Intro
Ah…. There’s nothing like home sweet home, but how can you make a new house feel like home? Let’s see...You arrive to your new home, you say goodbye to the professional movers, and you show your kids which rooms are theirs. Nope. It still feels like an unfamiliar house with a bunch of unpacked boxes, empty cupboards and an echo when you talk out loud. Even your morning routine doesn’t feel the same because you’re having to run around finding your toddler’s favorite sippy cup, your teenager’s bus pass and which box you packed your making-it-work Monday pants. Turning your new house into a home takes intentional effort and time to make new memories. Yet there are small things you can do in the meantime to make your new house cozier, comfier and homier. Read on for tips on how to make a house a home in the first few weeks after your move.
Open the Windows
Usually, when you step into a house that’s been empty for a while, you are met with stale, stuffy air. So fling open those windows and let the fresh air in! It’s time to bring in the new and chase out the old! Another great way to freshen up your home is to sage the home. Some believe sage clears negative energy and restless spirits from your home. If you’re thinking that’s a little hocus pocus, consider incense, scented candles or an essential oil diffuser to reinvigorate your home with your favorite scent.
Unpack Your Favorites First
The best way to unpack is to start with your favorite things. When you first move in, you usually don’t have the luxury to take an entire week off from work to unpack. As a result, you’re left with a house full of unpacked boxes that just sit there, unmoving, reminding you everyday that you’re still in limbo. Why not make your house a bit homier by unpacking the things that you love first. Decorate your new home with your favorite throw pillows and that vibrant woven rug you got on your trip to Peru. While you’re at it, dig out a couple of decorative tchotchkes such as the heirloom rug from your grandmother’s house or that gorgeous vase you bought in Italy. Make sure that you have your favorite coffee mug available and your book collection out on display so you can curl up on the sofa for a good read on the weekend before you tackle more unpacking.
Clean Your Bedding
Ever been on a long trip and when you arrive back home, you realize the thing you missed most about being away was sleeping in your own bed? One of the first things you should do when you arrive to your new house is to put fresh, clean linens on your bed, fluff out that billowy comforter and plump up your favorite pillow. Now you can lie back and dream about all the things to look forward to in your new home and in your new life.
Take Your Time Hanging Art
You may feel the impulse to decorate after unpacking and start filling up your blank walls immediately in order to make your house look less empty. Consider taking the time to get to know the flow of your house before you start decorating as if the world will end tomorrow. This way, you can make better decisions about where all of your photos and art will look best. Decorating should be a fun process where you get to relive precious memories through photos (like that time you took the kids to Disneyland) and momentos (when you went to France and bought that cute miniature painting of the Eiffel Tower).
While you may get the urge to rush out to Target and clean out their home section, it’s best to resist buying a bunch of new decorations at first. Impulse buys won’t make your house feel like home, but rather more like a crammed souvenir shop. Instead, start by putting up a few photos here and there and take your time with the rest.
Put Up the Fridge Magnets
Ah the fridge: a multi-purpose appliance that keeps your food from spoiling while simultaneously acting as a giant display of your past, present and future. The fridge is where you put photos of cherished memories, affirmation magnets that will help get you through your day and upcoming wedding and baby shower invites. The refrigerator is an easy spot to get stuff up that will make your home start to feel more familiar.
Cook one of your Favorite Recipes
Remember the days when you would come home to the aroma of your mom or dad’s roasted chicken? The smell would put you immediately at ease after a long, hard day of being a human. When you move, you sometimes forget how comforting a home cooked meal can be. Enough with the take-out already! Fill up your home with the familiar smells of your favorite recipe. Whether that’s a stew or banana bread, a stir fry or a pot roast, break in your kitchen and let the comforting aromas float through your home.
Host a Housewarming Gathering
There’s something ceremonious about a house-warming party that makes the transition from house to home feel more official. Invite a few people over to help bring the friendly energy up. Remember to host your party in a way that makes you feel comfortable. If you’re an introvert, don’t invite 40 people over. Start with a small number, serve easy-to-make home-cooked meal, turn up the positive music and let the good vibes roll!
Conclusion
Moving out of your old house can be overwhelming and tiresome. All you want to do is snap your fingers so you can get settled in a new house instead of having to endure the labor of unpacking. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way, but you can alleviate stress by doing little things to make your new house feel more like a home. When you’re ready to book your move, give Moving Forward San Francisco Movers a call for a FREE quote!
- You have arrived to your new home, you have said goodbye to the professional movers, and you’ve shown your kids which rooms are theirs. But things still feel pretty unfamiliar.
- Turning your new house into a home takes intentional effort and time to make new memories.
- But there are some small things you can do to encourage those home vibes and start feeling comfortable in your new place.
- Out with the old air (and in with the new!)
- Cleansing the air with Sage is also a great way to start fresh.
- Your favorite throw pillow/blanket
- The heirloom rug from your grandmother’s house
- The vase you bought in Italy.
- Your book collection
- Whatever makes you happy and and has you light up inside when you look at it, bring those at first.
- Take the time to clean your linens and bedding and make your bed cozy. There’s really nothing like it.
- Be careful not to buy a bunch of decorations and hang everything immediately. Impulse buys won’t make your house feel like home.
- For the stuff you brought along from the old house: You could hang everything immediately, but taking the time to know the flow of your house and where art should go is a fun process, you get to relive those moments you had when you initially bought it
- Put a few family photos or photos of friends up, but other than that, take your time.
- The fridge is the homey-est of places. That’s where you put your wedding invites and vacation magnets and postcards from your traveling aunt. It shows the process and motion of your life. Get that thing decorated and you will feel more at home.
- Fill up your home with the familiar scent of your favorite recipe. Whether that’s a stew or banana bread, a stir fry or a pot roast, break in your kitchen and enjoy as the smells float through your home.
- Invite a few people over to help bring the friendly energy up. Remember to host this in a way that makes you feel comfortable. Don’t invite 40 people if you’re introverts. If 8 people is your cap, start there, serve food that makes you feel like home, turn on familiar, positive music.
Ah…. There’s nothing like home sweet home, but how can you make a new house feel like home? Let’s see...You arrive to your new home, you say goodbye to the professional movers, and you show your kids which rooms are theirs. Nope. It still feels like an unfamiliar house with a bunch of unpacked boxes, empty cupboards and an echo when you talk out loud. Even your morning routine doesn’t feel the same because you’re having to run around finding your toddler’s favorite sippy cup, your teenager’s bus pass and which box you packed your making-it-work Monday pants. Turning your new house into a home takes intentional effort and time to make new memories. Yet there are small things you can do in the meantime to make your new house cozier, comfier and homier. Read on for tips on how to make a house a home in the first few weeks after your move.
Open the Windows
Usually, when you step into a house that’s been empty for a while, you are met with stale, stuffy air. So fling open those windows and let the fresh air in! It’s time to bring in the new and chase out the old! Another great way to freshen up your home is to sage the home. Some believe sage clears negative energy and restless spirits from your home. If you’re thinking that’s a little hocus pocus, consider incense, scented candles or an essential oil diffuser to reinvigorate your home with your favorite scent.
Unpack Your Favorites First
The best way to unpack is to start with your favorite things. When you first move in, you usually don’t have the luxury to take an entire week off from work to unpack. As a result, you’re left with a house full of unpacked boxes that just sit there, unmoving, reminding you everyday that you’re still in limbo. Why not make your house a bit homier by unpacking the things that you love first. Decorate your new home with your favorite throw pillows and that vibrant woven rug you got on your trip to Peru. While you’re at it, dig out a couple of decorative tchotchkes such as the heirloom rug from your grandmother’s house or that gorgeous vase you bought in Italy. Make sure that you have your favorite coffee mug available and your book collection out on display so you can curl up on the sofa for a good read on the weekend before you tackle more unpacking.
Clean Your Bedding
Ever been on a long trip and when you arrive back home, you realize the thing you missed most about being away was sleeping in your own bed? One of the first things you should do when you arrive to your new house is to put fresh, clean linens on your bed, fluff out that billowy comforter and plump up your favorite pillow. Now you can lie back and dream about all the things to look forward to in your new home and in your new life.
Take Your Time Hanging Art
You may feel the impulse to decorate after unpacking and start filling up your blank walls immediately in order to make your house look less empty. Consider taking the time to get to know the flow of your house before you start decorating as if the world will end tomorrow. This way, you can make better decisions about where all of your photos and art will look best. Decorating should be a fun process where you get to relive precious memories through photos (like that time you took the kids to Disneyland) and momentos (when you went to France and bought that cute miniature painting of the Eiffel Tower).
While you may get the urge to rush out to Target and clean out their home section, it’s best to resist buying a bunch of new decorations at first. Impulse buys won’t make your house feel like home, but rather more like a crammed souvenir shop. Instead, start by putting up a few photos here and there and take your time with the rest.
Put Up the Fridge Magnets
Ah the fridge: a multi-purpose appliance that keeps your food from spoiling while simultaneously acting as a giant display of your past, present and future. The fridge is where you put photos of cherished memories, affirmation magnets that will help get you through your day and upcoming wedding and baby shower invites. The refrigerator is an easy spot to get stuff up that will make your home start to feel more familiar.
Cook one of your Favorite Recipes
Remember the days when you would come home to the aroma of your mom or dad’s roasted chicken? The smell would put you immediately at ease after a long, hard day of being a human. When you move, you sometimes forget how comforting a home cooked meal can be. Enough with the take-out already! Fill up your home with the familiar smells of your favorite recipe. Whether that’s a stew or banana bread, a stir fry or a pot roast, break in your kitchen and let the comforting aromas float through your home.
Host a Housewarming Gathering
There’s something ceremonious about a house-warming party that makes the transition from house to home feel more official. Invite a few people over to help bring the friendly energy up. Remember to host your party in a way that makes you feel comfortable. If you’re an introvert, don’t invite 40 people over. Start with a small number, serve easy-to-make home-cooked meal, turn up the positive music and let the good vibes roll!
Conclusion
Moving out of your old house can be overwhelming and tiresome. All you want to do is snap your fingers so you can get settled in a new house instead of having to endure the labor of unpacking. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way, but you can alleviate stress by doing little things to make your new house feel more like a home. When you’re ready to book your move, give Moving Forward San Francisco Movers a call for a FREE quote!
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