Moving into a new home can feel a little daunting. After months of filling in forms, waiting on surveys and chasing solicitors, you will likely land on moving in day with mixed emotions.
Excitement, relief, anxiety and sadness might all play a part in one sense or another, the latter especially if you are leaving a well-loved home for a new one. The reality of the matter is that it can take a while for a house to truly feel like a home. It takes time to get used to the new space and surroundings, to make it your own. This can leave you paradoxically feeling ‘homesick’ even while you’re at home.
If you’re in this situation do not worry – any negative feelings you have will fade over time and you will quickly rediscover your love for the house as well as the reasons you bought it in the first place. Additionally, there is plenty you can do to speed along the process of ‘feeling at home’. Let’s take a look at some of these below.
Complete One Room
To get your new home just how you want it, you’ll likely have a fair bit to do when you move in. So much so, that it can be difficult to know where to start. Most new homeowners opt to take a holistic approach to decorating their home, purchasing bits of furniture and other items for various rooms over time. If you want to have a space you can truly call your own as quickly as possible, we’d recommend putting all of your efforts into finishing one room. By focusing your attention on a single area of the house to begin with, you’ll have a homely area that you can retreat to when you need to relax. It stops the whole house from feeling like a ‘work-in-progress’ and gives you a space to fully enjoy, even if it’s only small for the time being.
Light Your Favourite Candle
Smell is just as important as sight when it comes to feeling at home in a new property. Just think about your favourite smells and what they mean to you – perhaps it’s the smell of a certain meal that your grandmother used to make that evokes fond memories of childhood, or maybe it’s the scent of your favourite candle that you always light in the evenings to get ready for bed. Whatever your favourite smells might be, try to incorporate them into your new home and it will begin feeling familiar far quicker than you ever thought possible.
Invite family and friends over
Building on the theme from our last point (incorporating the familiar into the unfamiliar), welcoming your nearest and dearest into your new home can be a great way of getting used to your new surroundings. Hosting guests is a fundamental part of being a homeowner, and the more you do it, the quicker your home will begin to feel like yours. Injecting fun and laughter into a new space is by far the best way to create new and lasting memories, which are a key aspect of making a house a home.
Breathe Life Into Your New Home
If your new home is waiting to be decorated, lacks furniture, or is missing that personal touch, it can feel fairly uninviting. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways we can quickly and easily brighten up the home without breaking the bank. Firstly, strategically placed lights and lamps can do wonders for the mood inside your home. Depending on your style, you may opt for standard floor lamps, hanging lights, or even unique battery powered lights. Just remember that white and yellow lights are ones you want to improve relaxation. Well placed mirrors can also do wonders for bringing light and life into your home. Placing a mirror adjacent to a window will cause the light to bounce off the mirror and into the room, immediately making things feel a lot brighter.
Have you also considered indoor plants? Natural greenery has been proven to improve mood and mental health, and it might just be what you need to give your new home its first lease of life. There are plenty of houseplants that are near impossible to kill, so don’t worry about having to water them too often. Then again, you might want to change things up regularly and buy fresh flowers each week or so to place in different spots around your home.
Try to mimic your old routine
Change is exciting, but it can also be difficult to adjust to. Although the physical space around you might have changed, it doesn’t mean your routine has to as well. Therefore, prioritise placing or purchasing things that help you to stick to your old routines, whether that be somewhere to hang your coat or put your keys, making a room in a drawer for all your dog walking gear or treats, or hammering in a hook to hang your coat. Most of us thrive when we have some sort of routine to stick to, so try and keep yours as best you can.
Jackson Grundy
Here at Jackson Grundy, we’re passionate about homes. We understand that they’re more than just a roof over your head, they are a part of us. With that in mind, we are committed to making the transaction of properties as seamless, stress-free and effortless as possible – it’s just one of the reasons why we are the leading estate agent in Northampton. Whether you’re buying, selling, or renting, get in touch with your local branch today to see how we can help you.
