Our home is our castle - it says who we are

By CATHERINE MASTERS

Everyone knows the saying "you are what you eat."

But it is equally true that we are what we live in, and for New Zealanders the home is becoming increasingly important.

Professor David Thorns, of Canterbury University's sociology department, is researching how people construct their sense of home, and the material and symbolic items they bring to it.

He says New Zealanders love to own their own homes, usually preferring individual plots with houses well separated from the neighbours - and are keen do-it-yourselfers.

Because the houses are often wooden, it is easier for people to see themselves as builders, and the pioneering instinct is strong, especially when men get hold of a chainsaw. In countries where brick and tile predominate, the do-it-yourself mentality is less developed.

There is no standard New Zealand home, he says.

"Houses are obviously containers of memories. They're how we represent ourselves to other people ... You discover everything has some kind of meaning ... It relates to somebody; it's a connection with a relative, the family, whatever."

Homes are where power relationships are played out, and they have different areas for each gender.

"People need a piece of space. It's part of how we create our sense of identity, because it's ours.

"People talk about homes as not hotel rooms. Hotel rooms are things you pass through, somebody else designs them, decorates them, controls them. The home is where you make those things for yourself."

Redecorating on moving in is a way humans have of marking their territory.

But the influence of the media and lifestyle magazines on how homes are decorated and renovated is enormous.

"In that sense we're part of a global culture. It's our own New Zealand version of culture."

We have become a lot more diverse, says Professor Thorns. Colours used now were unheard of 50 years ago. People are more adventurous - and gardens have become as significant as the living areas.

"In the 60s it was the place you kicked ball and grew veges. Now it's most likely the place where you have patios and barbecues - it's an extension of the house in terms of where you want to do your leisure."

Most people do not move often, nor go very far, he says. They like to feel comfortable and safe. Take them out of the neighbourhood and they can feel lost.

In Europe, researchers say future homes may be "multifunctional spaces" as people do more at home, and the same is true here.

Many people now work from home and do their virtual shopping by computer.

Our houses can even become prisons, with a growing number of people serving home detention sentences.

"That changes the use of the spaces in the home. That's a good argument to say we are not likely to want smaller houses, or smaller spaces anyway, however we contain them."

No matter how humble the home, it is someone's castle.

"People are saying 'This is me' or 'This is us' to the rest of the world."