Many of us grew up watching celebrities give a tour. Saying the phrase, “Hello, MTV, welcome to my crib,” has a sense of novelty and achievement to it. It feels as if success means owning a home that’s worthy of being on MTV Cribs. Yes, we see some of the most outrageous and expensive homes there. Celebrities have weird things such as a Skittles vending machine or hot tubs that could fit about fifty people. We know we don’t need to have such things. But it’s still oddly fascinating to see them.
Later on, we grew from seeing expensive homes on MTV Cribs. We moved on to enjoying the beauty and functionality of organized homes. Marie Kondo showed us the value of keeping our possessions to the bare minimum. Tours of tiny houses showed us the possibility of small spaces. And HGTV showed us homes that we wish we live in.
Seeing other people’s beautiful homes affect our mental health. It has an impact on our feelings of self-worth. But why do we love watching house tours, creating interior design boards on Pinterest, and browsing through modern and chic apartments on themasonryapts.com?
Dreams of Home
More often than not, we have our idealized homes in mind. Some of us dream of settling down in the country. We want to be surrounded by a vast amount of land. We want to listen to birds and frogs in the morning, and the buzzing sound of crickets at night. Being surrounded by nature leads to simple lives. It leads to less stressful days, devoid of people, distractions, and noise.
But some of us strive for the hustle and bustle of the city. We want to be surrounded by city lights at night. We find the hum of traffic soothing. It can even lull us to sleep. We thrive in the nightlife where there’s always an open coffee shop or restaurant even if it’s three in the morning.
Whichever the case, our dreams of home are connected to the kind of lives we want to run. And this is why we love seeing how real people live in the places we wish we could be in. But there’s a common perception that watching too many interior design shows is bad for you.
Effects on Our Mental Health and Economic Situation
There is a dark side to watching how other people live in our dream homes and have our dream lifestyles. It reminds us of what we haven’t achieved yet. We haven’t achieved success in our careers yet so we can’t afford to buy homes.
Another issue that could come up is that we don’t have spouses and kids yet. If you don’t have your own family, then what’s the point of buying a two-story home with a white picket fence in the suburbs?
The Value of Creating Our Own Homes
Looking at other people’s homes forces us to reflect on our lives. It helps us address roadblocks that we hit in our careers and relationships. But the truth is that all we strive for is a sense of ownership and the things that go along with it. Having our own dream homes make us feel like we’ve achieved something, and now, we own it.
Homes give us that feeling of belongingness in our personal spaces. It gives us the opportunity to express ourselves through the design, the things we use and display, and set the mood that we want the occupants to feel. Where we live means so much to us because it is an extension of our identities.
This is why we love watching other people be proud of their own homes. We get a glimpse of who they are. The knickknacks that they own show if they have a quirky personality. The large open doors and windows show that they love being immersed in nature. The dark color palettes show that they like sophistication and having an air of mystery around the house.
In the end, all we want is to instill an element of wonder and personality in our spaces. So that we, too, can have the opportunity to share our identity with the guests of our home.
The endgame of watching celebrity house tours and interior design TV shows is celebrating our best selves that are reflected in our homes. Yes, it reminds us of what we haven’t achieved yet in our careers, financial situations, and relationships. But it also inspires us to keep going. It encourages us to work until we can finally build the house and lives of our dreams.