Moving into a new place is all at once exciting and overwhelming. Once the final box has been moved in, it’s time to turn your attention to making your new place feel like yours while living in a sea of boxes. While we can’t help you unpack all those boxes, we can help you sort through what’s most important and will make you feel at home in no time.
5 Ways To Make Your New House Feel Like Home
1. Get Back Into Your Routine
The worst part about adjusting to life in a new place is not knowing where anything is, and the mountains of boxes throughout your space do not make it any easier. The first step to making your new house feel like home is unpacking the day-to-day items. Put away clothes in closets or dressers, set up your bathroom, put away dishes – anything that will help make your day to day routine easier to accomplish.
Simple things like creating a designated entryway will assist in making your daily life easier. Coming home and not having a designated place for your coat and keys is a surefire way to lose them in the chaos of boxes. Avoid this and set up an entryway in the first few days.
2. Focus On Your Bedroom(s)
The bedroom is where we begin and finish our days, so it’s important to make this room as calming and functional as quickly as you can. Assemble your bed or go out and buy one if you’re currently sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Set up your bedside tables and be sure to add your reading lamps, books, and alarm clock to them. You’ll feel right at home slipping into your familiar old bed at the end of a long day of unpacking.
Sleeping in a box fort isn’t as fun as your 5-year-old thinks it is. If you have kids, make sure their rooms are sorted within the first few days. While all their boxes do not need to be unpacked, having their bed set up will make bedtime a lot easier for the whole household.
3. Add Personal Touches
The best thing you can do to make a new space feel like yours is to personalize it. Once you have your everyday items out, focus on pulling out your favourite art pieces and items that make your space feel like home. You’ll be surprised how quickly small touches like this will make your space feel lived in and like it’s truly yours.
If you don’t want to commit to hanging art and putting nails through walls, consider leaning art pieces on the tops of dressers and side tables or even against the wall on the floor. This will give the illusion art is up but without the commitment of putting nails in the wall.
Familiar smells and sounds will make you feel at home almost instantly. Light some candles and put on your favourite album while unpacking the rest of those boxes.
4. Invite Friends & Family Over
Invite your friends and family over to see the new place, even if it’s not magazine worthy yet. Having them over while things are still in progress is a great way for them to offer help and see where you need it. Aunt Helen might have the perfect side table you’ve been searching for, so invite her over to see the place and see what you need.
Having people over for a housewarming party can feel like too much pressure if your home needs extensive work. Instead, invite friends and family over to help you with projects around the house. Take them up on their offers to help paint and unpack.
5. Home Cooked Meals
Ordering take-out can be fun for the first couple of nights, but after awhile it feels like you’re on the road or staying in a hotel. Once you’ve sorted through your day to day must haves and have your bedroom feeling like home, focus your time on unpacking the kitchen. Cooking a meal in your new kitchen will help make the space feel more like yours and nothing says “home” like a sink full of dirty dishes.
Remember that making a new house feel like home takes time, but you can help yourself feel more settled with these easy tips. Do you have any tips to share? Reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so the whole HomeStars community can hear them!
