Moving into a new house can be fun and exciting… it can also be kind of scary. It’s the unfamiliar that puts people on the edge. A lot of change happens in a very short period of time.
Can you do something to help make the transition into a new house easier? Is there a way to make it feel like home as quickly as possible?
Good news – the answer is yes. There are actually several things you can do to help quickly settle into your new place. Let’s discuss 8 ways you can make your new house feel like home sweet home.
Turning That House Into Home
Unpack
Of course, the first thing you’re going to do when you move into your new home is to unpack, but what we mean by this is completely unpack. Nothing feels as awkward and un-homey as living with a bunch of cardboard boxes stacked all over the place.
Take some time off work, or hit the unpacking hard on the weekends. Do whatever you can to unpack all of your things as quickly as possible. Get rid of all the boxes. Every last one of them.
Once your place no longer looks like a cardboard box hang out, and all of your familiar things have their own spot, then your new house can start feeling like home.
Stock Your Kitchen
Pizza deliveries and take-out can be a nightly ritual when you first move in. Everything is still in boxes and unorganized, so it’s just easier to bring dinner home and eat off the paper plates.
But once you’re unpacked, go to the grocery store and stock your pantry with all your favorite foods. Cook your favorite meals. Eat off your regular plates. Get familiar with where the silverware drawer is. Raid the refrigerator for a midnight snack.
It seems simple, but the kitchen is truly the heart of the house. Once that room feels like home, everything else will fall into place.
Display Photos and Artwork
Nothing says home like having the faces of your loved ones displayed all around. Pictures of family vacations. Memories of nights out with friends. Your kid’s first day of school picture. Having those sentimental moments on display will instantly make your house feel like home.
Empty walls can also make your home fill empty and unfamiliar. Warm it up by hanging your favorite art pieces on the walls. Hang a picture gallery of framed photos.
Having these favorite faces and art pieces on display will make your new house will comfortable and inviting.
Make It Smell like Home
Not only does your new home need to look and feel like you, it needs to smell like home as well.
After you get all the moving supplies out of the house and have everything arranged the way you like – clean. The smell of familiar cleaning supplies will make it start smelling like your place.
If you bake, bake some cookies! Everyone loves the smell of fresh baked cookies in the air.
Light your favorite candles or use plug-in room fresheners in your favorite scent.
The sense of smell is powerful, and having familiar scents in the house will make it feel like home without you even realizing it.
Decorate
Part of the fun of moving into a new home is decorating it however you like. Placing your decorative stamp on it will turn it from “new” to “you”.
Paint walls. Hang your curtains. Arrange your furniture. Make up your bed. Switch out any unwanted light fixtures. Fill the empty bookcases with all of your books and accent pieces. Bring fresh flowers into the house. Change out the flooring or put down your favorite rugs.
Making your new place feel like a space you want to spend time in and reflects your personality will make it all that much more inviting.
Recreate Familiar Sights and Sounds
New houses can sound different. There are different outside noises. Unfamiliar floor creaks. Pipes that make new hissing noises.
So fill your home with your favorite music. Or display that clock that has the ticking and chimes you’ve been accustomed to. Turn on the floor fan that has the soothing hum you love so much. Anything you can do to make your new house sound like home.
Then to make it look more like home, recreate the dining room table display that you had in your old house. Or arrange the sofa pillows the way you’ve always done. Put your kid’s drawings up on the new fridge.
Bringing in familiar sights and sounds will make your house cozy and relaxing… more like home.
Throw a Party!
Now that everything in your new home is in place, it’s time to start making some memories in it!
Invite all your family and friends over to celebrate your new move. Have a backyard party. Or put on a fun game night. Pop a bunch of popcorn and have a movie marathon. It truly doesn’t matter what you do just as long as your home is filled with the people you love.
And be sure to take lots of pictures of it all, then display those in the new house. It will bring it all full circle.
Spend Some Quality Time in Your New House
Now, all that’s left is you and your new home. It’s time for you guys to get to know each other a little better.
Even though all of your unpacking and decorating, it’s still going to take some time to get used to your new place. So enjoy that time. Spend several cozy nights in. Light a fire in the fireplace and pop in a movie. Plant some new flowers out front. Sit out on the back porch and enjoy the evening breeze.
After a while, you’ll forget what your old home felt like because… surprise… this place now feels like home.
There’s No Place Like Home
Now you see that transitioning into your new home isn’t near as scary as you thought it was going to be. In fact, it was a whole lot of fun.
Need help moving into your new home? Contact us to set up your free quote!