The Name Game: How did this throwback photo inspire the name Manor12?
Close your eyes right now and imagine you are a kid again standing in your childhood home. What are the sounds and the smells? Can you remember the exact lay of the land: how many steps it is from the front door to your bedroom and where all the creaks in the floor lie?
Those details of my childhood home, the one pictured here, are ingrained in my D.N.A. My parents still live there, and it’s like a part of me returns to my teenage self whenever I step foot inside: instinctively giving the front door an extra “hip” when turning the lock and knowing there will always be potato chips in the cupboard under the stove.
That home shaped my habits, my personality, my undeniable fashion sense as you can see above, and it even dictated the name of my brand.
The feeling of “home” is an elusive thing to articulate. It is truly visceral based on our 5 senses and our memories. This was the notion I was stuck on years ago when I was trying to name my business. What started as a textile company with hand printed home furnishings eventually evolved into a home interiors lab where I now focus all my energy on developing spaces that will give that “thing” to my clients.
I tried desperately to come up with a word or a series of words to sum up that intangible concept. I wanted a name that conveyed the comfort, beauty, and refuge we all hope to find within our walls. Turns out nothing can encapsulate that one thing because it is so specific to each of us.
And that’s when it hit me: I had to get specific. That address that nurtured me, inspired my creative spirit, and allowed me to feel safe and secure was 12 Manor Wood Crescent. How could I ignore this serendipitous connection? The “manor” where I was raised paved the way for the brand I was creating. This was my ah-ha moment when Manor12 and the tagline mind your manor were born.
I can’t say my company would have had quite the same appropriate ring to it, had I grown up on a street by any other name—so it seems my fate was written for me all those years ago. And I guess it proves there really is something in a name.
I love this! I know exactly what you mean – the hip shove to lock the door, the creaks in the floorboards, and most importantly, the feeling of being safe and free at home. The writing was on the wall all along! So proud of you! xo
What a lovely piece of writing, Julie! And it brings back many memories for me, too, of our home on the farm in Wiseton, Saskatchewan, and how warm and loving it was. When we girls would get off the bus and run into our farmhouse, we’d almost always be regaled by the aroma of fresh baking as Mom was such an awesome baker. Regardless of what had gone on at school that day, home was our safe haven. I always wondered what the significance was about the name of your business and I loved your explanation. You are an awesome writer!
Thank you so much, Elda! I love hearing those stories of your childhood home too! It’s incredible how those feelings stay with us forever, and lay the foundation for who we are 🙂 xo
Dear Julie,
No one was ever more one with their home than your Grandmother, Dorothy. Your home’s relevance to you is a thread shared in common with her.
She would be pleased and proud if she could know that you have also inherited her talents as an artist in fabric. Thank you for carrying these qualities on.