Turning a house into a home is an art; it is a translation of the bond you establish with the concrete structure, which imbibes your feelings, emotions and moods and reflects them within the living spaces. That bond cuts across every place you call home – rented, leased or owned. Your palce to be everyday. It is THE place that lets you be yourself – sans pretense, sans prejudices… A place where you truly feel yourself. And that holds true whether you are staying in a plush housing complex or a one-room tenement. With all things being equal, only your home is privy to your feelings, your actions – even your life, as it unfolds everyday within its walls. Home Sweet Home!
Why then is there a hankering for aesthetics and design values to turn a house into your own abode? Isn’t one’s presence enough to give it a home feel? Rather, what exactly is a home that a house is not? While these questions might invite emotional overtures to find answers, it also leads one to seek a rejoinder that establishes the importance of design and décor elements to create warmth and inculcate positive vibes. For, studies have shown that incorporating art and nature into one’s home has an obvious effect on balance and harmony within. Home Sweet Home!
Taking the Home issue forward, we present two established architects/designers in our cover story, who tell us how to decorate. They share their knowledge of the industry and highlight the dos and don’ts to follow while conceptualising ones home. In the spotlight section, we feature GUtech Professor Nikolaus Knebel’s take on ‘Educating Architects in Oman’. The regular features dwell on home design and décor; and yes that puts the attention stays put on homes all through this issue.