Browsing by Author "Myntti, Mikko"

The purpose of this thesis in home economics is to present how young people makes a home out of their first dwelling. The thesis examines things done and felt after moving to ones first housing, which is in their own control, and how these things affect in shaping the feel of home. The hypothesis was that the home was made with the help of objects, for example furniture, but also by getting used to the dwelling and its properties or by modifying them. It was also assessed that when moving to the first dwelling, the process would be a bit different than when moving an already established households. The focus of this thesis is on the new residents’ actions and feelings. Former studies close to this subject show that the making of home can be done by a variety of ways, which might result in a feeling of home. A theme interview was conducted for five young adults, who had moved to live on their own at the ages between 16 and 22. They had lived in their dwellings from one to four years. One of the subjects had moved and still lived with their spouse, the others lived alone. Subjects were found by sending an invitation to a mailing list of university students and to a Facebook group of organization providing housing for young people. After transcribing the interviews, the 16-page material was examined for the theme relating expressions which were divided into sub-groups. The main theme is making of home, and sub groups are safety, property, social matters, and actions, senses & premises. The youth who had moved to their first dwellings had turned them into homes with objects, gathered free of charge from childhood home, friends and close relatives or bought as used or new. Social relationships and living everyday life at home also benefitted forming the feeling of home. The traces of former residents, unfamiliar sounds and the lack of objects due to the dwellers economic situation slowed down settling a home. The lack of felt security prevented the feeling of home, which could also be lost at the end of a relationship. Even after forming a feeling of home, home and its object world was adapting in a constant move.