The little things that make a home

We have been discussing this move to Istanbul for over a year now. So when the final decision was made I thought myself well-prepared. Much though I love Karachi, after nineteen years I think I'm ready for a change.

I am used to moving around- as kids we moved a lot- and very often on shorter notice than we have now. Even during our fifteen years of married life we have moved houses often- all three of our kids were "born" in a different house (they were born in hospitals but you know what I mean). Five years ago we decided to finally buy a house and stop moving and in these last few years we made 4 B-2 our home. This was truly home- the only home all three of our kids have known.

It has taken time to make a garden- trying to make it look old and well-established as quickly as possible, and it has taken even longer to get the interiors right. Our home has always been a work-in-process. We love change and since we tend not to be very expensive things, preferring the used to the new, we have often edited our interior spaces. But for the first time in fifteen years we know our next home will be smaller and there are many things we will not be able to take with us. Storage is an option, but somehow it feels wrong. After all we acquired many of these things from other people- and have enjoyed the fact that they came well-loved, with stories to tell. It seems cruel to shut them up.

So, often with great reluctance and a tug at the heart, I made a list of things that had to go. We are having an open house this Friday- letting our friends come and pick out things that they like. I hope these chairs and tables, cabinets and dressers find good homes, and that they continue to give joy to their new owners. Here I'd like to say goodbye to a few favorites.

The "altar"

This is the first thing you see when you enter my house. A Buddha head sits on top with diyas and bowls of flowers. The two side drawers house incense, candles and matches. Th cupboard has a basket or rolled cotton wicks for divas and a big tin of coconut oil to burn. When I first "met" this piece it had been painted blue and had a trunk sitting on top of it. Apparently it was a linen cupboard of sorts in a Memon house. The trunk stored quilts and the cupboard sheets. I acquired both, but trunk and cabinet have always led separate lives in my house, and now the trunk will go to Istanbul while I hope my "altar" cabinet brings peace to its next home too!

The garden bench

This is an old-fashioned garden bench (i.e it weighs a ton) with lovely scrolly iron ends and teak slats and big fat nails holding it together. It really is comfortable to sit on and ever since the foliage has been allowed to grow around it, it seems more a part of the landscape than a piece of furniture. I bought it over a decade ago because it reminded me of park benches in the Parc Monceau in Paris. 

The cane daybed

When I first saw this piece we lived in a smaller house and I worried about where it would fit in, but I knew I wanted it, it is elegantly old-fashioned and yet so contemporary. I love caned furniture- I find the lack of upholstery perfect for hot, humid Karachi- and for a husband allergic to dust mites! Since we moved into this house the daybed has lived in my room and I have spent many afternoons lying reading on it- am so glad it is going to another great reader!

The hallway bench

I can't even remember how long I've had his bench. I first fell in love with the lovely old tile inset. It is quite an unusual design- the turquoise and celadon combination. The bench is delightfully sturdy and over the years has born the brunt of ever heavier school bags. This is where everything is dumped as we enter the house and now, having already agreed to sell it, am beginning to have second thoughts!

The squashy sofa

Can you tell how well-loved this sofa has been? It is one of a pair that sit opposite each other in our study- the most used room in our house. The pair started off their lives in my parents' home- they commissioned them and if I remember well they were covered in the most wonderful elephant bedecked fabric. When my parents moved to Rome for a few years I made very free with their things back home and shamelessly helped myself to these sofas. I re-upholstered them and still remember my mother disagreeing with my choice of fabric- saying it would be filthy in a week. The fabric has stood up rather well to the test of time and multiple grubby children with cheetos-coloured fingers!

Thanks for dropping by, and leave a comment if you have similar attachments to your furniture :) And come by the Open House on Friday!