The search for a home is difficult in an increasingly complex, fast-paced and mobile world.

Natalie has shifted three times in the past year and has called over 20 places ‘home’ in her lifetime. Despite becoming a seasoned shifter she nests in each place she lays her head.

Why have you moved so much?

During my childhood, it was a case of family circumstances, my parents separated when I was young and it took a while for us to find our feet.

After that was a rather normal experience of being a young adult: finding independence and moving in with friends, returning to study and moving back with your parents, moving in with boyfriend, breaking up with boyfriend (and moving back home),  living in a share house to moving in with best friend, rental house being sold and the search for a new home continues!

A couple of my moves were also international, following work and study opportunities.

What is the favorite place you have lived in?

It was probably the place we moved into after my parents separated. It was as old ramshackle house, but it had lots of charm and my mum filled it with quirky trinkets. There was a large magnolia tree out the front and every time it would blossom I knew spring was on its way.

You have lived by yourself, with friends and in a share house. Which experience do you enjoy the most?

They all have their advantages and serve different purposes for different stages of your life.

I learnt a lot about myself when I lived by myself. It felt like such a safe and creative refuge and I became fiercely independent. Everything was my way: I left paints out, walked around naked, had my daggy talkback radio on at all hours. But that was also the pitfall: no-one around to make you clean up. I once hid my dirty dishes in the oven!

Living with friends can be a wonderful and at times intense experience. You become like siblings and there is greater potential to squabble.

Share houses are a great way to meet new people and see the different ways people live. The right share house can be a happy medium between companionship and independence.

What have you learnt about people through living in share houses?

I find it fascinating the way people structure their days and how they spend their spare time. I can’t believe how disciplined some people are. I once lived with someone that would be up at 5am every day and every unit of time went towards an activity.

People also have very different ideas about what constitutes a home. In one of my sharehouses, everyone stayed in their rooms and days would go by without running into anyone.

People also have habits that you wouldn’t think would bother you until you live with them.

Such as?

Watching tv in the morning. I remember waking up to some crime show. I can handle violence in the mornings.

What constitutes a home?

Home is a loaded concept. For me it makes up a whole lot more than a physical place, it is a place where you feel safe and comfortable being who you are. It is a place you can call your own.

I came across a quote once that really resonated with me:

The world is full of homes in which I have lived for a day, a month, a year or much longer. How much I care about a home isn’t measured by the time I spent living there. One night by a leaping fire may mean more to me than months living in a room with no fireplace, a room in which my life has been paced less excitingly.

So you need a fireplace?

No, that, of course, is metaphorical. I do however need a couple of things to feel at home. A collection of art and trinkets to remind me of different stages of my life and places I have travelled. These things have symbolic value.

My room will always have books in it and a warm handmade blanket or quilt and lamps, lots of lamps.

How do you go about making a house a home?

This is my favorite activity. It has become a ritual and usually involves music, wine and scented candles. I take forever to unpack and trial different places to put my things until I find their final resting place.

The scented candle helps make the room smell like my own. It’s not the same scent; it is something new I have picked up.

This is key. No place will be exactly like the other and I’m not trying to make it the same. I am happy to embrace change, so long as I have a few of my trinkets for continuity.