The Psychology of the Home

I have been asked by Hiscox to share a feature of our home that holds a sentimental attachment for me and which represents us as a family.  I have chosen our picture wall (even though it is not finished).  We are a photography obsessed family and I love the eclectic look of photo walls, with their mismatched frames and sentimental treasures.

On our photo wall, the canvases are images that we love from special family days. The LOVE painting is one of Baby’s creations for last year’s Father’s Day.  The collage canvas is a collection of the photos I took on Baby’s birth date, each month for her first year.  The other collections of photo’s are; Baby holding up I, LOVE, DADDY boards (for Father’s Dad) and 01. 09. 2006, which are images I took in our neighbourhood, depicting our wedding anniversary date (which was a Valentine’s gift to Mr Hubby).

I love our collection of special creations and the fact that I can see it whenever I like, without having to get a photo album out.

Hiscox then arranged for Celebrity Psychologist and TV personality Dr Linda, to look at our photo and analyse our sentimental treasures.

Over to Dr Linda

“Our homes are an amalgam of our choices and behaviours that accumulate over time- so the fact that you have a special area for muddy wellies may attest to the fact that you are a family that’s active; and that old crochet blanket that covers the chair in your bedroom may be there because it reminds you of summers you used to spend at your grandma’s home and of a time that you cherished. In effect, our homes allow us to showcase our personalities. And what we showcase differs not only because of our personalities but also because of the life stage we’re in. If you think of a teen’s room for example- their space is often very much a declaration of identity- from the posters and music collections on display- to even the fact that there are clothes all over the place- the message is clear “this is my space, this is who I am and I have (or at least am trying desperately to develop) a healthy sense of entitlement to be me.”

It’s no surprise that home holds such emotional significance for us. It is a place of comfort, of security but also one where we can explore and develop our identities and let the rest of the world know that ‘this is who we are…’.

Dr Linda then gave us her insight in to what she thought of our wall.

Family is at the core of what this person values about life. When we become parents for the first time documenting precious memories is a way of holding on to them of making the most of the precious time we have with our little ones. This photo wall not only attests to the love of her family but also gives a nod to the importance of marking moments so that sense of history can be handed down to the next generation. This wall is a beautiful love note to her family one that she is happy to share with the people she invites into her home.

Well, she couldn’t be more right.  I love making memories and documenting our special family moments through photos and keepsakes.  You can see Dr Linda’s views on all the other bloggers involved here.

Which part of your home or special item holds the most sentimental attachment for you?

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.