Turning A House Into A Home
[ 28 May 2008 ]
Being away from all my trinkets has gotten me thinking about what it takes to turn a space into something you can inhabit with joy, settle into & feel comfortable.
The good news is that I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t take much to turn a house into a home. All it needs is a few small, colourful things that bring you joy. Here are some treasures I’ve found recently that make me smile.
(From top to bottom…)
A paper parasol in a bright colour makes a fantastic impromptu lamp-shade.
Major retailers deciding your favourite authors (Nabokov & Bukowski) are “cool” can be a little unsettling, but you should still take advantage of it. Once the trend passes, you’ll be glad you snapped up these posters!
I absolutely love the look of this cranberry, cardamom & clove soy teacup candle. Too cute!
Brokesy makes super-cool 2-cushion sets that tell a little story. I like these ones of a yeti chasing a lemming. Monsterlicious!
What could be better than drinking coffee out of a mug in your favourite Pantone colour?
A stylish tea-kettle is a necessity of every home.
Pretend you’re a superstar with this framed Andy Warhol print.
Next time you’re drinking scotch & writing postcards, why not drink out of something stylish like these colourful wobble glasses?
Make an effort to buy flowers. It will cheer you up on the dreariest day, I promise!
I am a sucker for sweet-looking tea tins. This ginger tea tin definitely fits the bill. Maybe you should keep some pretty Chinese gummy candy around for low blood sugar days, too.
Bird cages look good, even without anything in them. Though you could always stuff it with old love letters…
Light up your dinner table at dusk with these battery-powered lanterns.
I like this crown. I don’t know what I’d do with it though. Probably use it as a prop in my increasingly ridiculous self-portraits!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
Tags: aesthetic,
consumption,
inspiration,
life Share this! + Email This + Del.icio.us
+ Facebook
+ Stumbleupon
+ Technorati
Comment
Read more tagged aesthetic...
Artists Of The Moment Moleskine Inspiration Spring Uniforms Purple Eyebrows! Jem-Inspired Makeover! Style By The Stars: What's Your Astrological Aesthetic? 8 Outfits & Ideas For The Perfect First Date What Would You Wear At 40?
Read more tagged consumption...
Daily Outfit -- 21st May 2008 Moleskine Inspiration ModCloth Competition Winner! Spring Uniforms What Should I Buy For Mother's Day? iCiNG Treats For May! Daily Outfit -- 30th April 2008 ModCloth Competition!
Read more tagged inspiration...
Artists Of The Moment Style Tips -- 26th May 2008 The Constant Gardener: Podcast The Constant Gardener Things I Love Thursday iCiNG Time Capsule iCiNG Transformation Challenge -- How'd You Do? Moleskine Inspiration
Read more tagged life...
iCiNG Treats Contest! Style Tips -- 26th May 2008 Hello, Lover! Why Is Gala In NYC? The Constant Gardener: Podcast The Constant Gardener Calling All Nonpareils In New York... iCiNG Transformation Challenge -- How'd You Do?
I love these! I’ve just moved into my boyfriend’s place temporarily and he said even though it’s technically his apartment I can add some of my own touches that I can take into the apartment I’ll be living in the fall… these things are lovely!
That crown is fabulous! I’d put it on a replica china bust of Charles Dickens ;) And yes, I do have one of those. It’s awesome.
This was such a cute idea, Gala – they’re really good tips, I hope to use them for making my university room feel more homey this autumn :) Thank you!
I really want a bird cage!! I’ve got so much in my room now though it seems pointless to get one as I’ll be going to uni in a year.
I love my room though, I decorated it all myself and it has a vintage/french boudoir feel to it, gorgeous!!
Oh! I want that Bukowski poster. Not sure I can afford to drop $50 plus shipping on a poster, though. :(
SQUEAL I am moving in a month and am so so so super pumped to turn my empty apartment into a color-rama love suite. Thanks for the tips, lovely ladyyyy.
Oh lovely ideas, the best thing that always work for me is putting on my favourite music it makes me feel right at home, wherever :)
I want a Pantone mug!! Actually i want them in all kinds of colours or maybe one suited to special dates like my b-day.. look for Pantone-colours linked by date on Colorsrology
I love the novel posters, they are great n_n.
1. I have that ginger tea. it is adorable and tasty!
2. That crown would be a stunning lampshade.
Haha, the candy looks like a whole lot of condoms ^^
My absolute favorite thing is painting my room. Once you’ve colored it, the room is YOURS. I like clouds on my walls.
clouds
on my
walls
I love the monster cushions! Hilarious! The crown would look great hanging on the wall, if it was nice and high so passers-by wouldn’t get impaled. It would also look awesome in the centre of a table with either candles or a vase of flowers in the middle of it.
Making somewhere feel like home is so wonderful. Just reading about these things mekes mi feel all cosy! That crown is so cool, I think it would be really lovely if it had loads of flowers sprining out all over it- in fact i was commenting mainly to say that having plants on your windowsill is an excellent homey thing to have because they cheer you up! I love succulents and cacti :-)
Lovely Ideas!
One thing thats good to have if you move around a lot is a giant pin board. They don´t cost very much and you can decorate them with whatever you want : photos, magazine cutouts, jewelery. I put old wall paper on mine cause I don’t like the colour of the cork stuff. At the moment mines got photos of where I used to live in Ireland, fake roses, vintage necklaces, crystals, news paper clippings I find funny, and a note from a friend. Its always makes me happy when i´m missing home, and I love finding things to add to it.
I’ve just moved into my own flat this month, and keep buying little things like this! My favourite purchase recently is this phone (http://www.johnlewis.com/230419543/Product.aspx), it looks so amazing in my room!
I think the teacup candle could be easily made at home! Thrift stores have tons of teacups that have strayed from their set, this would be a great way to use them to make gifts
I LOVE that candy! I collect the wrappers, and I’m planning on making things with them =)
(They’re actually from Japan, but Asian snacks are
somehow that didn’t post properly O__o
the second part is “Asian snacks are all yummy”
You should try a box of “Pocky” snacks. They’re awsome- just watch these commercials and you’ll see XD
youtube.com/watch?v=s3gIrqQhwk…
youtube.com/watch?v=qdalvWYAv_…
sora your room is gorgeous ! It’s like living high up in the sky !
It really is the details that make a home. So many people stuff their homes with things they think ought to be there rather than things that mean something to them.
The book posters by the way, are really overpriced at Urban Outfitters. You can get the same ones and more at allposters.com for half the price.
www.allposters.com/
These are some great ideas. I’ve got a single room at school next year (in a castle, seriously! mywebsite.register.com/db2/001… ) and I’m starting to plan how I want to decorate it. I will be using the bedding I bought at the start of freshman year, as well as a few posters and such that I’ve collected over the year, but I’m starting to figure out what else I want, from furniture to knick-knacks and I’m really excited.
I found these the other day- they’re wall decals that are supposedly removable and won’t leave marks on your walls. Anyone have any experience with them?
www.whatisblik.com/walldecals….
Aww, I love the crown! It’s gorgeous. I think when you’re away from your home, it’s really important to make the place you’re staying in comfortable – I love cushions, candles and little trinkets! Great post, thank-you Miss Gala!
xoxo
sora, I also looooove your bedroom. Very inspiring :o)
im so excited for when i move out and get my own place!
I lovelove birdcages! i also think rugs and mirrors are a nice way to decorate a home and make it yours. im also into plants and flowers :D
i cannot wait. interior decorating is my life!
I am so glad that you are feeling like you are home. I love your decor taste!
off topic dear … do apologise [oh-my!]
here’s the curiously delicious thread of which you are smack-dab-in-the-middle-of …
no impact man > galadarling > we like it raw > chaco canyon cafe > raw yellow curry bowl > din-din with darling designing nephew [http://piecemealonline.com] > yummy!
tee-hee … thank you dahling!
— joyce
Those Pantone mugs are especially tempting!
hi gala
can you show us what your new apartment looks like once youve done a bit of decorating?
i wud be very interested to see some of your ideas…as im sure a lot of others would :)
xx
Ahhhh! I’m totally going to pick up those battery powered lanterns for our next dinner party- they’re adorable!
Oh, lovely!
For anybody in Aus, Freedom Furniture has some really great birdcages at the moment (for about $30 for a small one). I bought one and filled it with fake wildflowers and a little porcelain bird on the perch.
The teacup candle is so adorable, I want!
I’ve always liked the saying, “home is not a place, it’s people.”
I think smells bring us closest to our homes, so I’d add in some incense, oil burners & candles, too.
I love the birdcage idea though, I think I’m going to steal that!
i need that crown
I’m particularly good at making myself at home wherever I am. Possibly because I carry my life around in my bag!
Great inspirational post! Thanks as always, Gala! I love the parasol idea!
I would love a house to have my things in :( Im part homeless at the moment, moving between my grandparents and my parents. Thank you Mr Landlord who thinks not paying the mortage is important!!! lol My partner and i are looking for some where new though so not long till i have a house full of my wonderfull colourfull junk once again!!!
Gorgeous items there.
At the moment I’m still living with my parents, and even in my own bedroom only about 10% of the stuff in it belongs to me, which sucks. However my room is the only place to store anything, so I have to put up with it for now.
When I move out I have a whole idea for what my apartment will look like – think New York in Japan..:>.
Hi Gala! I’m regularly a lurker on iCing, but I wanted to make sure and share something I came across: so many cupcakes!
I saw this and immediately thought of you.
Back on the topic: I have a terrible fondness for parasols. A few years ago I was at one of the summer street fairs in Chicago and they had a number of stands selling inexpensive, brightly colored parasols (a good idea, considering it was a very hot and sunny day). I picked up about a dozen of them and gave them out to all my friends – they’re great for taking to the beach =)
sora — Your walls are amazing! They look almost tie-dyed… so cool! Painting your room is kind of a luxury of living somewhere that you own (or that has a flexible landlord). Since I moved out of home I have been unable to change the colour of a room! Boo!
vanessa — Yup, definitely! It would probably be quite trivial to make, but I didn’t want to be all, “Here’s someone’s idea, now rip it off!” ;D
Achro — I like Pocky very much :>
Lara — Oh wow! Thanks so much for the tip! That’s brilliant.
Rachel — No idea, but I’ve heard a lot about them. There are heeeeaps of people on Etsy doing it, too: www.etsy.com/search_results.ph…
kellyclare — I’m only here for two months so I won’t be doing any decorating… the place has a definite Gala flavour at the moment but that’s really just because I have to put my Disney ears & jewellery somewhere!
Ivy — Yes, smell is huge! I love Nag Champa incense, I find that very welcoming, & vanilla-scented candles!
Rachel — Aw, that cupcake charm bracelet is lovely! I can’t believe how much cupcake-related stuff there is these days… it’s incredible! My friend bakes cupcakes for a living & people are ALWAYS buying her cupcake keychains, aprons, notepads… I think she is in cupcake overkill land! ;D
Ha! Thats the actual cover of my version of Lolita…I brought it from an op-shop.
I love to build up layers of artfully done clutter for my home, inspiration boards (cork boards covered in felt where I pin up things I find inspiring), dresses hanging up on my walls and perfumes and powders all clustered on my dresser. I have my 3 guitars mounted at my height on my wall too. I love clutter. The one thing I have to have is nice lighting from say a lamp that’s not too bright and lots of cushions and blankets because I’m always cold!
Gala!
I had the best idea today.
I have this cute bird cage i got for my birthday about five years ago, and i had no idea what to do with it. Lately its just been sitting on top of my wardrobe looking lonely for a while.
And then today i thought: PAPER CRANES!
I made a few and hung them inside! I love love love it!