There’s a big difference between a house and a home. A house is a building that provides shelter and warmth. A home is a place you feel safe, comfortable, and holds the people, animals, or things you most love. Because of this, a home should reflect not only your personality but your lifestyle, passions, and goals, and dreams. If you’re struggling with ideas to make your house feel more like a home, read on.
New Homeowners
It can be a little intimidating to figure out how to decorate a house when you’re just starting out. A stark white living room, for example, might be hard to imagine differently. But if you look at those walls as a canvas and think of yourself as a painter, making the walls will soon get easy.
Start simple. Use family pictures or memories as a way to begin the process of showcasing your life story and personality in one. It will get easier with each wall, but by using old pictures, favorite quotes, and special mementos, you might be surprised how quickly your house begins to feel like a home.
Don’t stop with walls. When it comes to furniture, rugs, throw blankets, pillows, and more, consider your favorite color or a theme that means something to you. Maybe you love to ski. Modeling your living space after a ski lodge could be the way to go for you. Or, if you love the ocean, a beach house theme would work just as well. Once you’ve committed to a theme, you can even move those pictures around, so they fit it better. A picture of you on the trails or snorkeling will tie things up nicely and make your house feel more like home.
The Basics
While it’s great to use themes, especially your outdoor hobbies and interests, it’s not okay for your home climate to mimic it. That is, you’ll want to think about air quality, humidity, and heating and cooling before you’ll ever feel fully comfortable in your home. Before you get too deep into your home decorating plans, you’ll want to think about bigger things like your air conditioning and indoor air quality.
Calling a heating and cooling specialist will help improve your indoor climate and work well for your theme. That is, with a heater cleaning or someone to look at humidity levels and the inside of a chimney, you might even be able to use space in an old house differently. Remember that ski lodge theme? A working fireplace might be the perfect way to finish it off. As for the air conditioning? A cool burst of air combined with a white noise machine that makes ocean sounds could quickly transport you to your favorite vacation spot but at home.
Showing Off Your Unique Personality and Style
Making your house into a home is completely about making your home reflect yourself and the people who live in it. If you live with a family, give everyone a room for themselves to decorate and make their own. While some would prefer clean lines and a neutral theme to the entire house, a home is a little more forgiving and won’t mind being more hodge-podge.
Odds and Ends
Enjoy collecting? Junk art, antiques, or that lantern collection you hung onto for no reason could be a great way to develop a theme that reflects your personality. Maybe it’s magnets for your refrigerator or a family game room or movie night theme for the basement. In picking up odds and ends along the way or using what you’ve already got, your home will remind you of your best memories and be a place you’re happy to return to.
Any color scheme, wallpaper, or room theme you pick for your home is entirely up to you. Whether you live in an older home or a new home, how you go about making it unique is only limited by your imagination. The choices are yours and yours alone, from wanted clutter to table lamps or spotless surfaces to standing lights or recessed ceiling lighting systems. The best way to get started making your house a home is to think about the things you care most about. Using them as sources of inspiration, you’ll be well on your way to creating the perfect home for you.
