The Small Things My Mum Did to Make Our House a Home

My mum had a lot of habits I did not understand growing up. The photo frames on every wall. The curtains flung open at an unreasonable hour. The running commentary about where the shoes should go. At the time I filed all of it under “mum being mum.” Now I understand it was so much more than that. It was her way of turning our house into a home.

So, with Mother’s Day around the corner, I wanted to finally take a moment to appreciate all the small, everyday things my mum did that made our house feel like home.

And if you are a mum yourself, chances are you are already doing more of these than you realise. And just like our mums, you are building something beautiful without even knowing it. So, Happy Mother’s Day, and keep being the reason home always feels like home through these simple ways.

Quick Summary:

Most of us have wondered at some point how to make a house feel like home. The answer, it turns out, was never that far away. It was in everything our mums did every single day without us ever noticing. And this coming Mother’s Day, we are stopping to notice. And to say thank you.

1. She Covered the Walls in Photo Frames (Well, Almost All of Them)

Growing up, I was convinced our house had a photo frame problem. They were everywhere: the living room, the hallway, the little shelf in the kitchen. There was even one near the bathroom, just sitting there. My bowl-cut-era face, my parents on their wedding day, my grandparents looking very serious in a portrait from the 80s. All of it, on display, for every visitor to see.

I used to beg her to take them down when friends came over. “Mum, it looks so cluttered“. She’d look at me like I’d said something personally offensive. “This is our family. Why should I hide?“

But upon moving into my own place, the first thing I noticed was how bare the walls looked. I’d gone for the clean, minimal look I always wanted. And it looked… fine. But it didn’t feel like mine. It felt like a showroom.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: A home needs proof that people live in it. Photo frames aren’t clutter. They are evidence of a life being lived, of a place that belongs to someone. The day I put up my first few frames was the day my flat started feeling like home.

2. She Treated Tidying Up Like a Full-time Job With No Days Off

There was no such thing as “I’ll do it later” in our house. The moment something was out of place, mum knew.

Shoes left at the wrong spot? “Put away properly“. Blanket not folded? “Fold it nicely“. Cup left on the coffee table? “Bring to the sink“. Bag dumped on the sofa the second you walked in? “Why is this here?“

It was constant. A running commentary we never asked for and could never escape. My siblings and I had a theory that she had eyes everywhere. We were probably right.

I used to find it exhausting, like living with a very loving but very intense hotel manager.

Then I moved out of my childhood home, and nobody was narrating anymore. Things piled up. And slowly I noticed: the more cluttered it got, the less comfortable I felt in my own home. It stopped being the place I wanted to come back to and started being the place I had to deal with.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: All that tidying was never really just about cleanliness. It was about making sure home always felt like the most comfortable place to be. Cosy, calm, and somewhere you could completely switch off after a long day.

3. She Opened Every Window and Curtain First Thing Every Morning

Without fail. Every single morning. Before I had even opened my eyes properly, I could hear it. The curtains being pulled back. The windows unlatched. Sunlight flooding in at a completely unreasonable hour.

As a kid, I found this deeply inconsiderate. I did not need natural light at 8 am. I needed sleep. But mum was already moving through the house, room by room, like she was on a mission. Windows open. Curtains pulled. Done.

I used to burrow under my blanket and groan. She would completely ignore me.

It was only when I moved into my own place that I understood what she was doing. During my first few weeks there, I kept the curtains drawn most of the day. It felt cosy at first. Then it just felt heavy. Stale. Like the house was half asleep even when I was in it.

The day I started opening everything up in the morning, the whole place felt different. Lighter. More alive. Like it was actually ready for the day.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: Just like us, a home needs to breathe. Light and fresh air every day keeps a space feeling alive and cared for rather than heavy and forgotten. Mum never skipped that morning routine, and our home felt better for it every single day.

4. She Gave Almost Every Used Item a Second Life in the House

Nothing in our house ever truly retired. Ice cream tubs were the biggest offenders. You would open the freezer, see a tub of ice cream, feel a moment of genuine excitement, open it and find frozen fish. Every single time. Okay, maybe once or twice it was actually ice cream. But those were rare enough that we treated them like a national holiday.

Pasta jars became sugar containers with labels still on. Old t-shirts became cleaning rags. I’d ask, “Mum, can we just buy a proper container?” And she’d simply say, “Why buy new when perfectly good ones are right here?“

Years later, in my own flat, I caught myself doing the same thing. Ice cream tub in the freezer. Fish inside. I stood there laughing at myself. But also, it felt oddly like home because every home has its weird little thing. The quirk that makes no sense to anyone outside but makes complete sense to the people living in it. Mum gave ours that. And without even trying, I was giving mine the same thing.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: It was never about the containers. It was about the story behind them. Every repurposed jar and reused tub was a little signature of how our family did things. And those signatures, scattered all over our home, were what gave it its personality. What made it feel like ours and nobody else’s.

5. She Made Sure No Corner of Our Home Felt Empty or Forgotten

It did not take much. A small plant by the entrance. A folded blanket on the chair by the window. A framed photo on the hallway shelf. Nothing excessive, nothing crowded. Just enough to make every part of the house feel like someone had thought about it.

As a kid, I never noticed any of it. It was just how the house was.

The empty corners in my own flat were what finally made it click. Not because I needed to fill every space. But because those untouched corners felt like parts of the home that nobody had moved into yet. And that made the whole place feel a little unfinished.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: Mum did not fill every corner for the sake of it. She simply made sure no part of our home felt overlooked. A small intentional touch in the right place is all it takes to make a space feel considered and alive.

6. She Treated Our Neighbours Like They Were Part of Our Home

I used to call my mum kaypoh for this. She knew everyone in our neighbourhood by name, their routines and all. Which auntie had just had knee surgery. Which uncle came home late because he drove the night shift. She would tapao extra food for the elderly women next door who lived alone. She greeted people every single morning like it was a job she took very seriously.

I thought it was just a generational thing. Old-school kampung spirit that no longer really applies.

It was only when I moved into a block where no one knew anyone that I felt the difference. No hellos in the corridor. No one would notice if something was off. The flat itself was fine. But something about coming home felt different. Quieter in a way that did not feel peaceful. More like isolated.

That was when I realised what mum had always understood. A home is not just what is inside the four walls. It is everything surrounding it, too. The corridor, the neighbours, the people who nod hello when you step out. Mum had built something around our home that no interior could replicate. A community. And that community was a huge part of why home always felt so warm and safe growing up.

💡 The Lesson I Learned: What makes a home feel like home is not just how you design the inside. It is the world you build around it, too. She extended our home all the way to the corridor and beyond. And that sense of belonging, of being known and looked out for, is something you only fully appreciate when you no longer have it.

* * *

Looking back, making a house feel like home was never just about the space. It was about the person who showed up for it every single day. And for me, that person was always mum.

So this Mother’s Day, here is to every mum and mother figure who showed up every single day and turned a house into a safe, warm and loving home.

Start With the Right House. Turn It Into Your Home.

All of those small everyday moments Mum created? They started with one decision. Finding the right house to make a home in.

And maybe that is where you are right now. Ready to move out for the first time. Looking for a place to call your own. Or perhaps you and your partner are thinking about finding somewhere to build your life together, somewhere to start your own routines, your own rituals, your own version of everything mum did for you growing up.

If you are, our Super Agents at Ohmyhome would love to help you find it.

Simply submit your preferences to us, your budget, the location you have in mind, and the kind of home you are looking for, and our Super Agents will match you with options that fit.

Because somewhere out there is a house waiting to become your home. The place where your own small everyday things will happen. Where your own story will be written.

Drop us a message on WhatsApp to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I look for when buying my first home in Singapore?

Beyond the price and location, think about the kind of life you want to live in the space. How does the corridor feel? Are there neighbours around? Does the flat get natural light and ventilation? A home is not just a financial decision. It is an everyday experience. The best first homes are ones that feel right to live in, not just good on paper.

2. How do I make a small HDB flat feel more spacious and like home?

It starts with how you use the space rather than how much of it you have. Good storage, natural light and a clutter free environment go a long way. Beyond that, the things that make a small space feel like home are the same things that work in any space: personal touches, consistent routines and making every corner feel intentional rather than forgotten.

3. What is the best HDB flat size for a young couple or small family in Singapore?

Most young couples in Singapore start with a 3-room or 4-room HDB flat. A 3-room is a practical and affordable choice for couples just starting out, while a 4-room gives you more room to grow into as your family expands. The right size ultimately depends on your lifestyle, budget and long term plans. It is also worth thinking about where you want to be five to ten years down the road before deciding.