Instant Happiness : Comfort, Atmosphere, and Shelter
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
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Most people familiar with hobbits will know that their homes are unique. Built into the side of hills for optimal insulation, with round doors, oak panels, glowing hearth fire, hand-carved beams, and a cozy kitchen filled with light. Yes, hobbits do love a well designed and comfortable home. The reason for the hobbit obsession with interior decor is that our homes are ‘happiness' headquarters. The hobbit home is vital to our social life, hobbits therefore tend to put a lot of effort in making their homes ‘happy’. This is that special place to come back to after a long day or a great adventure -- a homely house to rest and relax, filled with good food, comfortable, safe and warm. A home connected to the natural world, making it almost part of the Shire landscape.
So what makes a ‘hole in the ground’ a ‘home’ ? Aside from the obvious round door, hobbits like a place where they can snuggle up in a blanket, with a book and a cup of tea. This place called ‘ a nookling’ is often by a window, filled with cushions and blankets to provide a small cozy refuge where to sit and think, or read, or write a book. In fact many of these pages were written in my very own nookling. Hobbits love small places, they make us feel safe. Sitting by the window, overlooking the path, gives us the advantage of spotting any unwelcome visitors, some hobbits, and even dwarves, just love to drop by for dinner unannounced.
Another essential element of the perfect hobbit home is an open fireplace. It is fair to say that a nice fireplace is just the ultimate place of hobbit happiness. It is somewhere we sit by to rest and experience the best that hobbit life has to offer, and warmth, and it is somewhere we love to spend time with our loved ones and friends and feel connected to each other. I already mentioned the importance of candles and lanterns in chapter one of this book, light benign and essential part of the hobbit home experience. In a hobbit home wood is king-- wooden floors, oak panels and beams. Wood is the building material of choice -- smooth and natural. Of course wood alone is not enough. If they could, hobbits would bring a whole forest inside.
Beautiful leaves, flowers, nuts, pinecones, twigs, and sheepskin, creating a natural atmosphere. No true hobbit home is complete without books on shelves or just stacked on a desk. A good book is a cornerstone of happiness. In every household there is always at least one hobbit capable of reading, so hobbits will gather together by the fireplace to listen to stories about great adventures, or long detailed records of their family history, which they are very fond of. ‘Chip the glasses and crack the plates!‘ is a famous Hobbit song about their fondness for crockery, little-folk are very proud of. In truth every hobbit day or great adventure, start and end in between the opening and the closing of a round door, and although it is true that ‘home is where your heart is’ and with you wherever you go, it is also true that life takes you to unexpected places, but hobbit love will always bring you home.
Photo taken by me in Hobbiton, New Zealand - edited and painted in Photoshop
