If you’re going to spend a significant amount of time, energy, and money putting together your home, then it’s not enough to just make it a place that you like: it should be a place that you love. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case for many people. A frankly staggering 35% of people say that feel more at home at places other than their actual house, and there are also plenty of people that experience buyer’s remorse when it comes to their property.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re not head over heels in love with your home at the moment, then look at making some changes. There’s always a way to up your affection for your house! Below, we’re going to take a look at a whole host of ways that you can improve your property. If you incorporate them into your home, then you might just find that you positively adore your home!
Brighten It Up
It will come as little surprise that you don’t love your home if you’re living in spaces that are overly dark and cramped. You could be in a great mood when you’re out and about in the outdoors, but then see that your mood quickly plummets when you arrive home. And how could it not, if you were going from bright and happy to dark and gloomy? If this is the case, then take a look at brightening things up. Could you add an extra window to let more light in, for example, or move furniture around, so there’s none that is blocking the window? Adding mirrors to the interior of your home will also enable the light that does enter your home to reflect, too.
Feed the Senses
You will rightly want to focus on the overlook aesthetics of your property, but that’s not all that you should be paying attention to. There are ways to change how you feel about your property just by incorporating things that feed the senses. For example, did you know that there are scents you can add to your home that can boost your mood and make you feel calmer? It’s a subtle effect, but a powerful one. You’ll find that you’re able to love your property all the more if it’s a space that is pleasing to your inner being!
Adding Decorations
Take a look around your home. How many items are there that inspire joy? Or that brings some color into your world? If you can’t find any examples, then look at adding some. Your home should be functional, sure, but it should also boost your mood. Having souvenirs from your travels on the shelves, art on the walls, and photos of your loved ones dotted around everywhere will elevate your spirit when you’re at home. Surround yourself with plenty of items that make you joyful, and it’ll be hard not to be happy!
The Cozy Factor
You might like your home more in certain parts of the year than at others. For example, some homes just seem to come into their own during summer, and fall short during winter. You’re not going to like your home all that much if it feels like you’re always battling the cold, and can’t quite sink into all the comfort and joy that the winter season can provide. So perhaps it’s time to change that. You can make your property a more enjoyable place to be by upping its comfort factor. In the living room, look at adding plenty of warm blankets and cozy furniture — they’ll be great for those warm winter nights spent curled up on the couch. A bathrobe, rugs around the home, and underfloor heating can also minimise the complaints associated with a cold home, too.
Social Spaces
Does it feel like you’re always having fun when you’re out of the home, but that things seem to run a little flat when you’re at home? Then one good idea could be to make your home a space where you can enjoy the company of your friends and family. It’ll be hard not to love your home when you have so many lovely memories with your loved ones. And it’s not as if you need to do anything drastic to get your home social-ready. Look at creating a space that is conducive to conversation, set up a spare room, and ensure that you’ve always got a decent supply of snack foods and drinks. You can step things up by remodelling your kitchen so that it’s open-plan — that type of space always lends itself well to social occasions.
Adding Entertainment
Perhaps you’re missing out on the love you should feel for your home because it feels like your property is stuck in the past. If it has been a while since you upgraded your entertainment systems, then perhaps now is the time. There has been a lot of advancements made in this area in recent years! Large, high-quality televisions are more affordable than ever, and there are now so advanced that you can watch the latest and best television shows and movies directly through the popular streaming services. You can add a little more fun by adding items with Internet of Things capabilities. It can be pretty fun to control your heating through your smartphone!
Tech-Free Zones
But perhaps a lack of tech isn’t the problem. Perhaps the issue is that there’s too much of it. Technology is a lot of things, but it’s not really relaxing — indeed, there’s every chance that it makes it much harder to unwind. It’s just too engaging. If one of the reasons you don’t love your home is that it’s not very relaxing, then look at setting up a tech-free zone in your home. When you’re in that room, you won’t do anything other than unwind, be it through reading, meditating, playing tech-free games, or whatever else.
In the Yard
There’s one tried and tested task that’ll have you loving your property all the more: get your yard into shape. If you do that, then you’ll be able to spend many long days relaxing, unwinding, and enjoying all the fun that the summer months can bring. This will require a little bit of effort, but it’s nothing overly complicated. Begin by hiring a skip bin, and clearing away any debris and old items that you no longer need, but which are clogging up your yard. Once you’ve got a blank space to work with, it’ll be all about getting some plants in the ground (choose some plants native to your area to make things easier), and adding a patio, yard furniture, and a BBQ. It couldn’t be more simple: once you’ve done these things, you’ll look forward to many summer evenings spent outdoors with your family.
About the Kids
And talking of the family, are they making it easier to enjoy your property? Now, you do, of course, love your children, but the fact is that they can be pretty messy from time to time. And it’s hard to love your home if it always feels like you’re cleaning up. As such, it could be a good idea to dedicate a portion of the home to play, where your children can make as much mess as they’d like. Your house will be happier, since it’ll be full of children’s laughter, and you’ll have the peace of mind that all the chaos has been contained to a small portion of the property.
Get Rid of the Disturbances
It could be that you more or less that you love your home, but that there’s just a couple of things that bother you. For example, it’d be difficult to really love your home if there’s too much noise filtering in from the outdoors, or if your property has privacy issues (as in, people can see in). These are, for sure, annoying, but there are things you can do to combat them. You can soundproof your home, for instance, and work to make it more private. Adding a hedge or fence to the edge of your property can make all the difference when it comes to your privacy, and will help to make you feel more comfortable and secure when you’re at home.
DIY Jobs
You’ll find it difficult to love your home if it feels like its best days are in the past. It’s really important that you’re taking the time to take care of all those small DIY jobs. Most are simple enough to do and take next to no time, but you still need to do them! If not, your home will just bug you, since it’ll be full of small imperfections.
Get to Know the Neighbours
Finally, think about getting to know your neighbours. A high percentage of people don’t know theirs, but it can really make your home a more enjoyable place to be. There’s just something about knowing that you’re part of a community that makes you love your plot of land all the more.
Absolutely loved this post, especially the bit about our senses.