American interior designer and author Nate Berkus says, “We all have a story to tell, and part of the way we do this is through our homes.” This is one of the reasons why we encourage our readers to get to know yourselves really well—who you are, what you like, how you live—before starting on a renovation or a home build.
In this age of so many technological advancements when getting info is as easy as a few taps on a keyboard, you just make a prompt and in a second the internet churns out beautifully designed homes that may fit your aesthetic. Looking at these results can be a helpful step to get some inspiration. But just as you are the author of your life story, you are also the creator of a home that best fits your needs. This is what I meant when I invited you to be a maverick and stamp your home with your personality.
Don’t copy what you see. Don’t follow trends. Give the AI slop a wide berth and allow your home to reflect who you are, the OG.
You can express yourself in your home in so many ways through the design style that you choose, aided by colors, forms, patterns, and lighting, to name some elements.
The following concepts are some of the things you can also keep in mind.
Maaliwalas
Maaliwalas means bright, spacious, airy, and serene, that captures a sense of physical comfort but also of mental ease. It is a word you are familiar with, and that we have used in many articles. Click on this post to get a list of what you can do to make your home maaliwalas.
The paint colors you choose are important to creating a cozy and comfortable space. The go-to color is usually white, but you don’t have to stick to that. Here’s an alternative palette that we created in September 2020. If you remember, that was the time of the lockdowns, and home became our partner in providing the space where we could balance and heal.
These colors are just as relevant now as they were then. In fact, even if colors come and go in popularity, these do not mean much when you know yourself well. Pick one of these neutral or near-neutral hues that you can use as the primary color in your home. The mood these evoke is maaliwalas.
Hygge
We started in 2017 writing about the Scandinavian concept of hygge, which describes a cozy and comfortable feeling, not only through being in a warm and safe physical space but also through the convivial togetherness that people share. It’s a slowing down to relax and enjoy life’s quieter pleasures by yourself or with people you care about.
During this time in other parts of the world, nature is preparing itself for autumn. Foliage is turning bright shades of red, orange, and yellow. Days become shorter and the air turns cool and crisp for “sweater weather” days. The warm color palette above captures the feeling.
There are ways to highlight the hygge vibe in your home:
- use warm lighting to brighten your home,
- layer plush and tactile fabric like boucle and velvet,
- use furniture with visible grain like wood, wicker, or rattan.
Here’s a video that portrays the fall weather and colors perfectly.
When Pasko waits in the wings
Some of us may be hearing Christmas jingles in the malls, and if you’re Filipino, that’s not going to surprise you at all because the “-ber” months have begun.
These days we may be facing challenges like the inclement weather, the trauma of daily commutes, the rising prices of essential commodities, and so much more, but I believe that with our indomitable spirit as Filipinos, we can still create a cozy and comfortable home. Pasko could be a pressure point but if we drop the commercially-driven must-haves and focus on the symbolic meanings of maaliwalas and hygge, and that of Pasko most of all, we can enjoy the four Cs—coziness, comfort, contentment, and connection with others—in our homes during this season or any other.
Create a home that tells your story. Combine that with what the founder of Universal Sufism Hazrat Inayat Khan said, “Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful.” Choose to belong to the latter group.
