The Burrow

This post is part of a series on homes that inspire me, as part of mulling over what my dream house looks like and to help motivate my decluttering. 1: A cob bungalow | 2: The woodsman's cottage | 3: A minimalist cabin | 4: A narrowboat | 5: The tiny appartment | 6: The crafty home

I've been listening to the Stephen Fry Harry Potter audiobooks on my walk to and from work. It's actually really good fun, rediscovering nuggets of the stories I had forgotten or missed first time around (I read the first book for the first time about 15 years ago...). Audiobooks are also a good way to savour a book - I tend to skim read, I do it so much at work that it's a habit and it's very difficult for me to read every single word on a page, particularly if I've read the book before. The audiobook helps me slow down and enjoy every image the author conjures.

It's been reminding me of my wonderful, wonderful trip around the world of Harry Potter with my friend Kaylie. Harry Potter is but one of the worlds we have shared together - if I tell you that she is most definitely a kindred spirit and we once discovered Narnia in the snow, that should give you some idea. She took me around the World of Harry Potter and all the sets, and I was very interested to note that the set I was most drawn to is The Burrow, the home of the Weasley family.

It's the opposite of minimalist. It's cluttered and chaotic and bursting with people and activity, but it's so personal. It's a place you would instantly feel at home, slumped in a battered but comfy chair under a hand-knitted blanket with the smell of stew on the stove, a fire in the grate and someone playing a prank on someone else. Far too boisterous for you, but entertaining nonetheless. I would love to live in somewhere like the Burrow - if I had magic to help with the dust, the washing up, the hoovering.

I love the personal touches and souvenirs - drawings on the wall, photos freezing individual moments, finds from forgotten places, and of course the famous clock. I so want a home full of reminders of all the people and places and things that I love. The balance we're trying to strike between minimalist and personal is not - quite - there. You wouldn't know this home was mine, ours - it could easily be someone else's. And I know that there are only two things stopping that - my lack of courage in my own vision, and my lack of discipline for making it come alive.

So, a clip of the Burrow to encourage me to stick my cousin's drawings, my grandmother's photo and my homemade bunting on the walls. (I hope I'm not violating copyright by sharing - if I am please let me know and I'll remove it!)