It’s really satisfying to notice how your home shifts with the seasons. Not in any grand, Pinterest-perfect way, just subtly, gently, like a familiar rhythm. And instead of resisting that change or trying to control it, I’ve learned to welcome it.
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cozy-living-room-15558114/
Spring: Light Finds Its Way Back
Spring always begins with the light. It spills into the evenings and creeps into corners that spent all winter in the dark. The chairs lean in a little towards the sun. The kettle goes on a little less often. The windows open wider, not just for air, but for life. Our house seems to breathe again. I find myself rearranging the houseplants, giving them a little extra elbow room as well. And for some reason, the kitchen table becomes a drop zone for seed packets, daydreams, and half-drunk mugs of tea I didn’t finish.
Summer: The House Takes a Back Seat
Summer is when we barely use half the house. Life is lived outside or just around the back door. Bedrooms go untouched until late evening, and even then, it’s all about natural-wicking cotton and trying not to melt into the sheets. The fan becomes the most valued member of the family. We sleep with the windows open, and we forget what a proper hot meal even looks like, because who wants to turn the oven on? A single bowl of fruit sits on the table, somehow always needing a top-up and mysteriously always empty.
Autumn: The Pull Back In
Something about autumn makes the sofa more tempting. Suddenly, we all gather indoors again. Blankets come back, not in a big ceremony, but gradually, folded over the chair arm, piled at the end of the bed. I start lighting candles again, and soups return to bubbling away on the hob. The dog gets needier, the kids are more easily convinced to stay in, and my signature mug stays permanently in rotation. I recently saw a comforting sitting room setting on Berkeley Place that reminded me how much atmosphere you can create just with texture and tone, without spending a thing.
Winter: The House Surrounds Us
Winter makes the house pull double duty. It becomes a shelter, refuge, and buffer for long days and longer evenings. The hallway turns into a battlefield of coats, school bags, and damp footprints. Heating becomes a proper topic of conversation, not just a setting on the thermostat. We gather more at the table, under the table, in front of the oven while a roast finishes. There’s less space, but oddly, more intimacy. I stop tidying as much and lean into comfort. Socks, warmth, easy food, and fewer expectations.
Letting It Happen
I spent years trying to keep things the same. One layout. One mood. One look. But houses aren’t frozen in time; they change because we do. They shift, adjust, and respond to the light, the temperature, and the feelings of the people inside them. Giving that permission brought a deeper calm than any styled shelf or coordinated cushion ever could.
So yes, the cushions get swapped. The blankets rotate. The fridge fills with different cravings. I no longer resist it, I just let our home move with us.
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