There are two things that I always do as soon as I move somewhere new – find homes for all my plants, (of which I have many), and put up pictures. Once these two things are done I feel like it’s a home, not just a house.
Plant wise, I do worry that we’re getting a bit out of control. I have two Swiss cheese plants that are quite literally taking over entire rooms and the number of spider plant babies I have created over the last ten years really doesn’t bear thinking about. Still, I just think plants add something to a home that you can’t get from anything else, plus there are health benefits from having houseplants, so having a lot of plants is basically like going for a jog or eating a banana surely?
When it comes to pictures, ours are a real mix. I have some bright, colourful prints, some things that I’ve painted myself or that my daughter Belle has painted, and a good amount of family photos. I also have a rather lovely hand drawn picture of my cats that my step-sister did for me as a 40th birthday present. She’s a children’s book writer and illustrator and so her picture is really lovely.
When it comes to family photos, we have a whole mixture through the ages. I have a gorgeous set of black and white photos from when Belle was a baby, through to a fun canvas print of my elder daughter Bee at Disneyland with her Disney icon, Stitch.
Another thing we have at home, which is probably not terribly modern, is a whole shelf on the bookcase filled with photo books and photo albums. I know, I know, we live in the modern world and everything is VIRTUAL, I get it, but is there really anything as lovely as sitting down as a family, pouring over old photo albums and sharing memories of family holidays, birthdays and special occasions?
No, there isn’t.
I personally think that regardless of how hi-tech the world gets, photo albums will always be something special to be cherished within a family.
My 19 year old daughter Belle has embraced my plant/picture ethos has a very maximalist style in her bedroom. No kidding, she currently has 27 plants I think? Picture wise she’s all about collage and over the last few years has created entire walls filled with carefully chosen photos and pictures. At the moment she has a feature wall of vintage printed posters which is rather beautiful – she has a brilliant eye for colour and her bedroom always makes me jealous.
Given that I’m clearly passing down the gene, I’m sure that pictures and plants are going to be an important feature of our home for a long time to come.