What does home mean to journalist Hadley Freeman?

I can chart my life by the issues I spent cash on. In my twenties, all my spare money went on garments and going out. A Luella skirt right here, a Marc by Marc Jacobs prime there, it was superb (or not) how shortly my month-to-month pay cheque disappeared. However as a result of I liked trend and derived a lot pleasure from it that also at present, even with the advantage of 20 years of hindsight, I don’t see any of that expenditure as waste. I see it as me discovering myself as an grownup by way of the therapeutic medium of Web-a-porter.

Then in my 30s, my cash went on holidays. I grew to become the queen of organising journeys with buddies: reserving villas, discovering the place the seaside events had been going to be, after which making all of my buddies come to them with me. I nonetheless liked the style, don’t get me improper, however recollections final even longer than Miu Miu, as Jesus mentioned (or possibly that was Lindsay Lohan.)

Then round my fortieth birthday, the main focus modified once more and I grew to become obsessive about residence décor. It was unusual: my husband and I had lived in our home for 3 years, and I used to be fantastic with the all-white partitions, the ramshackle plastic-y furnishings, the heavy darkish wood flooring which had been there once we moved in. Yeah positive, no matter, who cares? Nicely, it turned out I cared. Very a lot. Instantly, residing in a home that not solely didn’t replicate me however actively depressed me was as insufferable as sporting garments within the improper measurement, or happening a biking vacation (final contradiction in phrases.) 

And so, regardless of having three yr previous twins and one other child coming, I set out on an enormous revamp of my home. Nicely! This may most likely not come as an enormous shock to readers of Ideally suited House, however I can not convey how a lot the adjustments lifted my temper. A house that’s stunning! And me! Do different folks perceive the significance of this? (Sure, cry one million readers of Ideally suited House.)