Neither the English or the Swedes are known to be people who brag about their belongings. Most of the people I stayed with found it hard to answer the question about what they're most proud of in their homes. I sometimes had to rephrase the question and instead ask what they were happiest about.
Many of the answers were abstract, but it wasn't surprising that some English people living in small places were proud of how they had organised their space. There were some imaginative solutions including loft beds.
The answer that made me laugh the most was the person who said she was proud of her kitchen lamp (pictured above). "It looks nice, like a pointy hat, but my friend said; 'so you got a tit hanging from the ceiling ...' Now I can't think of anything else, it fucking looks like it."
What people in England were most proud of in their homes:
How I've used my space
My 200 year old chello
My open fire
My yoga/meditation space
My bookshelf
My room, that I've organised my space
The location
That I'm surrounded by books and things that I really love
That I manage to have friends round for dinner
My husband's photographs
A drawing I made
The view
My bed
My autograph collection
That I've managed to fit in so much in such a small space
What people in Sweden were most proud of in their homes:
My bread-baking
The furniture from Nepal
The music studio
The world globes
My plants and flowers
The garden
My kitchen lamp
That it is such a nice old house
My lamps
Our bedroom
My orchids
The record collection
My framed pictures
My drawing that I made when I was 15
That we have created a home to feel happy in
I'm most proud of my catapult, "the statuette" I got when I won the prize for best Young Adult debut novel. I tried to explain to my friend's 6-year-old daughter that it's not a toy!
This study is by no means scientific, the answers are based on interviewing 15 people in England and 15 people in Sweden, aged 22-59. Look out for the next question: What do you feel most embarrassed about in your home?
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