How to Name Your House
Pay the ultimate compliment to your home and give it a name that suits it down to the ground
I grew up in ‘Kiaora’. It had a brass plaque on the front door and I thought the name referred to a gooey ice-cream topping popular at the time – I later discovered it was a Maori greeting, common in New Zealand: ‘be well, be healthy’. My grandparents lived in ‘Alderside’ and since then, home has been ‘Rosewood’, ‘Solitaire’, ‘Sailsbury’ and ‘Amberlane’. My husband has precious memories of childhood holidays in ‘Bold Venture’ and ‘Rio Vista’.
Why do we name houses, which are, after all, just inanimate objects? Or are they? I believe houses absorb the lives of their occupants and, over time, acquire a soul. You don’t have to live in a stately manor – the character of the most modest cabin can be captured in an evocative, comical or affectionate name. Delve into the wonderful world of house names and see ideas to give your home a unique identity.
Why do we name houses, which are, after all, just inanimate objects? Or are they? I believe houses absorb the lives of their occupants and, over time, acquire a soul. You don’t have to live in a stately manor – the character of the most modest cabin can be captured in an evocative, comical or affectionate name. Delve into the wonderful world of house names and see ideas to give your home a unique identity.
Make it personal
Whatever your taste and however palatial or otherwise your castle is, name it with love and optimism. Blogger Amanda O’Sullivan and her family’s country home is named to remind them to appreciate what they have: “Our property is called ‘Melancholy Hill’, which often baffles our visitors,” she says. “My family and I came to the house during a very sad time of our lives, so we wanted a name that reminds us not to take each other for granted and to appreciate our stunning surrounds.”
Whatever your taste and however palatial or otherwise your castle is, name it with love and optimism. Blogger Amanda O’Sullivan and her family’s country home is named to remind them to appreciate what they have: “Our property is called ‘Melancholy Hill’, which often baffles our visitors,” she says. “My family and I came to the house during a very sad time of our lives, so we wanted a name that reminds us not to take each other for granted and to appreciate our stunning surrounds.”
Explore your home’s past
The serene beauty of ‘Summerlees’ has graced the NSW Southern Highlands since 1875. Built by R. P. Richardson, a founding member of Richardson & Wrench, one of Australia’s first real estate agencies, it has welcomed notable families and guests, including the David Jones family, founder of Australia’s oldest department store. Local historians recall the Jones’ arrival every summer by train from Sydney in their private carriage with a staff of 30.
Current owner, Patty Mouhtouris, considers her family as “caretakers of ‘Summerlees’ for the time we are here”. So I guess the original name on the gate will be there for some time yet.
The serene beauty of ‘Summerlees’ has graced the NSW Southern Highlands since 1875. Built by R. P. Richardson, a founding member of Richardson & Wrench, one of Australia’s first real estate agencies, it has welcomed notable families and guests, including the David Jones family, founder of Australia’s oldest department store. Local historians recall the Jones’ arrival every summer by train from Sydney in their private carriage with a staff of 30.
Current owner, Patty Mouhtouris, considers her family as “caretakers of ‘Summerlees’ for the time we are here”. So I guess the original name on the gate will be there for some time yet.
‘Salsa House’ was built in the 1920s and named for the sauce made there from produce grown on the farm. The new occupants have taken the lively, jazzy vibe of both the spicy sauce and the spirited Cuban dance and given ‘Salsa’ a kaleidoscope of colours to match.
You can find out more about your home’s history in title deeds held in State or Territory Land Titles Offices across Australia. Some offices allow you to search online, while others require you to visit their archives. You could also try your local library and historical society for more information. Failing that, ask your neighbours!
You can find out more about your home’s history in title deeds held in State or Territory Land Titles Offices across Australia. Some offices allow you to search online, while others require you to visit their archives. You could also try your local library and historical society for more information. Failing that, ask your neighbours!
Borrow from literature
This graceful entrance belongs to ‘Pemberley’ in the Southern Highlands in NSW. Current owners, Rob and Beth McDonald, inherited the name and readers of Jane Austen will know it as the brooding Mr Darcy’s estate in Pride and Prejudice.
This graceful entrance belongs to ‘Pemberley’ in the Southern Highlands in NSW. Current owners, Rob and Beth McDonald, inherited the name and readers of Jane Austen will know it as the brooding Mr Darcy’s estate in Pride and Prejudice.
‘Shy Rabbit Farm’ – now there’s a name. The American house in New Hampshire is an unassuming dwelling with whitewashed walls, vintage furniture, rocking chairs and bunches of dried home-grown herbs. So where are the shy rabbits?
Meet Sandy Gorman, owner of ‘Shy Rabbit Farm’. She and husband Jim took the name from lines in William Butler Yeats’ To an Isle in the Water:
And shy as a rabbit,
Helpful and shy.
To an isle in the water,
With her would I fly.
How simply lovely.
And shy as a rabbit,
Helpful and shy.
To an isle in the water,
With her would I fly.
How simply lovely.
Let the design decide
Often people name their homes after outstanding architectural features. Dave and Dorris Penner, owners of this slate-grey shingle, stone and timber house crouching deep in a forest, named theirs ‘Stealth’. They liken it to an animal lying on its belly against the rock. “From outside, the black house hides itself instead of sticking out,” says Dorris.
Often people name their homes after outstanding architectural features. Dave and Dorris Penner, owners of this slate-grey shingle, stone and timber house crouching deep in a forest, named theirs ‘Stealth’. They liken it to an animal lying on its belly against the rock. “From outside, the black house hides itself instead of sticking out,” says Dorris.
This home, owned by a steel manufacturing company executive and featuring steel on the outside and the interior, is called ‘Heavy Metal’.
Anne of Green Gables lived in a house with… green gables. Twenty-seven Riverside Drive, in a tiny NSW coastal village, is known as ‘Blue Poles’.
What else could you call this dramatic architectural statement but ‘Out There’?
Look around you
What you see from your house can suggest a name. ‘The Wave House’ overlooks a stunning coastline and its name is stamped on the welcome mat. The interior has undulating wall features and curvaceous furniture that reflect the waves and movement of the ocean view. The owners have even named each of the four levels ‘Sand’, ‘Surf’, ‘Sea’ and ‘Sky’.
What you see from your house can suggest a name. ‘The Wave House’ overlooks a stunning coastline and its name is stamped on the welcome mat. The interior has undulating wall features and curvaceous furniture that reflect the waves and movement of the ocean view. The owners have even named each of the four levels ‘Sand’, ‘Surf’, ‘Sea’ and ‘Sky’.
Go to the garden for ideas. The imposing mulberry tree in the garden of ‘Mulberry House’ has prompted the owners to mirror rich berry purple and fresh leafy green in the bedroom that looks out on the tree.
Keep it all in the family
Say ‘honey I’m home’ with a sign announcing who lives within. This is especially meaningful if a house becomes home to following generations of your family.
Say ‘honey I’m home’ with a sign announcing who lives within. This is especially meaningful if a house becomes home to following generations of your family.
The spirit of a long-gone cat lives on in a house called ‘Fred’. “Nothing evokes a good feeling quite like a cat,” says owner Kevin. His wife Laura says that faithful Fred “was the one guy who always stuck around”.
What Homeowners With Cats Need to Accept
What Homeowners With Cats Need to Accept
Evoke romance, travel and holiday memories
A mas is a traditional French farmhouse, usually made of stone and wood, typical in Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. Farm animals wintered in the ground floor. I’m sure there are no goats and chickens in this Mediterranean-style home with its lovely stonework and clay tiles, but the name calls to mind the sunshine of Provence, far from France in California.
A mas is a traditional French farmhouse, usually made of stone and wood, typical in Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. Farm animals wintered in the ground floor. I’m sure there are no goats and chickens in this Mediterranean-style home with its lovely stonework and clay tiles, but the name calls to mind the sunshine of Provence, far from France in California.
Name your home to remind you of the family holidays spent at the beach.
Have fun with it
‘Saligia’, the name of this Perth, WA home, has a melodious ring to it – but this house name has more to it than meets the eye. The word is an acronym of the Latin for the Seven Deadly Sins: superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (excess), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (anger) and acedia (sloth).
‘Saligia’, the name of this Perth, WA home, has a melodious ring to it – but this house name has more to it than meets the eye. The word is an acronym of the Latin for the Seven Deadly Sins: superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (excess), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (anger) and acedia (sloth).
This 1922 heritage-listed Perth house is called ‘Kulahea’ and is the only remaining residence designed by George Temple-Poole, a British architect who designed Western Australian houses between 1885 and 1930. That all sounds very dignified, until you learn the name (which is its original one) is a word play on ‘cooler here’, describing its location close to Cottesloe Beach. A little colonial humour.
So You Live in a… Federation House
So You Live in a… Federation House
Make it legal
You can call your home any name you want, but if you want to register it as its official address, contact your local council and postal service. They will ascertain if the name is already taken in the area or if there are restrictions on removing an existing name. They’ll even disallow rude names! You’ll still require a street or road number attached to your address, though.
You can call your home any name you want, but if you want to register it as its official address, contact your local council and postal service. They will ascertain if the name is already taken in the area or if there are restrictions on removing an existing name. They’ll even disallow rude names! You’ll still require a street or road number attached to your address, though.
Change the name
Unlike vessels, houses can survive a name change, though superstitious folk may disagree. Owners often take names with them when they sell, so feel free to attach another. If you inherit a name that makes you cringe (would you live in ‘Didjabringthebeeralong’?), remove it with no misgivings or you’ll hate it every time you come home.
Tip: If you believe changing a name attracts bad luck, legend has it that this can be prevented if you stand at the front door and turn around three times in an anti-clockwise direction.
Your turn
What’s your house called? Share your names and stories in the Comments below, like this article and join the conversation.
More
How to Love Your Home Just the Way It Is
Unlike vessels, houses can survive a name change, though superstitious folk may disagree. Owners often take names with them when they sell, so feel free to attach another. If you inherit a name that makes you cringe (would you live in ‘Didjabringthebeeralong’?), remove it with no misgivings or you’ll hate it every time you come home.
Tip: If you believe changing a name attracts bad luck, legend has it that this can be prevented if you stand at the front door and turn around three times in an anti-clockwise direction.
Your turn
What’s your house called? Share your names and stories in the Comments below, like this article and join the conversation.
More
How to Love Your Home Just the Way It Is
From Frank Lloyd Wright’s legendary ‘Fallingwater’ to ‘Brideshead’ (revisited) and wind-torn ‘Wuthering Heights’, some house names, with a word or two, summon visions of the people and events that shaped them. Ian Fleming returned every year to his Jamaican soul-space, ‘Goldeneye’, to pen another James Bond in between cocktails with his neighbour Noel Coward. Maybe it’s time to start your own story with a great house name?
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