What is home…?
Home is a river, a nomad, authentic and unique – someone we love! Home is where the loved ones are. It is a place of encounter with oneself, constantly prompting the question: Who am I? A place one cannot do without. The space that resonates with one’s values, mirroring the true self.
Within its walls, ceilings and floors there is the freedom to create, sing, dance, embrace the silence, cry, pray, whatever…
Much like cats, people also like to find that special place, where they can settle, curl up, feel secure and relaxed; enjoy the taste of morning coffee, tea; silence; tending to unseen wounds, or reveling in moments of joy.
My home – which I refer to as cave – is just like that, always inviting dialogue! 😊
What defines a home?
Home is where the loved ones are! Neither books, nor flowers, nor furniture, nor possessions, nor a garden, nor pets can replace them… They are surrogates.
What is the cornerstone of a home?
Love before anything…
Location…
My home is in Vancouver at a location that offers the convenience of walking to work within minutes. In just thirty minutes, I can find myself at the church or at my friend’s doorstep for a cup of coffee. Even a quick errand to the grocery store or a visit to the beach takes merely fifteen minutes. I live on a gentle hill with very little noise. When I open the window in the morning, I can hear the chirping of birds.
What materials hold significance for you?
During my childhood, I found more joy in playing with tools than with dolls. My grandfather, like many of our ancestors, liked to craft objects from wood, and that is where – I believe – my deep affection for wood originates. A wooden hand grater, a saw, a hammer, a tape measure, a pencil tucked behind the ear, were constants in my daily life… Even now, I will always opt for items crafted from wood. That never changes!
Apart from wood and metal, I have always appreciated clay and pottery. I believe that we Serbs have inherited this ancient craft from our ancestors – the Vinča people (5300–4300 BC). Surrounding me are terracotta vases, bowls, and jars, each effortlessly finding companionship no matter where I position them in the room.
I like wool, especially having a small wool rug right next to the bed. Its softness and comforting texture lend a sensual quality to the space, providing a natural foot massage. Wool also serves as a connection to beloved Balkans…
Mom’s handiwork, crafted from cotton and linen, adorns various spots throughout the home: from trays to shelves and baskets. These are the details through which I frequently and intentionally defy conventional visual norms… 😊
Pebbles are constantly present around the home… They are gifts from nature collected from various trips. Undoubtedly, stone is my constant and inseparable link to the Mediterranean, the sea, my ancestors…
Colors…
I live and rest in neutral and earthy tones. Their shades are, naturally, determined by the light within my home; the geographical landscapes of both the country I live in and the one I carry inside me.
I bring bright colors into my home mostly through apples in a basket or bunches of parsley on the kitchen shelf, alongside plants and greenery, but also through pictures, pillowcases and other items. For major holidays, a splash of red, green, or blue may emerge, but not more than that.
In a way, I allow life, through the presence of the people dear to me, bring colors into my home. Just the other day, my daughter gifted me a flower and that’s how yellow and green stepped into our cave…
Why do we feel the need to decorate our home?
Our homes change alongside us, if, indeed, we do change…
Often, within its depths, we can hear the inner voice that many refer to as conscience. Its survival will depend on whether we build it upon rock or sand. Therefore, not every house or apartment can be called a home!
For these spiritual, albeit often unconscious reasons, we continually refine it.
Our earthly home is a temporary shelter. I intentionally use the terms “temporary” and “shelter”. For us, Orthodox Christians, our eternal home lies in the heavens. It’s crucial to bear this in mind and not become too attached to the transient aspects of today or tomorrow.
What are your priorities and criteria when deciding what to bring into your home?
In the broadest sense, my priorities are my loved ones, personal values, mindfulness and everything that is my autochthonous identity – a Serbian! Wherever my cave is, the people of Vinča will be with me, along with books in Cyrillic, my mother’s handiwork, and photographs of my ancestors…
What I choose to bring into my home is a reflection of my covenant and my spiritual and national identity!
What is important to you…?
In the cave, light is very important to me, to ensure that the space – in the play of diverse textures – flows harmoniously from one story to another, that it is clean with a pleasant smell.
Understanding and embracing differences are paramount to me, as is carving out time to cherish moments with dear friends. feed some hungry soul, birds, cats, squirrels, an occasional raccoon on the terrace… to create a welcoming home for my child, myself and friends!
What is special about your home…?
That is all that is inherently beautiful, from the beginning of time… icons of saints, photographs of my loved ones and my ancestors.
How do we navigate life, home, and interior design…?
As quietly as possible through life. Simplicity breeds creativity. Just as I require merely a single spread on a slice of bread, the ambiance of the cave I inhabit requires no more.
What to bring back into home…?
Prayer and Sunday family lunch…
What should we have less of…?
Noise; screens; plastic; garbage; toxins; propaganda; misinformation; corruption; restrictions; unnecessary things cluttering shelves; superficiality; self-affirmations; opinions, etc. The list is endless…
More of…?
More of love, truth, freedom, silence, peace, balance, authenticity, and free time; playing with play doh rather than treating people as if they were made of it; using the right hemisphere of the brain; honoring historical memory; reading and writing in cursive…
Without Love, Truth, freedom and silence, we cannot understand ourselves or others. Eliminate noise and have coffee with Truth, we need more of that… It’s the same with balance. Balance emerges when tension dissipates between disparate and alike things or people. It is found in the moments when I find the time to read books and disconnect… Authenticity thrives in honesty and simplicity, where branches bend naturally as they please…. And peace, true peace, is found only in communion with the Lord as the only true Designer of all the worlds…
What to let be…?
Allow space to breathe, let the spider in the corner live, permit shadows to pass over the wall, let it be…
Change happens when…?
When you open the window; when you truly see; turn off all the screens, start exploring and cleaning; notice the detail; when you realize that a hand-woven basket in your home is not just a basket…
What can’t you do without…?
I can’t do without my loved ones, the sky, the vastness, the sea… Honestly, and on a more human level, I can’t do without my morning coffee, the birds that come to my terrace…, my desk and, of course, a cup of coffee with my beloved friends! 😊
What can you do without…?
I can do without everything that was not bestowed upon me; without trends; restaurants; text messages…
Organic is…
The memory of how things naturally should be… Organic is what is authentic. Unfortunately, there is less and less of that memory in milk, grain or carrots.
Fulfillment is…
When everyone around me is well, healthy and happy.
When there is chaos then…
The true dialogue and balance between context and objects or people have not yet been established. It’s a signal to step into uncertainty! Chaos, – a component of play, creation, and learning – is essential. I appreciate it solely in that sense!
When there is order then…
There is self-discipline, harmony and success. You finish what you started. I think it’s important to make your bed every morning, be neat and consistent in small tasks.
Favorite corner…
My favorite corner is an armchair by the window overlooking the trees and the birdhouse… no matter the time zone. 😊
What makes your home warm and homely?
For me, it’s the evenings filled with agape, when the energy is such that people don’t want to leave because they feel good there. When we want such moments to last as long as possible. When, as the host, I look around with great joy at the end of the night and watch the scattered chairs, plates smeared with food…, knowing that it was worthwhile because our souls have been nourished…
