Moving to a new home or apartment can be a tad intimidating. Making your old pieces fit just right in the new home doesn’t always work and coming home at the end of the day to a palace that just doesn’t yet feel like home isn’t fun.
We’re here to give you a few tried and true tips and tricks to getting the new place settled quickly.
1. Clean Sweep the Place
Before moving in, get that deep-clean over with and clean your heart out. The place will never be as clean as you make it this time once all your big furniture pieces are in, and it's hard to feel at home in a space that feels dirty.
2. Make it Unique
While it’s still empty, it is the time to get creative. Go and paint that accent wall green as you’ve always dreamed. Put up those lighting fixtures you love. This is the time to play around with your empty canvas of a home.
3. Focus on Light
A well-lit home will always feel better. Focus on having the right color of light bulbs and fixtures you love. A warm yellow light makes a living room feel cozy, while a white bright light might be right for your bathrooms and garage.
4. Unpack The Kids Rooms
Prioritize this to make them first and foremost feel at home. Even if the couch is out of place and the kitchen is still in boxes, having your kids' rooms unpacked and beds made will make the place already feel more homey.
Pro-tip: When packing up your old place, ensure to keep enough bedding sets aside that can be easily found for your first night in the new place.
5. Play Around With the Space
Just because you start with the sofa on the left, doesn't mean that it can't end up on the right. Play around with different layouts before unpacking the smaller items to see which feng shui gives you the homiest vibes. You will be surprised with the interesting layouts you will come up with. I am a strong believer in physically moving your items and seeing how you feel the next day.
6. Unpack- ASAP
This is key from going from living in a new house to feeling at home. The faster you get those boxes out of every corner, you will feel more and more relieved. Once you’ve gotten the boxes out of the way I recommend doing another clean sweep at least of the floors as cardboard boxes tend to track in dirt and unwanted particles.
7. Tackle the Closet Unpacking
This task can feel daunting but we promise, the sooner you finish, the better it will be. Hopefully when packing up you were able to purge the unneeded items, but unpacking gives you a second chance to see what pieces don’t serve you any longer and give them a new home. I recommend getting matching hangers and color coding the closet by season to really make the place look great.
8. Don’t Forget to Make This Fun
Break out the JBL speakers and put on your favorite tunes while unpacking. You can even swap genres per room. Unpacking in your new home should feel like fun and not like a chore. Light some candles, put on your favorite show in the background, do whatever makes you feel great.
9. Get Comfy
Break out that ridiculous sweater and those booty shorts. It doesn’t matter what you look like, but rather how you feel. The sooner you feel great with yourself in your new place, it will naturally feel more like home.
10. Ensure to Unpack the Items You Love
It can be the stupid rubber duck your kid loves in the bathtub or the ugly clock your husband just won’t agree to part ways with. No matter what those items are for you, incorporate them into your your new home.
11. Get the Coffee Maker Brewing
The sooner you are able to have a nice home brewed coffee, the more sane you will feel. We all need a cup of joe to get us going through the day. Even more so do we need good coffee when undergoing the changes of a move.
12. Prioritize the Kitchen Unpack
Instead of ordering in another pizza, the moment you have the main boxes in your kitchen out, you’ll be able to make a proper dinner or have a slow brekky in your new home. Nothing makes a place feel more like home than cooking up some goodness.
13. Hang Your Creative Pieces
Whether it's a Van Gough, or just your attempt at conceptual artwork, whatever piece it is that makes you feel great, hang it on the wall. It doesn’t have to stay forever, but starting somewhere with some artwork on the wall is a sure fire way to feel great.
14. Get Your Pet’s Home Area Settled
Your pet will undergo stress from any drastic changes such as a change of location. Start off by taking them on long walks in your new area and ensuring their home corner of food and water feel comfy. Keep their old bed and don’t make any other new changes if possible.
15. Try Out Your Green Thumb
Hit up the best local plant place and get your place looking green and cheerful. Plants not only bring oxygen into our home, but purify our air, reduce stress levels, improve productivity and filter out contaminants. If all that didn’t convince you, they are also a great space filler and make any home feel like it's a jungle!
16. Get To Know Your New Hood
Try and meet the neighbors as early on as possible. If you really want to get some brownie points, make brownies and send your kids to knock on their doors with the treats. We promise the whole neighborhood will love you.
