Photograph by Elizabeth Doupnik @homeinthehemlocks
Coming home is always lovely, but taking a moment to truly appreciate it can make shutting the door on life outside one of the day’s simple pleasures
On autumn evenings, when it’s dark early, and particularly on days when the wind is up and squally showers are about, there’s nothing like the feeling of stepping inside your hallway and closing the door on the world.
Plenty of us take five minutes to do some stretches or a meditation in the morning, or to say a prayer or write in a gratitude journal last thing at night. Maybe you even make the most of your lunchbreak by taking a moment in the garden or reading a book… We think That Moment When You Close The Front Door should be one of those milestone moments in a day, too.
Perhaps you’ve just returned from a long day at work? Maybe you only went out for a run or took the dog for a walk? But when you get home there’s nothing like stepping into the warm and kicking off your shoes, is there? It’s a bit like the moment you get into clean sheets, or take off an uncomfortable bra and fling it in the laundry (if you know, you know). So why let that moment fade and plunge headlong back into your day?
Before you shout ‘hellooo?’, start unloading the dishwasher or rummaging in the freezer, take a moment to take a deep breath and welcome yourself home properly. We’re all guilty of forgetting sometimes what a privilege it is to have a roof over our heads; this is your opportunity each day to thank yourself for that.
Take off your coat and shoes, put them away carefully and reach for something more comfortable for your feet. Put on the lights in the nearby rooms. No, not the overhead ones - the ‘good’ lights; the ones that glow gently in the corners. Then draw the curtains so you’re cocooned in your own kingdom.
Have a ‘shutting the front door ritual’. Light a scented candle if you like or spritz the room with something warming and autumnal and sit down. If space allows, no hallway should be without a Comfy Chair but if not, step into the next room or even just sit on the bottom stairs. Maybe put some gentle music on and spend a few minutes just decompressing or reading a chapter of a book to get you back into ‘home mode’. You could spend it stroking a pet - as long as they’re not going to harrass you to be fed immediately. Whatever you do, don’t make to-do lists in your head or think about the evening’s chores just yet; there’s plenty of time.
The front door is closed, the world is shut out, you are mistress of your own kingdom. Welcome home, again.
If you’d like more inspiration for making your hallway a welcoming place, don’t miss our ‘My Place’ pages in our October issue, which this month is on hallways, and includes this lovely space belonging to Elizabeth Doupnik.
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