There's no place like home

Despite having found what I thought would be my "dream home" just a couple of years ago (not to mention already having put a deposit down on some improvements), it looks like I'm getting ready to go house hunting again.  To cut a long story short, having trained as a teacher and now working as a psychologist and freelance trainer, I am not bound to a location, but we based ourselves in Northampton because of my husband's work in automotive engineering.  Due to fighting Hodgkins Lymphoma in his final year of Uni he missed the graduate interviews for Formula 1, but we figured that we'd still keep Silverstone around the corner. 

Having finally made the leap back this year joining Mercedes HPP he was headhunted by and accepted a wonderful (and well deserved) offer from, RedBull F1, Milton Keynes, so we're making plans to move a couple of junctions down the M1.

I love houses though, and like my oldest friend (literally, she was 3 I was 5) get Rightmove emails just to have a look at how everyone else lives.  As with our current home we have set requirements on what we need, as well as what we would like:

- detached

- double garage

- garden for the dog

- at least 4 bedrooms so one can be an office/studio space

- open plan...think many years as a drama teacher in a "black box" classroom by day and theatre by night has made me adverse to anything that makes me feel like a vampire.

...my desires are practical to my lifestyle, and relatively modern.  Not being sentimental nor a fan of period architecture, I still find myself bringing 2 things wherever I go:

- A coffee table my dad made (pictured)

- A wooden carved chest which my parents shipped to the UK from Melaka (currently in storage).

I always remember, however, my family homes being a fusion of British and Chinese furniture - the latter, although beautifully carved, covered in mother of pearl was not the most comfortable, and the juxtaposition always seemed a little odd.  I then visited relatives in Malaysia and found a similar blend.  Perhaps there is something about grounding oneself with someone of one's past no matter how far one has come - physically or spiritually perhaps.

The Peranakan House

The Peranakan House was as much a mix of Chinese and European styles.  With Chinese entrance-ways and lucky stone statues outside the doors, the windows were covered by the European "jealousy shutters" and the brickwork followed the methods of the UK.

What continues to exist in most of the Peranakan States (apart from a couple of mansions), are the shophouses - the multiple storied narrow terraced houses with corridors so long from front to back you could learn to ride a bicycle in one.

When you visit the shophouses in Georgetown Penang, you will notice that - especially on a rainy day - they all have covered walkways (known as the "five-foot way") where the first floor extends out over the entrance. While business was conducted on the ground floor, the family lived in the higher storeys, and in some houses, there is even a "peep hole" in the floor where one could eavesdrop onto the conversation going on in the street...or  more practically, you could throw the keys down and your guest could let themselves in...like a primitive and more practical version of "Ring".

As you entered you would be greeted in the reception hall which on one side might then have a guest sitting room, or walking through would open out into an "airwell" acting as the ventilation for the house - often with a pool or pond should it rain.  Following that would be the dining room and then the parlour where the women would enjoy and "afternoon tea" of kuih and play mahjong.  (I still remember the clack of the mah-jong tiles towards the end of the evening at  parties in my family home).

It was not uncommon for men and women to reside in segregated areas of the house, and traditionally as unmarried daughters were not allowed to be seen, sliding doors or screens divided each room.

Reaching the back of the house would be the ancestral shrine, as well as the kitchen and toilet.

There are a number of Shophouses that allow visits in Melaka, and Penang's "Peranakan Mansion" (where most of these photos are from) also offers a guided tour.

Apart from the mah jong set (gathering dust) and a couple of "lucky coins" - along with the aforementioned table and chest, I don't have much left of my heritage.  My rooms are modern, my style minimal, and currently the batik and pewter gifts are also packed away.  I was waiting to find the right place to display them in my current home, perhaps I will just have to wait a little while longer.