Anchoring: The Secret to a Home with Soul

We’re big believers in anchoring at Good Rooms. Not the nautical kind. We’re talking about the little things that ground your home in your story. A photo. A teacup. A yellow blanket that smells ever so slightly of nostalgia.

Take our guest loo for example. (Stay with me.) On the wall hangs a photo of the old airplane factory that once stood here, long before our estate was built. It’s industrial, moody and slightly dramatic and without fail, guests come out asking about it. It’s my quiet tribute to what came before and a reminder that even a bathroom can have a past.

Then there’s Hedvig and Albert, my great-great-grandparents, looking terribly serious in a sepia-toned photo. I only met them a few times as a child but they now sit proudly on a shelf keeping an eye on the chaos. And yes, I have a set of Grona Anna teacups from my grandma’s house delicate, green and full of joy. My kids drink raspberry cordial from them just like I did at hers. Only difference is mine’s shop-bought. Granny made hers from actual raspberries and wizardry. But it still puts a smile on my face every single time. That’s the magic of anchoring, a gentle reminder of where you come from woven into the everyday.

If you’re thinking about anchoring your home, it’s not about clutter or trinkets. It’s about living with things that actually mean something. The blanket you curl up in. The mug you reach for every morning. Maybe a beautiful bowl or teacup picked up on a holiday and no, I don’t mean those mass-produced souvenirs stamped with the name of a city you barely saw. I mean something properly special. The kind of thing you spotted in a backstreet shop in Lisbon or on a stolen afternoon on the last work trip. The stuff that carries a memory and a bit of magic.

When my uncle passed away, I brought home a few bits from his house. A yellow blanket that now lives on our sofa, ready for chilly nights and movie marathons. It’s soft, a bit worn and completely priceless.

Anchoring isn’t about decorating. It’s about connecting. Choose a few things that remind you who you are and where you’ve been. Let your home tell the story and make sure it’s one worth listening to.