Imagup General Magazine 2024
Are you moving soon or have you recently moved? I give you tips that have helped me feel at home in a new home.
Clean up and organize
After a move, you live between boxes for the first days. Maybe you moved a little too much stuff with you, or you find out that the cupboard that looked so nice in your previous house is a bit lost in your new house or you can no longer find a convenient place for it. Don’t try to keep it in your house against your will, if it doesn’t work then it won’t work. Do a second round of clean-up and bring items to the thrift store or sell them on the marketplace. All your furniture still needs to have a place in your house. A new home may require a new layout. Should your sofa be turned a quarter turn against the wall, loose in the living room? Give it a try and see what makes you feel best and what suits your new home best in terms of layout. Sketch different setups or ideas you have. You should also include expomovers in the list.
Make a to-do list
A lot still needs to be done in a new house. Big things like painting a wall and small things like hanging a lamp. They are all important things that are necessary to make you feel at home. And more and more things are added. If you live in your house, for example, you find out that a radiator tube still needs to be painted, that you don’t have an internet connection upstairs, or you think that an extra shelf would be useful. All those things keep haunting my mind, make a list and write down everything that needs to be done.
Learn a new routine
The first days it felt like I was staying in a holiday home. I showered in my bathroom and made breakfast in my kitchen, but it didn’t feel like it was mine. Even though I had selected the kitchen and bathroom myself weeks ago, using it felt uncomfortable.
Even though you brought all your old stuff with you, the house is different and you need to get to know your home. It takes time to find a new routine. The first days I felt really taken aback. Getting to know the house goes without saying, at a certain point you can find the door handles and light switches in the dark. Look at what works for you, often open your kitchen drawers and cabinets to see and remember where everything is. You may need to rearrange them to make breakfast or dinner cooking easier. If you have put all your kitchen utensils in your kitchen cupboards at once, that is not the most logical layout.
Explore the neighborhood
I have moved within my hometown, but it is quite a change. You should not only feel at home in your home, but also in your new neighborhood. You have to get used to your new view, from four high to the street is a bit different. Get to know your neighbors, have a chat when you meet them outside. It is nice to know what kind of people live next to you. In my row many people happen to live alone, I like to know that I am not the only one who lives alone. When I see a black and white cat walking outside I know it belongs to a neighbor, and a neighbor has offered me help if needed, he is a carpenter. In my case I had seen the neighbors before because it is new construction and everyone was doing odd jobs, it is nice to take a look at each other and ask what they are going to do with the garden. You really don’t have to make friends with your neighbors, but it’s nice if you have an idea of the person who lives at number 80.
Spend time alone
During the first period after moving, I was not alone much, there was still so much to do that I had family or handymen around every day. Especially because of the handymen, the house never felt completely my own. Now I like to be alone, but I even had to get used to when I was really alone in the house for a day. There I was, I felt so powerful at first because as a woman I had bought a house alone, now I felt a little lonely in this big new house. You have to redo all the daily things that were so normal in your old home. Light a candle, have food delivered, walk naked through your house, and watch a movie in the evening with a plaid and the cat on your lap. Clutter your house for a day alone, but don’t always try to do useful things like unpack boxes. Hang on the couch with your favorite magazine, put on your favorite music and dance around the room. This can feel uncomfortable, but only then will you feel at home. Do not forget to take good care of yourself, while moving and doing odd jobs you probably did not eat so well and carefully, cook healthy things. Try to go to bed on time, cancel appointments if necessary.
Invite people
Show your new home to your family, friends and colleagues. Every time I show my house I feel proud, this is my house. It is nice to receive reactions from others, do they like something in your house? You did that yourself. The more people have visited the floor, the more personal it becomes. Make new memories in this house, cook together, get tipsy once, have a sleepover. It is nice to know that acquaintances no longer think about your old home when they think about you. I am more of a one-on-one thing, but if it’s your thing then give a housewarming party where you invite everyone at the same time.
