As much as I enjoy traveling and discovering new places, I really do love staying at home too. Since we’ve moved in, I’ve put my heart into putting all my personal touches to make it a warm, welcoming and happy place for the family.
Mostly, this house is filled with memories and pockets of inspiration. I like it this way—we all have busy schedules that are packed with activities from day to night, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job in creating a space where everyone is happy to gather, talk, and relax by the end of the day.
There are a few things that make our home a home…
1. Mementos from places that remind me of special memories
Our house is filled with items from all over. I’d like to think that we have a home filled with memories and experiences—those that have touched us in one way or another. A lot of them, naturally, are from our travels. The three baby Buddhas from the photo above are from our last trip to Bali. I like them a lot because they show three different ways of being inspired: thinking, meditating and praying. This aside from the fact that the number three represents our three children as well.
More than half of our home décor and art are sourced locally and come from the Philippines. We have so much artistic wealth that it would be a pity not to showcase them! We make it a point to buy as much Philippine-made art and products as possible as our way of supporting the Filipino artists and promoting our local industry.
2. Inspirational reads that remind me of a need for balance
I know I say it a lot: that my days are always so full and busy. And I’m sure a lot of mummies out there are like me… because as I always say, we are in the generation of the superwoman or the supermom. We want to be with our kids and watch them grow, but at the same time we also have other things on our plate. We want to be successful in our businesses, we want to spend time with our friends, and we still want to pursue other things as well.
So, it might surprise a few people that I like reading about slow living and mindfulness. I’m a big fan of Kinfolk for their slow living philosophy, on simplifying life and taking time out consciously to be with friends and family. I also love Goop, the website that’s all about mindful lifestyle choices. It is a perfect fit for our generation of the spoiled mummies!
For me, these are examples that remind me to put things in perspective : a lifestyle that values time well-spent with people and creating meaningful moments. As much as I enjoy being busy, I also need to be reminded to keep things in check, in balance, as a mom and as a woman.
3. Lots of light that inspire me to create a warm and happy home
Light is important to me. When we built this house we wanted it to be filled with glass windows so that natural light comes in. Aside from that, our home is also filled with candles. I collect them from all my travels. And believe me when I say, I use up lot of them! I don’t buy them merely to be used as a decorative piece at home. I light them up, day and night, and whether I have guests at home or not.
I guess my family and friends who come here see that too. It is a nice feeling when they say that here, they feel very much at home. So if you ask me what really makes my home, a home? These are actually not the big things, but more the little things, the small pockets of inspiration here and there, that we have put together that make our home a warm and happy home.
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How do you fill your home with inspiration?