Hello there! You’re moved in, you’ve unpacked and now you are ready to make your new place feel like home! Here are five tips for speeding up the process!
#1. Create realistic expectations for timeline
You’ve moved in, the boxes are gone and now you are settling into your new space. Before you dive in, there are a few things to consider. The process of getting settled in can feel overwhelming, especially if you are the type of person who likes to have everything in it’s place. Take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to ease into it. A good strategy is to tackle one to two rooms a week. This should have you settled in within a month or two.
#2. Keep only what you love and will use
I mentioned this in a previous post, but you really don’t want to bring anything into your new home that you don’t absolutely love and that you know you won’t use. If you missed this step, now’s the time to take a critical look at all of your furniture and accessories and decide what stays and what goes! A few suggestions: if a piece of furniture is well made and has great lines but may not be the color your want or may need a little TLC, consider repurposing it with a fresh coat of paint or reupholstering it to give it new life! Another tip is to consider using items in unexpected ways or in a different room than your previous home.
#3. Observe how you REALLY use the rooms before buying new furniture or decorating
You probably have an idea of how you’ll use the space in your new rental home, but those ideas may change after you’ve actually lived in the space. For example, you may think you’ll need both guest bedrooms, but after shuffling your laptop computer and work files around the house and spreading them all over the kitchen table, you realize that converting one of those bedrooms into a home office is a better use of space.
#4. Create your decorating and furniture layout plans around how you function in the space
As tempting as it can be to design a furniture layout based on your favorite Pinterest pins, it will make more sense for you to build your layout around the primary function of your space. How do you live in the space? What are the activities most likely to happen in that space? What are the traffic patterns? All of these things need to be considered before you determine how and where you will place your furniture.
#5. Add personality to your new home by adding color, texture and personal affects
Color is always the most effective way to infuse a space with your personality. Don’t know where to start? Take a look at your closet. What colors do you love to wear? This is a good indicator of what your color preferences are, and you can take clues from this to create a color palette that reflects your personal style!
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