We’re hoping we’ll finally be able to get on the property ladder next year and I am SO excited.
We’ve bounced around quite a lot since we moved into our first little flat together in 2017. In that time, we’ve become quite the experts at taking a blank space and making it our own.
I have also learned just how important feeling at home is. In the past, new homes have left me feeling rootless, ungrounded and full of anxiety. I’m so grateful for our current cosy home and how safe it makes me feel.
So, I come to you now with 8 simple tips for making a home feel more homely, in the hope that it helps someone somewhere to get settled:
1. Get yourself a free photo printing app
Starting simple here. There are lots of good options out there, so have a browse, but I use Free Prints.
Don’t underestimate the power of photos. Whether they’re in frames, stuck to the fridge, pinned to a cork board, hung from string with pegs or simply stuck to the wall, they can give you such a boost if you’re feeling discombobulated.
2. Display books, records, DVDs and other colourful objects, rather than storing them away
This made a big difference when we didn’t have much stuff besides our DVDs and books.
Buying cheap shelves of any kind and filling them with books or DVDs or similar can so quickly make a room look more lived in.
Whilst you’re still filling up your space, don’t feel like you need to put these things in storage or in their forever spot in your home.
One day you might be able to create that library of dreams, but dotting books around to begin with can really spark joy.
3. Cosy up with candles, cushions and blankets
These are really important for making a space feel cosy. Candles, like lamps, give you an alternative to the big light and we all know that the vibe of a room totally changes when the big light is off.
Blankets are essential, especially with heating bills as high as they are. Curling up under a blanket can be so comforting and feeling calm and comfortable in a home makes such a difference.
4. Gather holiday memorabilia
Pick up a fridge magnet everywhere you go. Buy paintings off independent sellers on markets. Find little ornaments to fill your shelves with.
Whatever you choose, every home needs a little clutter and holiday memorabilia is the best kind.
5. Say yes to free stuff
Our first home was a proper mish-mash of free bits and pieces we’d gathered from family and friends. I remember feeling so stressed about how it would all look when thrown together in the space, but it genuinely looked fine!
Recently we were offered some bits and pieces which I accepted to ‘try out’ without even being sure they’d go with our current decor and it turns out, they were the perfect little additions.
Sooner or later you’ve got to start saying no of course, but when you’re building a home, it’s always worth giving odd bits a try.
6. It’s all in the little details
My favourite areas of our home now aren’t made by the furniture in them or the electricals. It’s the little things.
A plant on a windowsill. A cute candle. A colourful book. A postcard or a birthday card.
Bonus tip: if you love the artwork on the front of a card, stick the card in a photo frame and pop it on display. New home cards can be especially good for this as often they contain cute quotes like ‘No Place like Home’ rather than more specific text.
7. Live in it
Familiarity brings comfort and so it takes living in your home, getting to know every corner of it, to make it really feel like home.
It sounds simple right? Of course a home isn’t a home until you live in it.
But living means more than just going about your daily life.
Sit on the floor in the middle of the room and do a jigsaw. See the room from a new angle and have some fun too.
Bake something yummy in the kitchen. Get out of the daily grind of cooking your meals and enjoy sorting yourself out a baking cupboard full of flour, sugar and baking powder.
Having people over really helps. Play host as soon as you can. There’s nothing like making someone a cuppa in your own home and knowing exactly where to find the sugar when they ask for it.
8. Give it time
Rome wasn’t built in a day and your home, even if you make it feel cosy and snug from the off, isn’t going to be perfect from the off.
It takes time to figure out how you want to make use of a space and to work out exactly what is going to work best for you.
Unfortunately the place simply might not feel like home immediately.
It takes time to get used to a new space – to get to know what sounds the pipes make at night and how loud the boiler rumbles.
You can’t predict how you’re going to feel and you can’t control that part. All you can do is take your time, ground yourself in small ways and know that eventually you will feel settled.
Blogging Goodbye to Butterflies 