When you’re looking for a new home, it’s easy to be dazzled by spacious-looking, empty rooms and the thrill of a blank slate. After the effort of moving in, however, you may be left at a bit of a loss, unable to bond with the new place and to really feel at home there. Sometimes people live for years like this, simply unable to form that connection that makes a house or apartment feel emotionally as well as physically comfortable. What can you do to change it? How can you go about creating a place where you really want to be over the long term?
Get it in shape
If you envisage yourself living in the same place for many years, you’re going to need to make sure it will stay in good condition throughout. It’s much easier to make major repairs and alterations before you decorate. Explore your home in depth and deal with problems where you find them. Fixing a loose floorboard that’s just a slight annoyance now could prevent it from getting a lot worse and save you from having to take up the carpet when it does. Pulling out kitchen units and dealing with any damp that has built up behind them is much simpler before your cabinets are full of tableware and food.
Make it appeal to your senses
When people think about making their homes just the way they want, they tend to focus on visual appearance. We’re primarily visual creatures and this is important, however, thinking about other senses makes it possible to create an environment that feels much more complete and endearing. The drapes and insulation we choose and the fans we fit, as much as obvious items like wind chimes and softly rustling mobiles, all affect the interior soundscape. The textures of carpets, soft furnishings and bed covers establish mood. The way cooking smells travel around the house from the kitchen, the choice of plants and the use of scented oils all have a subtle effect on the emotions.
Make it personal
The most important component in the ideal home is its occupant. To really work for you, your home has to reflect who you are, so don’t be shy about that and don’t try to put style or fashion first. Ultimately, how you feel in this space is a lot more important than what other people think of it. Make room for your personal photographs and your favorite pieces of art. Include those odd little ornaments and mementos that are meaningless to other people and remind yourself of the stories that go with them. Create a family noticeboard where everybody in your home can pin things that are important to them or that they find amusing.
Give it history
There’s a reason why it’s easier to feel at home in an old house, even if it’s not your preferred form of accommodation. That is because it has had time to develop all the small, harmless imperfections that give a place character and to pick up the history that stems from having many different occupants, often reflected in eclectic style choices. Although you can’t immediately create this atmosphere in a new house, you can go some way towards it by incorporating items that have been passed down through your family or items that reflect your own history – other places you’ve lived and places you’ve visited.
Home warranties
When you’ve made all the effort to create a place that’s perfect for you, you need to protect it. That will mean checking out the home warranty companies. Read this to get the full perspective of a home warranty assessment and what it could mean for you. If your home is broken into or damaged by fire, flood or another kind of disaster, being insured could help you to restore it more quickly and save more of the features that matter to you. It could also mean that you can get repairs professionally done instead of having to manage by yourself, and it could pay for you to stay somewhere else in the meantime.
Maintain your home
Even with a warranty in place, you won’t want anything to happen that could spoil your beautiful home, so it’s important to stay on top of maintenance on an ongoing basis. This includes cleaning, which helps to prevent damage like damp and infestation. Take pride in your home and deal with problems as soon as you identify them. Fuss over it and give it the attention it needs to keep looking and feeling wonderful for many years to come.
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
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