Making it Yours: Turning a New House into a Home

Leaving a home of many years and settling into a new one is a disorienting and emotional experience for the entire family. It’s not realistic to expect that everyone will make an easy transition, forgetting the friends, memories and familiar surroundings of many years and shifting to a new house, neighborhood and community. It can be especially rough on kids – your old house may be the only home they’ve ever known. The passage of time and settling into routines will eventually help make everyone feel at home, but it can take a while for everyone to get there. Consider a few tips to jumpstart the process and transform a new house into a home.

Start with the bedrooms

Everyone needs a space that’s uniquely theirs, a haven for resting, contemplation and time alone. Start your new-home transition by getting everyone set up and comfortable in their own bedrooms. There’s no substitute for having your belongings together in one area, organized and within easy reach, so make it a top priority. Once everyone’s settled into their own inner sanctums, the rest of the house will start to feel more like home and the task of unpacking and setting up house will seem a lot easier.  

Make it secure

Learn the layout

Think back to how well you knew your old house and how important it was to your sense of well-being. Take the time to do the same in your new home. Look into every crack and crevice and learn where the vital controls may be found. Find the circuit breaker, know where the water shut-off valve is in case of an emergency, and look into the attic or crawl space so you know how much storage space you have. Knowing where everything is will give you a sense of control over your new property, so do some exploring as soon as you’re moved in.

Repaint

It’s depressing to move into a house with walls painted in an uninviting and bleak color scheme. Repainting in colors that add warmth and character is an important part of making the space your own. Walk through each room and think back to your original impressions when you first viewed the house. If a sensuous red or cool shade of blue or green will make you feel better about your new home, go ahead and make the change. It’s an inexpensive yet distinctive way to decorate. 

Decor

It may be tempting, but there’s no need to give your new home the same decor as your previous house. How you decorate should be determined by the layout and dimensions of each room, as well as your personal aesthetic preferences. A room that doesn’t get much natural light should probably get a light shade of paint and include decorative and plentiful lighting. 

Window treatments

Are you looking for an eye-catching way to highlight your home decor? Go ahead and hang those drapes or blinds and add your personal flourishes to give it some personality. Curtains can make a room look bigger, give it personality, conceal storage space or set off special areas. Window treatments also can enhance the color schemes in your rooms.