Home
What does home mean to you? Is it a place or a feeling. I think the definition is shifting. Rising costs and relocation for employment has made home more of a feeling. This has not always been the case. Not too long ago people would stay in their house a lifetime.
Today, people move from place to place and never develop a connection to the place they live. Instead home can be anywhere.
I miss home being a place. A place full of memories. A place one longs for. It is a place and a feeling.
Today I spent several hours on a site I accidentally discovered:
Each page was a home, carefully crafted, full of personality, and oozing with stories. The houses built today leave nothing worth remembering. But houses of our past are handcrafted. Everything about these old homes are intricately designed and built.
One of my favorite cities is Charleston, South Carolina. This old city has been thoughtfully restored. The city is mixture of textures. Brick and cobblestone streets lined with old homes etched with heavy trim and jeweled with large lovely windows beckon travelers to look. Adorned by azaleas and live oak trees with dripping spanish moss makes it difficult not to stop and peer through wrought iron gates.
Look at this lovely old house in the Holy City:
Today their are few craftsman. It is a dying art. Construction today is cheaply put together with little detail. We are definitely not leaving much for the history books. Many cities located along the Southeastern United States coast have housing that was built by European immigrants and Black slaves, that are still occupied today. The mixture of heritages is seen all over the city in homes, churches and buildings. Here is an interesting article about Charleston:
Look at the charm and textures that grace the city of Charleston:
All of this says “Welcome home!”
We have lost this feel. We live in a factory designed world. A world trying to create sameness in person and in life. With AI on the horizon ready to devour jobs, humans must find their creative souls once again. If AI does anything important for humanity, I hope it makes us think what is important about being human.
It will be difficult at first to confidently step out of the box, but to survive, creativity must be nurtured. Craftsmanship must come alive once again. Humans who can create and build will be in demand. I hope in this revival of creatives, home will have new meaning.
Many see tiny houses like this as the future. Some believe that tract building is focusing on the fifty and up crowd:
But perhaps in the resurgence of craftsmanship we can return to a smaller, but not tiny, unique gems of construction. Small houses need not be without warmth and detail. The box house does not create the feeling of home. It is the unique details of craftsmanship that creates the magic.
Our society needs to feel at home. Not just the ultra wealthy, but everyone. We have been soul searching for years to find what we are looking for. What most of us want is a place to call home. A place that lures us. A retreat from the world. A place to create memories that generations can return to. It is a connection…a sense of belonging.
Maybe what our society longs for…A feeling, a place that is our own, in every way.
There is “no place like home.”
Photos and posts discovered @Pinterest
