If you’ve just moved into a new home, you know that there’s a bit of an adjustment period as you get used to your new home. Sure, eventually you’ll be so used to your new place that you can walk around it in the dark and find whatever you want. In the meantime, figuring out how to get comfortable in your new home can be easier said than done.
The first order of business when it comes to moving into your new home is to unpack. If you organize your belongings when you pack, unpacking becomes a relatively painless task since you don’t have to hunt through a ton of boxes to find things. Once you’ve unpacked the essentials, you can start making your home feel more personal to you by decorating it to suit your tastes. Whether you want to hang pictures, place figurines, or display a personal collection, decorating your home can be a great way to make it feel more like home. Bear in mind that since you’re renting a home, how you go about decorating may be limited by the terms of your lease. Make sure you clearly understand what you are and aren’t allowed to do before you get started so you can avoid accidentally violating the terms of your lease.
Decorating your home is great, but if you want to make your new home feel more like a home, you need to differentiate it from any other staged home. That means adding personal touches here and there. Find places for family photos or pictures with friends. If you have a hobby you’re passionate about, feature it somewhere in your living space. Having things you love and are familiar with surrounding you can be of great comfort and give the place a feeling of home.
Mental and emotional comfort isn’t the only thing you need to consider. You should also take your physical comfort into account. As you furnish your home, make sure that the furniture items you use are comfortable. Finding a quality sofa should be a priority, as should your dining room furniture. You’ll probably spend a lot of time in your living room and your dining room. If you want to be comfortable in them, make sure that you choose furniture that will be comfortable in the long run and last for years.
Once you’ve got your new home put together, give yourself a chance to socialize by throwing a housewarming party. Create a guest list of old friends, new neighbors, family, and anyone else you want to join. Choose the date and time you want to have your party, a theme (if you want to have one), and send out your invitations. Housewarming parties tend to be fairly casual events, so while you don’t want your place to be a total disaster, it doesn’t have to be perfectly pristine either. Take some time to plan out what sorts of refreshments you want to serve. Ice water and simple finger foods can be a good place to start. Once you’ve got your menu, figure out how you intend to serve what you’re offering. Toothpicks are a practical way to serve appetizers at a party. They make food easy to get to without grabbing more than you intend to.
Letting natural light into your home can help it feel warmer and more inviting. It has a positive effect on mood and can help you feel better. While you can’t go around adding windows to a home, you can probably change out the curtains if you want. Light, breezy curtains that are somewhat sheer can be a great way to frame your windows and allow light in. If you need to be able to block light out from time to time, take a page out of hotels’ books and layer them with some blackout curtains. You’ll have the best of both worlds.
Breathe some life into your new home by adding some plants and greenery. Houseplants can help boost your mood, reduce stress, and potentially make your home a healthier place to live. If you don’t have a green thumb, silk plants can be an option. They don’t offer all the benefits real plants can provide though, so instead opt for low-maintenance plants that are hard to kill. Succulents are often a good choice. For those with the proverbial green thumb, choose plants that will be well suited to the amount of sun, humidity, and temperature conditions in your home.
Before you moved into your new home, you probably had a daily routine that governed your activities. Maybe you had a weekly routine too, or even a monthly one. Just because you’re in a new place doesn’t mean you have to have a new routine unless you want one. There are sure to be at least some aspects of your routine that can carry over to your new space. If you had a daily exercise regimen, had your meals at certain times, or established a bedtime routine you did every night, try to keep as much of that as possible in your new home. Having the same routine can add some stability and a sense of normalcy as you adjust to a new home. Of course, given that you’re in a new space, the timing of your routine may change somewhat. The time you need to get to work, the grocery store, and where you recreate may have changed, so you’ll need to make adjustments accordingly.
Getting comfortable in your new home takes work, but once you’ve settled in it will all be worth it. Take the time to make your new home your own (within the limits set by your landlord, of course), making room for the old as well as the new. As you go throughout the process, you may find that the old saying of the more things change, the more they stay the same holds truer than you thought.
Are you looking for a new home? Check out all the rentals we have available!