I recently came across a book that sounded interesting called Home: How Habitat Made Us Human by John S. Allen. Not my usual read, but the science of home really peaked my interest as an interior designer. The book takes a vast approach covering prehistory, the real estate market, homelessness, all the way to the intangible feeling of home.
As an interior designer, I help my clients to love where they live. This is something very important because I know that people’s surroundings can actually affect how they feel. Reading the book Home: How Habitat Made Us Human took my intuitive understanding further with each chapter, but what resonated most for me was the concept of “homeostasis”. The author defines homeostasis as the “body-regulating processes that maintain equilibrium”. This covers the full spectrum of eating, digestion, behavior, temperature regulation, pretty much everything we take for granted as our body functions normally in a given day.
Allen’s central idea about the importance of home boils down to this: “Home is necessary to maintain equilibrium in our lives. It is essential for our whole-being homeostasis.” Without a home or the safety of some place where we feel at home, our lives are imbalanced and we can become unstable both physically and mentally.
The feeling of “home” is harder to define and more difficult to prove or quantify scientifically. Isn’t it interesting that you won’t feel completely at home in someone else’s house, and you can be homesick if you’re away from home, even when you have a comfortable place to stay such as a five-star hotel or dorm room? Feeling at home will take time after moving into a new place, even after your belongings are all set up and arranged. Home is more than simply shelter or familiar objects and furnishings.
I found this book fascinating since designing homes is how I make my living. The idea that creating homes in the course of our evolution is what made us human, is very satisfying for me. It explains why home grounds us, why it is so important and so personal. I hope that you make your home a place you love to be. I invite you to contact me if you want help in creating your dream home!
