All Pictures Credit | Casagrand

I woke up a little sad today. I woke up missing my childhood home, my dream home. As much as I love my home in Bangalore, I have always been wishful of that elusive dream home.

My husband and I set up our present home with a lot of love but then there are times when I can’t help think about that beautiful cottage in Shillong, nestled on a hill surrounded by greenery, which was my abode for over 12 years. It was a perfect, fairytale-like home.

Why the sudden urge for that perfect home?

You must be wondering why I am suddenly yearning for a home of the past in the present? Well, I blame my friend who just got a beautiful apartment with Casagrand for this. She lives in a Mediterranean Style Villa in Chennai, Casagrand Pallagio, a gated community which is so beautiful that it evoked the longing for the perfect home, a house rather, which has been just lingering below the surface. From high-end specifications and amenities like swimming pool, gym, indoor games, party hall, children’s play area they also have community-owned roads and driveways. And what’s more, exclusive land, terrace and garden spaces! Isn’t that just wonderful?

The community she chose has one thing that I really yearn for, open spaces. And gardens too. I mean how much can you do with a balcony garden? These were the clinchers for her and that’s also what makes it so close to the home I picture for myself one day.

I checked a couple of their other projects and they seem quite inviting too like the Casagrand Elan. What can I say it all started with one conversation with her.

My Dream home is like the home I grew up in.

The desire of a house which is closer to my childhood home is there in all of us, I suppose. I was actually talking to my friend about that yesterday and today I woke up from a dream in which I was in that very cottage in my room where clouds often floated in through the windows. How beautiful it was. In fact, still is. Only I don’t live there anymore. It is someone else’s dream abode now.

A Perfect Home

Those rooms with wall to wall windows overlooking the beautiful valley and the pear tree in the yard. The fences made of hedges and the yard surrounded by more trees. Our garden adorned with colours as if the rainbow had itself descended making it magical. The garden balcony overlooking the hills, the picturesque valley and the limitless blue sky adorned with clouds. How much I miss that? How much I miss living in the abode of clouds?

Growing up there was really a blessing. There were open spaces everywhere I looked. Truly the best part of growing up in Shillong, a small hill station town, was the abundance of greenery and space. And once you have lived like that no apartment ever seems good enough. Trust me.

From Dream home to a real home.

Now I live in Bangalore. There are no jobs back home and many like me have to migrate to other cities to make a living, have a future. And I quite like it too. But you know as well as I do how living in big cities almost always means living in apartments. Unless of course, you have millions to spend only on your house or that perfect apartment which I must say I  don’t. So, it’s an apartment that we went for. Cutting your coat according to your cloth always has been our mantra. The flat is everything we need. It’s not that I have any regrets but someday, if I can, I would love to have that house of my dreams.

My idea of a dream house?

It should be big enough but not that huge.

It should be spacious.

It should have a real garden with flowers of different colours.

It doesn’t have to be too big, just enough space for the family. There should be lots of windows. That’s one thing I miss here. In Shillong, every house, in fact, every room, had so many windows that a room with just two windows seems claustrophobic to me. So, in the house of my dreams, there would be a lot of windows, transparent glass windows through which I could see the rains or the stars at night. Then there would be a swing in the upstairs balcony where I would spend a lot of time reading and maybe my daughter too would have one in her room for just that. A terrace where we would barbeque with our close friends when the weather permitted or just sit and talk amongst ourselves about life. A slightly bigger kitchen. Most importantly a room which would be my study with a writing desk, at least two wall to wall book shelves and windows overlooking our garden. I would fill the garden with China Rose plants of different colours. I get this from my mom who herself has a huge collection of China Roses in her garden. So, I want that too. Maybe grow some vegetables, if possible. The husband would do the hard work in the garden while I would maybe just post the pictures on Instagram. No really, I do wish for a bigger garden. A few sculptures in there too. Picket fences, if possible. But just that much.

In simple terms, a home should be…

Cozy and comfortable, the house would be spacious even if not very big. My daughter would have space to grow just like I did. Lots of greenery, a good plan for air circulation and simple. Yes, that would be my dream home.

A lot of our dreams are shaped by our childhood. Living in that cottage in my formative years has made me yearn for a house for a long time now. Maybe if I work hard enough, I’ll be able to afford one one day. Till then I’ll just relive my memories.

Talking to my friend about Casagrand rekindled that desire for a perfect home so much so that I have been daydreaming. It took me through the lanes of my childhood and one memory at a time made me imagine the home I want for myself and my family eventually. Looking at the home that Casagrand have already created has given me so many ideas. I would have painted a picture for you had I been a painter. Maybe you can take a look at their website to see it for yourself.

Tell me about your dream home.