You may want to grab your wallet and head to the furniture store because you think a new place deserves new stuff. However, decorating doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Use your old decorations for a more affordable solution. Not only will decorations make your new house look better, but they’ll help your kids feel more at home as well.
Below, we’ve listed some ways you can incorporate your old décor into your new place.
Assess What You Have
Before you pack up to leave, assess what furniture and décor you have. Keep in mind that you don’t have to keep everything.
Decide what you really want in your new place. This will save you from packing and transferring junk you don’t need.
As a rule of thumb, try and get rid of 25% of your old stuff. Take this opportunity to rid yourself of faulty appliances in the garage that you haven’t used in years. Auction your things off on eBay or have a garage sale. You may make a few extra bucks on decorations you would never use. Consider this move a fresh start.
Sketch a Floor Plan
Now that you know what you have, make a plan for your new home. Have fun with this step by choosing color pallets for each room. Decide where furniture will go and what child will have which room. If you want to go in-depth, visit the new place and take measurements. This way, you’ll know exactly what furniture will fit in what room.
Consider using a floor-planning program on the internet. Most are easy to use and will help you visualize the result.
Don’t forget to keep portion, balance, and scale in mind. Avoid crowding too many oversized furniture pieces into a small space.
Consider the dimensions and ceiling height to determine how much you can comfortably fit into the room. Don’t put a small dining table and picture into a large room with high ceilings or large furniture into a small room. The space will come off awkward and unsatisfying.
Planning will also help you stay organized as you pack. Mark boxes with which room they will occupy in the new house.
Start with Your Bedroom
Nothing beats sinking into a soft bed after a long day of organizing and unpacking. Start your decorating hiatus with your bedroom. This will give you a beautiful place to retreat to after working hard all day.
Most homeowners have at least a bed and dresser to incorporate into their new place. Next, choose a bedspread to mix and match with pictures and décor.
Don’t limit the possibilities with décor you previously had in your bedroom. Use décor from the entire house. If you have a flexible budget, consider painting the walls to match your bedding. Or maybe you want to keep the wall paint the same and buy new bedding. Try to plan these details before you buy anything. Planning will save you time and money.
Choose Small Details to Update
Small details can make a big difference. Rather than demolishing an entire room and
starting from scratch, decide on one or two small details to update. For instance, freshen kitchen cabinets with paint rather than replacing them. You can also update a bathroom by painting the cabinets or replacing a light fixture.
Replacing light bulbs with less “yellow” bulbs is another way to update a space. This small detail can brighten a room and make it feel newer.
Unify the Room with Color
If you move into an older home with furniture from the 1960s, don’t worry. You can easily unify the room by incorporating similar colors in the space. For instance, imagine you have a chair that has a small fabric detail that could match your main room color. You can draw attention to that small detail by painting a wall a similar color. Suddenly that chair matches the rest of the room.
You can use that same principle by matching colors with a rug, curtain, or accessory. Decide the room color from a décor item that you love.
Once you have chosen a main color, let the rest of the design branch from that color. Use neutral colored furniture around the room as a foundation. Then use your main color in accessories. The neutral furniture provides consistency if you ever want to change the main color of the room. And if you use this strategy, you won’t spend more money replacing or painting furniture.
Don’t stress about using the exact same color in the space. Retail stores would love if you bought an expensive bedroom set that matches exactly, but you don’t have to. You cannot go wrong as long as most of the hues in the room match. Use your previous décor to bring your personality to the space.
Now that you know the basics to make your house a home, check out our other blogs for more moving tips.
