Making Your New House’s Interior Feel Like Home

It can be a process feeling at home in a new house when you’ve just moved. First, you have to unpack all the boxes, arrange the bedroom, and try out the new kitchen. For a while, you may find yourself comparing your new house to your old home where so many memories were held. It’s an emotional process as well as a physical process.

But one thing that can help is to decorate your house’s interior. After all, this is where you want to be most comfortable. If you start to make your house yours before you even move in, half of the adjustment process will already be finished and with each box unpacked, your house will start to feel more like home.

Do the Big Projects Before You Move In

You don’t have to tackle every project before you move in, but you should at least make sure the big ones are done. If you want to install hardwood floors, for instance, this is a project that could be very disruptive to live through. Taking down walls or adding new walls should be done before you move in. Some homeowners prefer to paint the walls before they move in, as well, so the paint smell has left by the time they move in. As far as furniture, wall hangings, and even progressive projects like window replacements, it can wait until after you’ve moved in.

Don’t Rush to Unpack, But Don’t Take Too Long, Either

When you first move in, you may not feel like doing much other than taking a nap. It’s not urgent that you unpack right away. Give yourself a little time. Walk around the neighborhood and meet the neighbors. But don’t let the boxes sit in the corner collecting dust for months, either. Start unpacking as soon as you can. Maybe you can do it in phases or listen to music while you unpack to make it easier. The more you unpack, the more your house will start to look like home.

Bring Artwork from The Old House

If you had artwork on the walls of your old home, you should bring as much of it as possible in the old house. You may even want to install them in the same place. The paintings that went over the living room can go over your new living room. The map that hung across from your bed can do the same in the new house. While you don’t want to replicate the design of your old house, it can help you adjust if you have some familiar sights to look at.

Try Something New

While you should hold onto a few familiar touchstones, the rest of the house should look all new. It’s a good idea to give your new home a different look altogether than your old house, as well as a different look than the current home had before you moved in. If you replicate the design of your old house, it may start to feel boring and stale. If you keep the interior of the new house too close to the original design, it may feel too much like someone else’s house. Paint the walls a fresh new color. Experiment with furniture arrangement or even buy new furniture. Redecorate the bathroom. Both you and your new home are on a new adventure with each other, and the interior should reflect that.

Add a Few Potted Plants

The addition of plants in the window sill or on their own shelf near a window can help breathe life into a new home’s interior design. It keeps the home from feeling stale and dull. This can be a great addition if you have cats (provided you buy pet-friendly plants like spider plants or petunias) to help them feel at home as well. You can also plant herbs and use fresh cuttings in your own cooking.

You may not immediately feel at home in your new house, but the more you fill it with the things you love and your personal design preferences, the more comfortable you’ll start to feel. After the first year, you may even be able to look back on new special memories that you enjoyed there, and you’ll wonder how it could ever have not been your home.