Hotel Home

It’s yet another indication of the profound effects of the coronavirus pandemic that, well, as this article put it: “Commercial designers are coming for the home.” As any angler will tell you, ya gotta fish where the fish are. And given COVID-19, the fish aren’t filling hotels. Neither are people.

I love this, from the article:

Office furniture makers … have all become work-from-home furniture makers. Some of that move was simple—a few product tweaks and some new marketing copy.

What? Talk about selling people short. Those two sentences fall somewhere on a scale between presumptuous and insulting.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Grandpa O’Brien loved to say, “Charity begins at home.” Have we ever had a better opportunity — or more of a right — to be charitable to ourselves than we do right now? Think about this: Since the pandemic broke out, if someone asked you where you were going, have you said, “Back to the house?” Not likely. You’re much more likely to have said, “I’m going home.” And it’s even more likely your voice would have conveyed the anticipation of safety and comfort. And why not?

As we wrote in a previous post, our homes have evolved to become workplaces, schools, exercise spaces, and places of worship. As that evolution continues, our homes are becoming our favorite restaurants, our go-to hotels, our spas of choice, and the safest places for recreational activities. Our homes have become our havens, our escapes, and our sanctuaries. None of that happened because office furniture makers tweaked some products and seduced us with new marketing copy. It happened because the wheels we had didn’t need to be re-invented.

Did we need to re-arrange some things? Yes. But change is one of the healthy parts of the pandemic. Did we need to pick up a few new furnishings? Probably. That’s why God invented consignment shops. Do we need to invest a little more time and pride in the homes we already have? Yes. But didn’t we and our homes deserve that pride anyway?

As my husband has said to me (and demonstrated) during the coronavirus lockdown (much to my chagrin), “You can’t grow a beard without getting some hair on your face.” I don’t know where he comes up with those things. But I think he means — like the eggs that need be broken to make omelettes — we have to be willing to get things a little messy in order to make them better. (The beard remains questionable as to its being better.)

If you need help with your Hotel Home, we’re at your service.