them printed on canvas To read more on how to do this, click here to be taken to a Spice4Life article featuring the new product, Printstagram. Then, put these up in your lounge and have them stand as a feature on their own. Furthermore, pick out a few classic frames from your preferred home store to add some additional photos to the various rooms. Vwalah! Your house is a home.
   
   
2. Furniture/Décor with sentiment. 
   No one is a fan of granny’s couch that has been passed down through the family and smells like cat wee… But we are fans of furniture, in the home, that discloses some sentimental meaning. If you don’t like a gift someone gave you, don’t be shy to exchange it for something else. You will still remember that person, and the message behind their gift, whenever looking at the item. Furthermore, having family heirlooms re-furbished or fixed up is not a sin. So long as you keep some of the original features and character, you will obtain a major homey feel and will have some great stories to share!
   
   
3. A colour scheme the whole family enjoys. 
   To avoid having the entire colour wheel present, throughout the various rooms in your house, get the whole family to decide on one, central colour scheme. That way, a distinct theme can be carried throughout the house, making it a home. While your kids are welcome to still play around with this theme, and make it their own, the overall harmony of your home will be maintained.
   
   
4. Assign family members the licence to decorate. 
   Many times, all it takes to make a house a home is for the people living in the house to have a say in the adornment of their home. Often, the female of the household will take ownership of the interior decorating – a reasonable claim, to an extent. Rather than making it a sole mission, however, consider including your loved ones and simply taking the position of administering the process. That way, you still get to guide the decisions that are made, but everyone gets to feel as though they have made a contribution in transforming their family home to what it is. We realise that teenagers aren’t always interested in this sort of thing, but give it a bash! You’ll never know until you try! 
    
5. Get the family involved in DIY. 
   In case you haven’t heard, DIY is the new form of interior decorating. There is no longer the excuse of not knowing how… Many Websites are solely dedicated to bringing you steps on how to make the perfect, beach-inspired table – for example. One that comes to mind is Pinterest! You haven’t been on Pinterest yet?? Well, now is your chance. Click here to view Spice4Life’s board on some simple home DIY solutions. Better yet, make it a family project and vwalah! Your house is a home.
       
6. Bring animals/plants into your home. 
   We understand that allergies and OCD-levels of wanting the house to stay clean can make it difficult to bring in any sort of pet… But, let’s be honest, no house is a home unless it has something furry running to great you at the door when you come in. On the contrary, we don’t want to intrude on your preferences… So if pets are an absolute “no-no”, then how about making sure your vases stay filled with freshly cut flowers? Or, why not bring in the odd pot plant to add some life to the room? Although all things living require some looking after, it’ll all be worth it when your house becomes a home.
   
   
7. Practical novelty purchases. 
   Most holiday destinations boast novel shops and unique craft markets where you are able to buy artefacts that remind you of your trip. These, however, aren’t always the most practical of objects and often end up being stored away to collect dust. Our advice would be to maintain the activity, just improve the end result. So, still go and visit the random stores along the beachfront, but make sure that you leave the shop with something you will use that will fit into your home’s attire. Vwalah! Your house is a home!
   
   
8. Keep your home clean and well-looked after.  While this one may sound rather obvious, it is a factor of housekeeping that too often gets neglected. For a house to be a home, spider-webs and dusty corners need to be prevented. Furthermore, fix the things that need to be fixed. Don’t let them stay at the number one point on your to-do list for several months. Consider assigning a portion of your budget to ‘house maintenance’; that way, you won’t be able to use the “no money” excuse. Let’s face it; a clean and well-maintained house is a home.

So, whether you fix up and bring some of your parents’ old furniture into the house or take a visit to the nearest pet store… We want to know whether it makes you feel more at home in your own house. Contact us on our Facebook page by clicking here, and be sure to leave a comment. Even better, let us know if we’ve left anything out by telling us what you feel makes a house a home. We would love to hear from you!
Other than that, happy living in your new home!

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Samantha Steyn is a 23-year-old female currently working within the media/publishing industry (at SPICE4LIFE). Her passions include God, writing, animals, fashion and photography. She graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2012 with a BA in Value and Policy Studies - which basically consists of a mix between a BA and BComm. She enjoyed studying and hopes to study further - part-time - in either English, Copy Writing or Creative Writing so as to enhance her writing skills.She is passionate about making a difference, particularly in the lives of women who have not yet reached their full potential. She believe she is called to empower women through her writing and to, if necessary, introduce them to God. Further than that,she is a typical romantic who loves reading and spending time with her boyfriend.She enjoys interacting with people on a deep level and learning about their various walks of life.