There’s nothing quite like the feeling of your first day in a new home. The whole place is brimming with potential. You’re already allocating rooms in your head and you’re checking out the views from each window, wondering which would be best for the study and the bedroom and everything else you’re planning.
There’s just one problem: you don’t know where to start. How can you begin to make a new home feel like yours? Your old place was full of memories and emotions, but this one’s a blank slate. It’s waiting for you to put your unique stamp on it. Here are just some of the ways you can make a new home feel like it’s truly yours.
Furniture
If you want to create the right ambience, you need to start with the fundamentals. Furniture is important; you’re going to be looking at it every day and using it often. As such, you’ve got to make sure the furniture in your house complements the personalities and needs of those living in the house. There are two routes to take here: custom furniture or sourcing from different places. It’s not hard to find custom kitchens or bedrooms that are well-crafted and attractive. You could also check out charity shops, closing sales, and other great sources of cheap pre-made furniture. However you choose to furnish your house, make sure it’s working for you, because that’s the first step to feeling like you’re at home.
Decoration
Don’t just leave the walls and floors of your home as bare as the day you moved in. Decorating is important – not only does it make the place look more attractive, but if you’re working with family members it can help you all to bond as well. There’s a right and a wrong way to go about this, but it’s highly subjective. Essentially, you just need to make sure all of the rooms in your house connect with one another aesthetically and functionally. It’s no good leaving a room with gentle pastel shades and walking straight into a technicolour rave. On the flipside, you won’t feel good if your house is vibrant and visually distinctive but there’s one room that just doesn’t pop.
Artwork and photography
Nothing screams “this is my home” quite like your favourite artist’s work prominently displayed throughout the place. Whether you’re a fan of Cubist classics like Picasso or Braque or you’re into more modern fare a la Jackson Pollock, finding a style of art that works for your home is critical to breaking it in as a place of rest and relaxation. Similarly, if you want people to know this is your home, photography is a great way to do that. You could display custom photoshoots of you and your family, for example, or you could show off your own photography skills. However you decide to do it, make sure you’re not neglecting the importance and power of art.
Adornments and ornaments
You’ve probably collected an entire lifetime’s worth of priceless possessions and unforgettable memories in the form of objects from your travels. Why not find somewhere to proudly display them in your home? If they’re of personal significance to you, placing them somewhere prominent will give you a rush of pleasant memories and nostalgia every time you see them. If they’re just something you like – statuettes, say, or mini-sculptures – then you’re communicating your personality and giving guests a talking point. There’s really no downside to adding adornments and ornaments to your home, and it’ll help the place feel that much more homely.
Space
If you’re forever trying to organise a time and place for your family, you’ll know how frustrating it can be to corral everyone. Try to let it breathe a little more – personal space is imperative for a happy home life. Of course, spending time together is crucial, but you aren’t going to make your house feel more like home if you’re fostering resentment among the people who live in it. The best way to break a new home in is simply to treat it like a home, which means not behaving any differently to how you usually would. Let things happen organically, allow your family to do the things they’d always do day-to-day, and you’ll notice your feelings changing gradually.
Cooking
It might sound odd, but filling your home with the aroma of home cooking can really help to create a cosy, relaxed atmosphere. If you’re just going for takeaway every night, then your home will feel transient, like it’s just a location in which you eat. If you cook, though, you’re establishing this space as somewhere permanent, somewhere you’re not just staying but living. Inspiration doesn’t always come easily when you’re wondering what to cook, and you won’t always feel like it. Still, there’s always bound to be something you’ll like, and it’ll be infinitely more nutritious and delicious than simply opting for takeaway each time.
