My grandfather passed away, leaving me his surprisingly diverse record collections. Not only do I enjoy listening to them, but I keep them out so I can fondly remember him each time I walk by.
A house is made of four walls and usually is full of objects intended for functional use. A home, however is more than just a place of refuge. For me, the things I choose to fill my home should not only reflect my personal style and create a comfortable environment, but they should be full of meaning and personal history. If you have a loving family, count yourself lucky, and pay them homage by including their memories in your home.
Some ways you can display family memories in your home:
- Display the collections of a loved one who has passed away.
- Tape or tack up some old casual snapshots of a loved one as a part of your own art display.
- Frame old letters or cards from family members.
- Instead of hiding away old craft projects from your family member, work them into a decorative display.
- Frame, hang, or display family heirlooms that used to live in boxes in your closet.
- If your belated loved one had a home-related pastime, take it upon yourself to continue it up on your own.
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I would like to see picture of a larger section...tying in all of the pieces. That way you can see what the complete final outcome.
Lovely post. I have inherited my grandparents' 1960s teak furniture and think of them every day as we use and enjoy it so many years after they bought it as a young family. I also think incorporating little things, such as the needlepoint you mention, is an important nod to the people who mean a lot to us, even if it doesn't immediately fit in with whatever look we're aspiring to.
@Aslayo: These pictures are from all over my home, so they would require a full house tour for you to see larger sections. But don't worry! I'll be sharing my home in a house tour in a couple of months. :)
Very nice. Were you at that High Violets show? A former coworker's band played in one of the openers.
These are such nice ideas. I just used a frame from one of my old art pieces to frame this life-sized silhouette my son made of himself at preschool. http://flic.kr/p/9sjvEE It was just too cute to pass up.
love, love, love. you are lucky to have such great heirlooms. it makes me sad to think of the untold history of little pieces of history i get at estate sales. at least they get to live on in my home :)
These are wonderful ideas on how to incorporate those coveted family heirlooms into our daily lives. I've been lucky enough to have my grandmother's crystal vases and love to incorporate them in my decor. They are a beautiful reminder of our family history.
We have an entire room dedicated to our most beloved of items. Family heirlooms and antiques are sprinkled throughout our home in addition to more modern furniture and stuff, but we had so much stuff, we just couldn't find a way to filter it all or change out things with the season or every month or so. We have a room we call the nostalgia room. It's actually a loft space that was sort of unused--I used it as an office until I gave up on the dedicated office idea and admitted I like working at the coffee table in the living room. Now it houses two big comfy couches (one is a comfy sleeper, so the room does double duty as a guest space) and all our collected goodies from our travels, our families, and whatever else we hold dear but don't exactly find aesthetically pleasing. Piled all together on shelves and in glass cabinets along with some of our book collection and my craft project table, our heirlooms, goodies, and collectibles have new purpose. In the nostalgia room, there is no television, and we keep our photo albums there, as well as the records (spoken word) from my grandfather (who I never met, but have found I've learned quite a bit about him after spending time with his records), and it's become a space where we take naps on Sundays, hang out with family and friends, snuggle with our dogs, or just reminisce by ourselves when we are lonely and missing our family who are all far away from home. We keep lots of old family photos (dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century, a few before), heirlooms, and collectibles around the house that fit our decor and that we want to see daily, but there are some things we really don't want to look at every day or don't really have a home with the rest of our stuff. The nostalgia room has no rules, aside from the rule that there is no rules. It gives us the excuse to hang up, display, or use whatever we might have stuffed in a closet, hid in the attic, or stowed away in the storage room all the time. :)
Reddylee. Paragraphs are your friend! ;)
I really like how you have incorporated a lot of these momentos into your home. I have some things that belonged to my great grandfather on my wall as well.
Also, I hate to be obnoxious, but belated means delayed or past due. I believe the word you mean to use is departed.
Or perhaps you mean to use late.
Gaidig,
Yes! Of course, you are correct. Sometimes my mind and fingers do this weird mental association thing when I type, and those mistakes occasionally slip through the cracks when I am proof-reading.