Once our homes had to start housing all of our needs, we had to become more intentional about how we used the space to achieve balance. Some people created new routines to support staying productive, while others were looking to carve out more time for activities they enjoy. But it hasn’t been easy for everyone. The conversations with people for the IKEA Life at Home Report 2021 reveal there are different sides of every story and different sides to every home.
My Home Is My Place to Be
Anil, 34, lives in Rosenberg, Texas, USA, with his wife and newborn daughter, and he works in the wedding industry.
There’s a connection between who I am and what my house is. My home is pretty much my place to be. It’s something that I can connect to and bond with – the more I’m in it, the stronger relationship I build with it.
It hasn’t always been like this – I used to like going out, hanging out with my friends, spending a lot of money. But now pretty much everything that happens outdoors, I can do inside our house and just have an equal amount of fun, if not even more.
We’re not sitting around on the couch with our phones in our hands. I just feel like I have so much to do, so many things to discover with my wife. We cook, we enjoy board games, we watch shows, we garden, take bubble baths, do face masks. We’re always communicating, connecting, talking to each other.
You feel good about yourself once you’re able to accomplish something that you never even thought about doing before. We cooked a lot, tried new cuisines, explored recipes. It all helps with your wellbeing.
I feel like our home is where I can form spiritual habits. I don’t go to church as often as I would like. So on Sundays, me and my wife will sit in the living room with our stone collection, and we’ll just meditate, take deep breaths. That’s our way of reaching out to each other, connecting to each other. It’s when we can improve as a couple.
“I just feel like I have so much to do, so many things to discover with my wife. We cook, we enjoy board games, we watch shows, we garden, take bubble baths, do face masks. We’re always communicating, connecting, talking to each other.”
A House Too Big, A Space Too Small
Sophie, 47, lives by herself in a house in Lille, France, where she works as the head of finance and administration for a local caterer. Her son lives in Montreal, Canada.
Lockdown made me think about my needs, my house, my desires. I realised that with my son being away, my house is too big for me alone.
I didn’t develop any new hobbies during that time because I worked a lot. I would leave at 7am and come home at 8pm, so I didn’t feel like doing anything new.
I missed freedom. We had to sign a certificate to go out, go shopping, or go to a park for an hour. A certificate to take a walk, go to the pharmacy, or buy some bread. It’s hard staying home all by yourself doing nothing. You can’t have anyone over. There’s no way out.
The small courtyard I’ve got where I keep my plants wasn’t enough. Being stuck at home, I also missed nature. During lockdown in France, you could only go out within 1km from your house, but the park is 1.7km from my house. So no park for me. I used to go there to run, walk, or cycle. It used to be a part of my daily life. And now I couldn’t even do that.
I love the city, but there are walls everywhere. Lille is very red – the city’s made of bricks. The streets are narrow. So I quickly felt like I needed air, trees, and plants.
If I could change something, I would get a house in the country – where I would go during the weekend to garden – and a smaller flat in the city.
“The small courtyard I’ve got where I keep my plants wasn’t enough. Being stuck at home, I also missed nature. During lockdown in France, you could only go out within 1km from your house, but the park is 1.7km from my house. So no park for me”
To see more stories like this, search IKEA Sides of Home on Youtube.
Learn more about the ups and downs of mental wellbeing at home through the stories and experiences of people around the world.
