Paper short abstract:

The changed physical environment of living changed the way of life of those who moved from the countryside to the city. They were forced to change their notion of home, and I was curious what kind of change was this and how is it represented nowadays, almost 40 years after they moved to the city.

Paper long abstract:

Socialist blocks of flats in Romania were built in 1960-1989 specifically for those who moved from the countryside to the city because of the industrial growth. Newcomers brought their furniture, objects, and in addition their customs, habits, beliefs and tried to domesticate the new areas. They changed not only the way of spending their work and spare time, but their household objects too. The differences between the rural house and the new flat were significant: tight spaces in the new flat, unified rooms and kitchens, low-grade materials. On the other hand, they had the advantage of the bathroom and the central heating. Ideal desires of living - formed and determined by the traditional community - and the circumstances did not match. They tried to shape the environment, and the structure shaped them in return.

The case study investigated how people from a block of flat built their homes: what remained from the traditional way of life and got new meaning, and how many and what kind of new elements came into the everyday life. Teachers, engineers, factory and office workers with rural origins and their homes were investigated.