Do you know What Makes Home a Home?

Some may say a house, some may say family. Some might say comfort. Home is all of them and then some. The Life at Home report, released annually by IKEA, surveys thousands of people all over the world to find out what will make a home a home. The findings this year pose an idea of home that transcends the need for shelter-a haven where “space,” “things,” “relationships” and “place” meet:

Do you know What Makes Home a Home?

The ways in which we design, construct and live in our homes are reflections of the world around us. Our basic feelings and requirements at home are constant, but changing values, lifestyles and societies force us to meet these needs in different ways and different other places than ever before.

The Fourth Dimension

Home is defined by our senses-a “fourth dimension” of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch, according to the report. The senses interpret what constitutes a “homey” atmosphere, together with evoke memories. 63% of the people in the report said they cook to feel at home; 59% play music to do exactly the same.

Light and noise pollution have compromised two of the senses. 18% of the people in the report said their home is way too bright, and a percentage of those studied living in India said muffling urban noise would “improve their well-being.”

For better or worse, staying at home is just as much a sensory experience as it is tangible-the senses, the report suggests, can be the best indicator.

Where There’s WiFi…

Home is now focused on relationships formed and nurtured virtually. 49% of those in the report identified home as the “place where they have their most significant relationships,” but 23% believe that it is more important to have WiFi than a gathering space in the home to accommodate them.

Internet-based social interactions have become a bigger factor to relationship-building than at-home get-togethers, mainly for those who move often, own second homes, or have part-time live-in children, the report found. Developing more WiFi-fostered relationships in the home has shifted the perception of home to anywhere there’s a connection-be it school or Starbucks.

Good Fences

Home extends beyond four WiFi-enabled walls. 38% of those within the report grouped their neighborhood in with their feeling of home-an association that may be tied to participation in community organization, such as mingling with neighbors or utilizing communal amenities. 42% felt at home more so outside the home than inside, evidence of the indoor-outdoor turn homes have taken. Just 7 percent limited their sense of home to a specific place.

All Things Home

Homes are filled with things of sentimental value. 43% of those in the report assigned importance to objects that facilitate meaningful activities-a book shelf for bedtime stories, for instance, or a table for shared meals. This attachment speaks to the desire to care for these objects: 32% said they would rather repair a damaged object than buy a new one. 53% said the objects inside their homes reflect who they are and/or hold memories; just 22% said the objects in their homes are “strictly functional.”

Though the nuclear living arrangement has changed-micro-housing, single heads of households-the thought of home, ultimately, is connected by space, things, relationships and place:

Different as we are, our feelings of home are strikingly similar. People all over the world, in all types of homes and households, use similar words to describe the essence of what that makes a home to them. What makes a home “home” to you? Share your thoughts here

Looking for your new home here in the Tampa Bay Area? Nick & Cindy Davis can assist you. Feel free to simply click here, or you can always reach us at 813-300-7116.

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3607 E North Bay Street, Tampa, FL

3607 E North Bay Street
Tampa, FL

$149,900
- Lot Size
  
  17,424 sqft
- Home Size
- Beds
- Baths
- Year Built
  
  0
- Days on Market
  
  2
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