Acclimating your Apartment

A new place is exciting and  fresh! It’s new, it’s clean, and it’s completely foreign. Regardless of whether you are looking forward to your move or not, it will seem like a completely foreign place to you until you can really make it a home. Making memories in the new house will make it a home, but, such big memories aren’t so easy to come by. Much like a new car scent, there are some thing syou can do to make that house “smell” more like your home.

1. Unpack your closet

Interior designer Nate Berkus advises us to start with your closet or wardrobe. "Most people start unpacking the common spaces first, but I focus my efforts on my closet because Monday's are hard enough without having to search for your favorite sweater."

2. Focus on your kids' rooms.

Your children are less equipped to deal with such a traumatic and life altering event such as a move as you are. Start off with their favorite things in their room. Give them their boxes and, assuming they’re old enough, let them unpack and design their room on their own. If they’re too young, do it together so that they can not only have your attention during this difficult transition time, but also so they can feel like part of the rebuilding process. As an added benefit, if your children are unpacking and designing, then they’re leaving you alone to deal with the rest of the house!

3. Recreate familiar sounds, sights and smells

A home is more than just your stuff, but the sounds and smells and familiar sights are what make us feel at home. Maybe it’s your grandfather clock ticking away in the living room, or maybe it’s your special recipe cookies filling the house with that at home smell. My parents house has our heights and ages chronologged on the wall. These little details are what give our brains the trigger to feel at home. 

 

4. Wait to decorate the walls

Family photos, paintings, kids drawings, etc… they all have a perfect spot in your house. You won’t find it all in a day, and hanging and re-hanging things on your walls just gives you more holes to patch. Wait until you’re really sure that’s the spot. Try leaning them against the wall where you want them to go and see how you feel about them.

5. Try to imitate your old routine

It’s hard enough adjusting to a new house. But, a new house, a new body rhythm, new timing… everything will throw your body out of whack. Try to replace as many things in your new routine with your old as possible. If you do have to make a new routine, try to make it as easy to adapt to as possible. A new key ring near the door may not be your family’s style. We have our key basket on the kitchen counter, near the phone!