Real Homes

Sometimes social media can be overwhelming and time consuming yet addictive. One of my favorite forms is Instagram and seeing all the amazing pictures that people share. At times it can feel like a virtual window connecting us into the lives of others. Our friend Jen Dakan (photographer, teacher, writer, mother and so much more) has been Instagramming some very resonate images lately from some of her friend’s “real” homes. I asked if she could share of few of them with us here on the blog. Read on…

Real Homes
By: Jennifer Dakan

All my life I have been influenced by and drawn to people who are artists of the home. Growing up in Pasadena, I was surrounded by beautiful houses, and came to appreciate how people reveal themselves through the homes they create. In my pursuit of this interest a few years ago, I Googled, “what makes a house a home?” and a message board came up with different responses to the question. Not one referred to any aspect of the house itself. It wasn’t the windows, the cabinet space in their kitchen, the crown moldings, or their extra large bathroom with the claw-foot tub. The things that made the house home were: “my succulent plants, my weird tchotchkes, the family quilt collection, the sound of our wind chime outside, my orange dining room, piles of books and magazines…” Inspired by the individual and unique ways people create home, I began a photographic project—real homes.