Just like when you buy a new car, when you are buying a home and move into a new place, it might take a while to feel at home and totally relax. This is normal; it takes time to get used to an unfamiliar environment. There are, however, several things you can do to ensure that you turn your new house into a home in record time. This means you have to know how to make new house feel like home.
After unpacking the boxes and stocking the pantry with food, you will still feel like a stranger in your own house. The feeling of newness takes time to fade away. It usually hits harder in the mornings, when you just wake up. Opening your eyes and seeing unfamiliar walls and ceilings is unsettling for the first few seconds. Sometimes these feelings can stick around for months.
There is an enormous difference between staying in a place that you rely on for shelter and provisions, and staying in a place where you feel like you belong. Your home should make you feel relaxed and at peace. The good thing is that home is all about perception. Regardless of your surroundings, there are ways that you can cultivate the true feeling of home in any space you are living in, well unless you truly don’t want to be there.
“Hygge” is a Danish term that is fast becoming popular in the United States. It describes the feelings of charm and coziness that are attached to particular atmospheres. If you want to figure out how to make your house feel like a home, you should start by ensuring that the place is as cozy as possible. This means that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to making a place feel like home. There are basic guidelines you can follow, but to really complete the equation, you need to search inside yourself and find out what your definition of cozy is.
When you decide on what will make your space cozy, implement those things as the first steps to nurturing a sense of home. Below are a few ideas to get you started with how to make new house feel like home.
Clean the Entire House
The first thing you will want to do as soon as you move into your new house is to clean up. This is important when it comes to how to make new house feel like home. You have to do a thorough cleaning of the entire house. More often than not, there will be a lot of dust and dirt in the house. That’s especially true if the home was recently remodeled or built.
Apart from the dirt that you find inside the house, you will also bring in some dirt as you move boxes and furniture into the house. That is why you should start by cleaning. It is difficult to make a dirt house feel like home.
Cleaning the house will make it have a fresh new look and you will feel responsible, which is a great start to addressing how to make new house feel like home. Wipe down the windows, clean the bathroom, and the bedrooms then move outdoors. By the time you are done, you will feel better about being in the house.
Adopt a Pet
Home is all about love, and one of the easiest ways to bring some love into the home is to adopt a pet. You can visit your local shelter and collect a dog or cat. That way you can also take away your attention from the fact that you are new in the home. This is great for addressing how to make new house feel like home.
Pets generally make us feel happier, responsible, loved and needed. Also, just petting your dog or stroking your cat can help you deal with stress and lower your blood pressure. When you have the powerful sense of social support that comes with having a pet, you can start feeling more like you are where you belong.
Taking care of a pet is a huge responsibility, and you should only adopt it if you know that you will be able to take care of the pet. As much as it is a responsibility, it is also a privilege. There are very few things that can make a house feel more like a home than being greeted by a wagging tail as you walk into your house after a long day at work. If you just moved in and you can afford a pet, consider going to the shelter and adopting one.
Take Time to Get Organized
Whether you want to put some order on your own or you want to hire some people to do it for you, being organized is another aspect of how to make new house feel like home. Disorder is just unsettling, no matter where you are. It becomes worse if you are in a new space and everything is upside down. This can boost the feeling of not being at home.
Take the time as soon as you move in to get the key areas neat and tidy. Instead of throwing things around, place things in the home properly. Take some time to ensure that you have a clear picture of how you want everything to be put together. Pay more attention to the closets, the storerooms and the garage. There are areas that are usually cluttered.
When your home is neat and orderly, it is easy to find things and you won’t get distracted. This will allow you to see where you can make additions and what items you need to do away with. So why wait? If you just move into a new house, get to organizing everything and soon you will feel as if you belong in there. It will be a grand step toward how to make new house feel like home.
Copy Your Regular Routine
When you have stayed in a house for a long time, it is easy to develop some patterns and routines. You may even notice that when you lose things, you almost always know where to find them. Now, if you move into a new home, try to create the same setup and environment that was in your former house. It’s a good way to answer how to make new house feel like home.
You probably loved things that way because it worked for you. Why not carry on with the same patterns? It will be easy for you to settle in. For instance, you can put the hooks or spaces for dropping keys in the same position they were in the previous home. That way you won’t have a hard time going through your day and failing to find stuff.
Bring Out All Your Favorites
If you want to inject an instant boost of coziness, bring out the things that you love the most. If you love music, then ensure that the sound system is connected and you play the music you want. That will go a long way in how to make new house feel like home. This is the same with scents that you like. You will notice that there is a combination of things responsible for the smell in your home. Try to replicate how your old home smelled. Maybe you love burning candles or you have a certain air freshener that you prefer. This will go a long way in making the place feel personal.
Have a Casual Kitchen Dinner
When you get a new home, you can be tempted to keep ordering take-out. However, preparing your own meals in your new kitchen — whether you’ve already done a kitchen renovation or not — can be a good move on the list of how to make new house feel like home. This will also give you the chance to properly organize the kitchen and place things in positions that are convenient for you.
You can also consider inviting some close friends for a small house warming dinner. The sooner you start laying down memories in your new home, the sooner you develop a sense of home and belonging. Just organize something simple, there’s no need to overcomplicate things when you are just moving in.
Set Up the Entertainment Center
A new home can be very boring, especially if you have taken time from work to move in. One way you can counter the boredom is to get the cable and internet turned on. Also, set up everything the way you prefer. Adding that personal touch will help you get settled and answer your worries about how to make new house feel like home.
Try as much as you can to avoid messy cords, awkwardly placed screens and unsafe connections. Take enough time to properly organize and connect everything. That will go a long way in making you feel like you are at home. Once everything is in place, you can begin the movie nights and enjoy yourself.
Bring in Houseplants
Houseplants are a great way to bring a healthy dose of fresh air into your home. If you have moved to another city, chances are you left your plants behind. If that’s the case, look for new plants and make sure that they fit perfectly into your space. Please also note that different plants have different lighting and space requirements. Be sure to buy some nice pots, watering equipment and some other equipment you will need to take care of your plants.
Hang Out On Your Front Porch
The feeling of home is not only about beautiful and cozy indoors. Another way to feel like you belong is to be in touch with your neighborhood and surroundings. Look for a fresh outdoor mat and arrange your porch furniture properly. When everything is set up nicely, grab a glass of your favorite drink, kick back and chill on your front porch. This will give you a chance to say hello to your neighbors as they are passing by.
To explore the outdoors more, you can also walk your dog, visit the park or take a walk with your children. Allow yourself to interact with people and introduce yourself. Before long, you will start feeling like you are connected to your new neighborhood and home.
Add Extra Light
Few things can make a house feel awkward than inadequate lighting. Try to ensure that the lighting fixtures in your new home emit warm temperature shades. This greatly promotes relaxation and makes the place feel more homey.
If the lighting in the house does not suit your preferences, buy some lamps and place them well in the house. If your budget allows, you can also install dimmers so that you can have more control of your lighting levels depending on the mood.
Bring the Spa Home
There is no greater way to make a place feel homey than taking some inspiration from a place that is specifically designed to make you feel comfortable. If you have visited the spa before, you have probably noticed the effect of aromatherapy diffusers, gentle light and candles. All these components are tactfully blended together to give you an adequate dose of homeyness. If you manage to pull that off in your own home, you might find yourself attached to it sooner than you expected.
Do Your Home Maintenance
Ensuring that your home is in tip-top shape is a great way to stay worry-free. This will allow you more time to bond with the space. If too many things are malfunctioning in a new home, you can end up resenting it.
Many new homes for sale need a few touch-ups. If you are buying a home and you are fortunate, they will be fixed before you get in. If not, you will need to fix everything on your own. As soon as you move in, note the areas that need fixing. If something is wrong with your pavement, contact the pavement maintenance company as soon as possible. Still outdoors, if your lawn needs fixing, get to that as well. You can check out the advantages of hydroseeding when establishing a new lawn.
It’s possible that the water heating system might not be working properly, in which case you will have to find better water heating solutions.
A lot of home buyers also buy a new car for themselves. If you are one of them, you will need to fix the garage and ensure that your car is safe. Check out other projects that you can start right away, like finishing a basement or doing some kitchen renovation.
Part of home maintenance is ensuring that all your bills are properly scheduled and organized. You will also want to check out home owners insurance and find the one that works best for you. By the time you are done with maintenance, the feeling of home should be kicking in.
A home should be more than just a place to come to at the end of the day. There are simple ways of adding extra warmth and making it cozy. That way, every time you get there, you will get those feelings of warmth and comfort. Once the place is comfortable enough, you will want to spend more time there, and you will miss it when you are out. Once that happens, know you are winning. Your new house, if finally feeling like home.