Inheriting a Property and Making It Your Own

A somewhat particular topic, yet one that concerns many people at some point: the loss of a loved one and the management of an inherited property…

It can sometimes be difficult to let go of a place filled with memories. So if you decide to keep it, you will need to work with a space you have always known in a certain way, and learn to detach yourself from it in order to reshape it in your own way.

There is first a small ritual to let go of the soul of the deceased, still strongly present, permeating the walls and objects… The main advantage of surrounding yourself with an interior architect at this time is the ability to detach from your long-held vision of the space. I can feel your space, but I have not lived in it. I see the décor, yet I also immediately see other possibilities because I am not influenced by memories as you are. Capturing the present and working with it—that is my mission. Your intention to change, the energy of movement you bring into the space, will already fundamentally transform its atmosphere.

Interior architecture and space planning are deeply human disciplines.

You must learn to sense the energy of both people and places in a brief moment, and project yourself into the space while bringing something new—an identity that respects the past and its history, yet adapts it to the present, to its new inhabitants, their needs, and their desires.

It is delicate work—supportive work. It is important to build a relationship of trust and to feel truly heard by your interior architect.

It is a noble act to wish to preserve a story—your story—through a family home. But it is even more important to establish your own identity within it and not live in a space that visually does not belong to you.

You may have had a wonderful relationship with your grandmother (for example) and loved her décor, yet you remain—though part of the same family—two fundamentally different people, from different ages, eras, and energies. You therefore have different needs and your own way of living. The mission of the interior architect is also to study these changes and help you identify your needs, building your own universe.

You are connected to your living space, and it is connected to you. Do not live through memories alone—you risk trapping yourself in the past, preventing yourself from moving forward, from being present, and from evolving. You will not erase the presence of your loved one by transforming the space to make it your own. You are simply continuing a story with kindness through yourself, allowing it to evolve and perhaps one day pass it on in turn, in respect of your ancestors and your history. And they would surely be happy to see all the energy you invest in their former home to make it truly yours.