Where the Heart Is by Katie McCrory

Blending original research with personal experience and practical actions, Where the Heart Is transforms the relationship we have with our home, to unlock happiness and harmony.

If home is where the heart is, why do we neglect our domestic lives?

Amid unattainable interiors trends and a growing housing crisis, it’s unsurprising that one in three people don’t feel at home where they live, and only 56% experience joy there. Worse still, our feelings about home have a significant bearing on how we feel about ourselves.

The good news? Nothing has to change in our homes for them to feel like a completely different place.

Since 2017, Katie McCrory has led the annual IKEA Life at Home Report, identifying eight universal emotional states that create the ‘feeling of home’. Blending personal experience with this global research, and through clear advice and simple strategies, whether we rent or own, live solo or are growing a family, we learn to cultivate-

comfort
control
security
accomplishment
belonging
nurture
enjoyment, and
aspiration

From reframing our expectations to creating domestic ‘zones’ that help us accomplish our goals, this clarifying and compassionate roadmap empowers us to rethink our relationship with home, in order to transform our life.

‘Will have you falling in love with your home all over again, without having to lift a paintbrush or a hammer’ Penny Wincer

‘I absolutely love this book. Understanding the emotional quotient of the places we live is everything to do with feeling at home’ Michelle Ogundehin

‘There is both solidarity and action to be gleaned and you will come away feeling both validated and motivated. Katherine Ormerod

About the Author: Katie McCrory is a researcher and storyteller. As the Life at Home Leader at the global headquarters for IKEA in southern Sweden, since 2017 she has led the largest and most distinctive piece of international research into home- the annual IKEA Life at Home Report.

She has written and spoken extensively about life at home, ranging from media articles to longform essays and keynote talks.

Katie has lived in the UK, US and Denmark, having moved home upward of 25 times. Today, she lives in Copenhagen with her husband, two young children and their enormous housecat.

19 Feb 2026
 

Where the Heart Is: Eight Ways to Transform Your Life at Home, No Matter Where You Live by Katie McCrory ISBN 9781911709831