I did. I always did. And still do.

In fact, I can’t even begin to tell you the leaps my imagination took when it came to my very own grown up home. There was something mysterious, magical even, about that whim of owning and living in it one day. I don’t know how normal it is for a child to do that but I pictured it to be more beautiful than any could ever be.

A lot of what you wish for in life stems from what you see around you during your childhood.

The picture you have of your future is built on the canvas of your past and present.

So, in many ways, childhood is the breeding ground for everything that you aspire for in life. It is the spring to the summer of your life, the foundation for the future. And it is the same when it comes to the idea surrounding your dream home, for no two dreams are ever alike.

For me, the vision first started taking shape in Shillong. The picture of that perfect home was sketched in a quaint little hill station in the North East of India.

We used to live in a cottage then. There was a garden in our front yard which opened up on one side to the valley. It looked like a masterpiece really, stroked with the best greens and blues from a painter’s pallet. It was a setting out of a fairy tale. The clouds that floated so close to us, sometimes so close to our bedroom windows that we could almost put our hands through them or the soothing winter sun that filtered through the huge and many glass windows. It was paradise, my paradise and I wanted my home to be just like that.

But now that I’m all grown up, has that dream home become a reality?

Well, let me put it this way. I have a home much, much better than I could have ever envisaged. It is made up of people who love me more than I probably deserve, what with all my shortcomings. It is my own piece of heaven.

We have together built a home in a house and filled it with love. However, the dream house still remains a dream. So, maybe I should have begun with asking you about your dream house instead of home. Because I realize they are entirely two different things.

While dreaming about a picture perfect house costs nothing, the reality is something else entirely.

The cost of actually turning that dream house into a tangible reality hit me when I started to earn. Though S and I managed to buy ourselves an apartment very early on in our careers, it was still on EMIs. Of course, we could have gone for that villa or independent house that I always wished for but then we would have to stretch our means. And we both are firm believers of staying within practical boundaries. You know, cutting our coat according to our cloth and not asking for extra from anyone else.

But maybe someday, we’ll own that house too. A house with a front yard, a private terrace, a garden, a huge swing where I would read my books and white picket fences too. A house where I would have an entire room dedicated to books with wall to wall shelves. A fireplace in the bedroom, where S and I could snuggle up and talk till the wee hours of the morning. A huge bathroom that could fit in a bath tub. Huge windows in every room filling the house with natural light. I could actually go on and on. I know, it’s the home that matters not the house but a girl can dream, can’t she?

For now, I’ve decided to decorate our flat, each piece of furniture hand picked by yours truly. Home decor is not easy, it is actually a project that needs a lot of attention to detail. I’m learning. The essential thing is to go with what you want and not what someone else suggests or what looks nice in someone else’s home.

From the lamps to the paintings, the crockery unity to the dining table, everything needs careful planning. It has been two years in our own flat and we still have a lot to do. I’m already planning to get rid of the old beds and get new ones with a colonial touch, new sofas too. My sense of styling our home is very simple, not too many colors, clean and clutter free. And I can’t wait to see how our home looks when the pieces are all here, when they all fit together.

It’s very satisfying to be able to go through this process, turning a house into an extension of yourselves. It is like playing house as a child but only real, only better. I feel this sudden sense of excitement when a new piece fits into our home’s puzzle. Just a few days ago, we purchased a hutch cabinet and as silly as it sounds I kept stopping to admire it for the next few days. I cannot quite explain the feeling. But I’ll try, though.

Your home is not just your family but every single tiny detail of your house.

Every corner is a reflection of you. Thus, bringing a new piece into it is like bringing in a new member. The excitement palpable, for it is all yours.

A house with a soul is one which reverberates with your touch everywhere you look. And we are doing just that, S and I. Though I also hope one day, I’ll get to do the same in that house I dreamt of as a child. If not, no regrets there too because I already have a home, a home that I love and adore.

Anyways, tell me what your dream house is like? I’m all ears.