Homes of Heart

What Does Home Feel Like to You?

As the sun rose on a new day in Hong Kong shortly after we moved there, I remember walking hand in hand with my husband down the crazy streets. Having met in France we were excited about this next adventure. Our hearts told us the move to Hong Kong, a British Colony then was the right thing to do, but I questioned everything my overwhelmed senses were telling me. As we continued down the frenetic sidewalks, I looked up to him and said, “This place is never going to feel like home.”

I put on a brave front and told our two young children, “This is home now. Home is where you live.” I purposely avoided the cliché, “Home is where your heart is.”  I knew regardless of how one defined home it was my job to make this place feel like home for everyone. But I asked myself, “What exactly is HOME supposed to feel like?”

Knowing ahead of time the move would be difficult, we shipped all our earthly processions and “early attic” furniture. Having the old worn in sofas to cuddle upon and our familiar beds was comforting in our new awkward feeling location.

We created lives for ourselves with work, school, dance, karate lessons and of course, church. We explored all the region had to offer by traveling to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and The Philippines. And soon Asia became home in our hearts and minds as well as our bodies.

My love of design and decorating expanded during our years abroad. Eventually, the ambiance of our home reflected a classic East meets West fusion. I learned creating HOME is about finding the perfect blend of personal property and heart. HOME is what we make it in our hearts and that feeling goes beyond our surrounding and décor. Basically, HOME feels like HOME when you embrace and make the most of where you are each and every moment. My newfound wisdom suddenly gave credence to the cliché I avoided earlier, “Home is where your heart is.” Having this knowledge served me well during our subsequent moves. And later in life while working short-term internationally and living in temporary apartments. How about you? Does your home feel like HOME! If not, I would like to help. Give me a call.

See more of Lisa’s international work here

Lisa Stewart is an interior designer serving the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC.