Surprisingly despite my constant urge to travel and see the world, there is an even stronger desire in me to simply stay at home. Before you go on to say that, “Oh that’s normal, everyone deserves some downtime after a long week,” I beg to differ. From my own observation, after getting a good night’s worth of sleep (or waking up late into the day after a long night out) many people go out either to socialise, run errands or indulge in their interests such as hiking, yoga classes or volunteer. I myself am no different… occasionally.
In fact, there is an underlying perception amongst youngsters that a weekend spent at home is a weekend wasted. Before some kind soul on the internet comments on how such a statement is not necessarily true, let me clarify very early on that almost everything I say here is subjective and rarely (if ever) can be regarded as a blanket statement. There are introverts who prefer staying indoors, overworked corporate slaves who want to recuperate or a family who wishes to spend more time together at home. Either way, isn’t it a wonderful feeling when you can feel cosy at home?
But what does cosy even mean?
To some, a snuggly blanket, your favourite PJs, a cup of hot cocoa, dimly lit rooms, the world’s comfiest couch, scented candles – all these combined can paint a very cosy picture. At one point in time, I thought this too. It was very easy to think of fall and winter as the perfect excuse to get all cosy. Things changed drastically though when I returned to Malaysia from studying in Australia because we don’t have four seasons here. Instead, it’s either rain or shine, monsoon season or dry season. I was forced to re-evaluate my definition of cosy whenever I saw ‘cosy fall/winter’ images on Tumblr. Fortunately the answer came to me pretty easily.
You see, cosiness is a feeling.
Every time I was at home in JB, I had no problem staying home for days. Heck, sometimes I wouldn’t leave my home for two weeks! I know, this sounds so lame but all I needed really was food, the internet and well some company (thanks Mum and whatsapp!). However, there was another element to it that I hadn’t realised at that point in time. After I moved to the big apple of Malaysia aka Kuala Lumpur (KL) for work, I was on my own. I was very fortunate to live in a house I was familiar with, my arwah Nenek’s house (who is no longer with us). I used to stay here all the time whenever I came to KL, but this house was still not my home, it was Nenek’s home. As time went on, I realised that the cosy feeling I easily got at home in JB was gone here in KL.
To put it into perspective, what I yearned for was a cosy home or rumah in Malay. Making myself feel cosy with chai latte, scented candles and binge watching Game of Thrones only worked short-term. It’s also something that can be replicated such as in a resorts or hotels. In the long run, I yearned for a place where I felt cosy overall. A place that aesthetically pleased me, was personal, functional and welcoming.
It took me awhile to put the pieces together. I owe much of my transformational journey here to my mother, taking a career break and Marie Kondo with her KonMari method. I will write soon about the KonMari method as well as a book review on the Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes. Both books have been revolutionary for me. Taking a bit from the latter book,
Cosiness is not just a big sofa or plush soft furnishings; it’s actually not about design. Cosiness is an atmosphere and a feeling that only comes when homeowners stop interior-designing and start living.
The house I live in in KL will always belong to my Nenek. I would like to honour it in her memory, leaving bits and pieces of her around, keeping true to it’s structure as much as possible while infusing my own personal style and ultimately, live well in it.
I am happy to say that I now feel this way in KL, finally. No longer do I dread returning to KL after visiting my home in JB or after a holiday. I unlock my door, enter and sigh in relief, glad to be home. And that right there, is a sign that you have not only created a home but a cosy home. There’s still a lot more I wish to do with the house in KL. I intend to document and share my experience here along with other things all in relation to helping us make cosy homes.
So I hope you enjoy and find something useful between these posts.
Thank you lovelies.
CosyRumah 