How to Make That New House a Home

From the Los Angeles Times by Ellen James Martin (edited) – June 10, 2001

Uprooting your family from a home they have known for years to a new location is not always uplifting. That homey feeling can be especially hard to come by if the house is brand-new or was occupied by an owner whose aesthetic preferences don’t match yours.

A coat of fresh paint can often help home buyers make their transition. Even before moving, paint anything that seems objectionable. Don’t be afraid to make changes to personalize your new home. If you make a mistake, you can easily do it over without excessive expense, especially if it involves paint or wallpaper.

Following are several suggestions for feeling comfortable in your new surroundings:

• Appoint yourself as your first decorator. There are lots of theories about interior design. But making your own choices can help you feel happy, contant, and at peace in your home. Most buyers aren’t flush with discretionary cash after they move. But even before you’ve replenished your bank account, experts suggest creating a comprehensive color scheme, drawing on your favorite hues. Focus first on decor for rooms you expect to occupy most. For typical households, these are the family room and the kitchen.
• Use art and flowers to bring color into your home. Color can be a key ingredient in creating an inviting interior. Before moving into your new home, try painting the walls pure white and hang your favorite artwork. Filling your home with living plants and fresh flowers also bring vitality to your house.
  bullet Give your home the “Mr. Clean” treatment when you move. This idea may not appeal to everyone, but by thoroughly cleaning your own home, you will establish a “physical connection” with the place which will make ownership seem more real. This applies even to new houses since there is likely to be remaining construction dust even after the builder has come through with a cleaning crew.
• Bring the aromas of home into the place where you’ve moved. You need not have unpacked all your kitchen gear to do some simple baking. With the scent of warm brownies or homemade chocolate chip cookies, your house seems more like a home.
• Break some of the rules of moving. Doing things out of order can sometimes make your life smoother. One questionable rule of moving is the notion that all your boxes should be unpacked immediately. To reduce stress, it’s often wise to defer unpacking low-priority items, such as boxes of photographs that need to be mounted in albums.
• Let there be ample light in your new place. Most families are unable to afford all the new furnishings they want when they move. After moving in, you should place a high priority on lighting for darker areas of your home, even if that means hiring a lighting specialist to advise you. Very often, bad lighting can be the reason a room seems depressing. The ultimate things is to fill your home with light. Let as much light into your life as you possibly can.