What if your home’s purpose is to be a space where you can function? If it’s a place that serves me and my family, and what we want to do in the space, then I’ve been thinking about my home the wrong way for years.
Assumed The Room’s Function.
When the real estate agent described our home, they listed the purpose for each room. “Bedroom,” “dining room,” and “living room” are labels that outline the purpose for which the space is supposed to be used, right? I assumed that that was correct, and I organized the furniture to fit the assigned purpose of each room. It didn’t occur to me to ask myself what activities I wanted to be able to do in my home and where I would do them.
Assigned Function Didn’t Serve Us
For years, I had a spare bedroom with my desk squished into one corner next to the night table. It was a cramped space where everyone dumped items that they didn’t want: bags of clothes waiting to be donated, Christmas decorations, gift bags and paper waiting to be shredded. We jokingly called it The Room Of Requirement (thank you, Harry Potter) because it was a mountain of disorganized stuff. In the past four years, no one used the spare bed and yet I was teaching and working at the desk regularly. The space didn’t serve us.
Part Of A Trend
The combination of being home a lot during the pandemic, and not being able to afford to move to a bigger space, has caused people to re-think how they use their living space.* Even something as simple as moving furniture over a metre to allow for space to do yoga, made a big difference for me. I started thinking about what I wanted to be able to do at home (exercise, work, paint, crochet, read) and which space I would use to do them. I tried to be very specific about the activities, because what I need to do yoga (a comfortable space to move and lie down) is different from what I need for Zumba (a hard floor without rugs to trip on).
Change Brings Emotions
Admitting that we didn’t really need a spare room but I did need a functional office, was more difficult than I expected. It meant getting rid of bedroom furniture that was still in excellent condition. That was challenging emotionally. It took me time to accept that the furniture had served us well when we needed it, but that now the room was needed for something else. It was another part of my retirement journey. As our lives change and our needs change, so must our home.
Like Moving To A New Home
Today, I have an airy, repainted office space free from bedroom furniture and clutter. I’m shopping the rest of my home for plants and decorative items that I can move into the room. Now, I’m wondering what other rooms are not serving us as a family…
I see you, dining room.
Which spaces would you repurpose in your home? Comment below.
Click here for terrific inexpensive tips on re-imagining your living space to serve you.
Click here for ideas about how to re-purpose your dining room.
*https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-one-year-home-design-changes-50ee6fba99d8026ffbf0951497210fec
Retired, And Now What? 