Making a house into a home is one of the most humbling things you can do for yourself.
Whether you are single, newly wed or moved to a new town or city to retire, where you have just bought or rented your own space, It is one of the most fulfilling tasks you can do for yourself, especially if it is the first time.
The first time around can get you enthusiastic, you want to fulfill all your dreams of designing your first home space and move in to a space that now feels like a secure place for your heart and soul, it’s home.
As excited as you are at first, let me burst your bubble a bit — Years down the line day-to-day, month-to-month, year on year you have to maintain the space. Now that can get your knickers in a knot, in fact it does get to you. You can get bored of the maintenance part as well as the decor.
Don’t fall into the stalemate frame of mind where you stop enjoying being at home and use it as a place to dump your stuff and lay your head down at night.
So if you have been in a home for any number of years it can get boring and stale after a while, but hold on, you can fall back in love with your home with a few inexpensive changes, this can be done monthly, yearly or whenever your budget permits, one room at a time or one object at a time. No pressure involved now, just creativity.
My thirty-year experience with making a home for the first time, two shifts and subsequent changes, renovations and acquisitions have left me wiser than ever before. Making my home a forever place to go, happiest place to be and worth a share.
The first thing you should concentrate on is the shell.
TIP — use long lasting products as this is the most cumbersome, pocket draining, nerve racking and almost always leaves you in a broken relationship with your interior decorator. Spend that money here and may peace be with you for a good twenty years or more of major repairs.
Once the shell is complete, take a breather; get in only basic stuff you need or already in your possession, forgo what ever is extra (if you are shifting to a new space) It’s the time to let go.
Thereafter keep adding stuff, very slowly, making sure it co-ordinates with the rest of the vibe of your home. This will spare you the clutter in the years to come.
Let’s fast forward to five to ten years later, your home can start to feel boring and stale, you will feel the urge to renovate, refresh and restructure.
The excitement this time around can be watered down a bit, but let me assure you once you see the updated home, you will have adjusted a lot of stuff to suit your comfort, age and stage of life. The new finish will be make you fall in love with your refreshed home once again.
This experience is very different from the first, you collect ideas from websites, pictures of artifacts, designs you like from friends homes and create a new space befitting the evolved you.
A paint job, if you do not want too much art or artifacts on your walls, go in for a textured look or even wall paper one wall for some chupazz.
Colours – There are colours of neutral tones and bright colours.
All your rooms do not need to be in the same colour, instead let each room have its own vibe. Neutral to calm you, bright to liven you up. Go ahead; stimulate your senses with colour palettes.
Upholstery — this can refresh the look of your home instantly, you can move to a classic or trendy look, a mix and match of colours and design. It uplifts the space like nothing else. My three-generation-old furniture looks regal with just adding two bolsters and a throw. So striking as you enter the living area.
Bedrooms can get the similar uplift with a new bedspread, headrest and pillow cover look. You could also move around your furniture to give the space a new dimension. This new layout will actually make the room feel brand new along with the reupholstering. Nice.
For those art collectors, you can ditch the idea of having a piece of art on every single wall and space of your home. Make clusters of paintings, leave some space bare, let the wall be a mix of paintings and sculptures on shelves, get some imbalance for some balance. (Look up galleries or home spaces for ideas.)
Rugs — there are two ways at looking at rugs, they can really warm up the bare floor space or make the space look smaller and cluttered. It’s tricky. Do not invest in pricey pieces until you are sure of the look. A lot of dealers allow you the liberty of sending multiple rugs of shapes and sizes before you make your final pick. Factor in the dust and maintenance.
Are you a person who is huge on mood lighting? I have a friend who changes the lighting of his home every few months for a different feel. There is such a selection of hues of light bulbs out there, so if you are in the mood, all it takes is a bulb switch. The colour, the brightness, the shadow, the spotlight. All can be changed in a jiffy and can be easy on your pocket too. Table and floor lamps can make your space look bigger.
Plants and flowers also bring a special kind of liveliness to a home, if you do not have a green thumb, go for the zero maintenance artificial kind.
Family photographs always warm the cockles of a heart and bring back memories, keep some all over your home.
This time around, get rid of all stuff that requires too much looking after; let each piece you own stand out so it can be admired.
Remember —The more you have, the more looking after it requires, and as older adults we really want to ditch that responsibility.
Once you are done with refurbishing, make a thirty-day maintenance plan, list each space, gadget, artifact, cupboard, cabinets everything your home has, to deep clean on a daily basis. If you work this way, the maintaining is manageable, a lot is discarded every month and you keep your home tidy proof.
I for one believe a cluttered space reflects a cluttered mind.
Be wiser this time around and fall in love with your refreshed home.
There should be no place that you would rather be than your home sweet home.
