When we moved into our current house 2 years ago our entire family was lost. Chris and I took the move hard. Instead of being excited by the new space we couldn’t get past how sad we were about leaving our old home. Every time I looked around all I could see were the things that I hated and wanted to change.
Our current home overall doesn’t lend itself to simply painting the walls to change it up. It’s partly because the ceilings are tall and thus prohibitive of me just painting/stripping wallpaper/changing light fixtures. Also the space that needed the most work, the basement, had a lot of issues that were beyond my abilities. I didn’t think there was anything I could DO to make it better because it was a huge project. It felt like I was STUCK in a house that I didn’t love and I felt powerless to do anything about it.
3 ways to start loving your home today
So what changed? Little by little I realized that even though I couldn’t make big changes I did have the power and the freedom to make any change I wanted that was in my ability. If you are in the same situation that I was, here are the steps I took to help me shake the funk and start loving my house:
MAKE A PLAN
- Long ago I worked in corporate sales and we would often say, “Have a plan, work a plan”. Over the years I have found that it is much easier to get excited about a project if there is a clear map ahead of you. Once I decided that I couldn’t live in a house I hated anymore I went back and started looking at all the changes I would love to make. I wrote down each room and started brainstorming ideas for each space. It didn’t matter if it was something I could do/afford right away or not. As I let the ideas flow I started to get excited. I started to see that there were things I could do without waiting on Chris to help me or without hiring it out.
LOOK FOR THE LITTLE THINGS
- Once I had my plan in place and saw all the little details mapped out I realized there were a lot of things I could tweak to make this new, foreign feeling house start to feel like our home.
FIND 1 SPACE TO MAKE YOUR OWN
- Reviewing my master plan helped me see there were spaces in my home that I could tackle. I saw places that weren’t going to be a massive remodel; that it would really just take us, some paint, and good ole fashioned fun decorating. In this house we decided to do our Master Bedroom first. Having the space pulled together has proved to be a true retreat and a God-send to our family. It helped us all feel like we had made our mark on this house.
If you’re in the phase where you feel stuck and hate your house start brainstorming. I am willing to bet there there is something you can do today to make you like your house more!
Don’t forget to pin!
Leave a Reply