5 Steps to Make Your House Feel Like a Home
by Julie Provost - September 20th, 2021
You just moved into your new home. You are feeling a bit overwhelmed. There are boxes everywhere, and your walls are pretty plain. You want your new house to feel homey as soon as you can. Here are five things you should do to make your house feel like home sooner rather than later.
1. Unpack everything
Empty your boxes as quickly as you can. When you put yourself into unpacking mode, you will get so much more done than if you put it off and take your time with the boxes. You might even tell yourself you will do it later, but then you will find reasons not to.
You will be too busy, have to go to work, or will put it off for another day. Do what you can starting the minute you get your household goods and keep working until you are done. Even though this will be tiring, it will be worth it.
2. Hang your photos
Nothing makes your home feel more like yours better than family photos on the wall. Get those up as soon as you can. If you need to, make some new prints and buy some new frames. Getting those pictures up will make the home yours.
You can get creative with your photos and put all the school photos on one wall, or all your vacation photos on another. You can make a wall of photos showing all the different places you have lived. And don’t forget about the bedrooms.
3. Buy curtains
Most likely, some of your curtains from your previous home won’t fit in the new one. If this is the case, run out there and buy some new ones. Make sure to take measurements so that they fit your new windows.
Putting up curtains adds to your home because it brings in your own personal style. You’ll add an element of privacy to your new space, not to mention you’ll block the neighborhood from looking in.
4. Paint
If you are allowed to, painting can make your home feel like yours because you can personally pick out the colors. While some prefer white or cream walls, adding color can bring in your personality.
If you live on post or are renting, make sure you know the rules for painting. In some cases, you are not allowed to paint at all. In others, you can paint as long as you repaint before your move out. There could be paint color restrictions to be aware of too.
5. Display your personal items
Being a military family, you probably have some unique items that reflect your past duty stations. Put those out to be reminded of where you have come from and everything you have done.
Seeing some of the things you had in your former home can make your new house feel like you belong in it. There is comfort in seeing them, and that will help you start making memories in your new home and duty station.
Feeling like a new house is “home” doesn’t always come easy, but these tips should help you get there a bit sooner.
If you have recently PCSed, tell other military families what you like or maybe don’t like about your neighborhood or base housing.
Julie Provost is the freelance blogger behind Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life. She enjoys life in Tennessee with her husband, a National Guard soldier, and their three boys. Julie enjoys blogging, reading, photography and a good cup of coffee. You can follow her on Twitter @SoldiersWifeCL.
