At its best, home acts like a mirror to our identity.
And a home that reflects our personality is good for us too.
Those who feel their homes reflect their identity are 1.5 times more likely to feel more positive about them.
And those who say their homes reflect them are almost twice as likely to agree that they’re also a source of positive mental wellbeing.
“A home is an extension of one’s personality; we can see their lifestyles through their ornaments, their choice of sofa, TV… A person’s home is something that they configure to reflect who they are.”
Tom, UK
But not everyone gets this benefit – who we are and where we live shape how much our home reflects us.
Abi, UK
Karin, Germany
Mehek, India
The question is, how do we create homes that show off our true, fabulous selves, regardless of our earning and living status? It can be tough to find inspiration, especially when our home lives aren’t represented in the media.
48% of people say their lives at home aren’t frequently represented in the media
“I don’t feel represented at all… as a single gay man in his 40s I don’t ever see that in an advert… we try and celebrate singledom but it’s not an aspirational thing for your home.”
Chris, UK
When we do get inspired, seeing what real people have achieved fires us up to follow their lead. It not only provides us with ideas for what can be done, but it also gives us the confidence that we need to get it done – one small change at a time.
“It would be nice to get ideas pushed to you on what you could do realistically – ideas about how to merge family life into your home”
Anish, UK
And, as it turns out, it might be easier to create our ideal home than we realise.