As you may know, I have just moved and thus have spent the last weeks improving and 
decorating the new house.
Although I had some idea of how I wanted this to look, decorating a new, empty place can be stressful and all but fun.
Here area few points to consider so that it is stressless, fun and creative:
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Blank canvas:
The best way to start a creative project is a blank canvas. It leaves all options open. In a house, this means white, or light colored walls. If your walls are already full of color, it sets a tone, it leaves less options for decorating. Start with white. Then start filling with furniture. After that you can always add color later.
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Best practice:
What worked well where you lived before? What didn’t? Now is the time to avoid mistakes from the past. Don’t buy those shelves that took hours to mount. Get two bins under the sink for recycling. -
Trust and the right object will appear.
You can’t move in and have it all done within a week (although you can get pretty close if you are well organized!
. Yes, you want the shelf that fits in the garage for all your tools. Yes you want the bench in the hall for the kids to sit on and take off their shoes. But don’t go an buy the first thing you find. Trust the Universe. The right piece will come at the right time. Sometimes it takes a while because there is actually a better solution!
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DIY (with a little help from your friends)
Often we tend to buy what we need. But when you’re living on a budget, you need to look for creative solutions. And a lot of things you can buy, you can probably make for half the price. And you don’t need to be Mr Handyman (although it’s good to have one handy). So before running to the store, try to see if there are ways to get the same result differently.
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Surf.
One of my favorite procrastination habits is surfing the web for ideas. I can lose hours watching pictures on Pinterest. But there are a lot of great ideas there, in all areas of home and decoration. So go lose a few hours while the paint dries.
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Kids.
It is important that the new place feels cozy from the start. Especially if you move with kids. It is important for them to feel ‘at home’ in a new environment. So make sure their rooms and play area are done first. Let them choose and help. They will then be able to play for hours while you can spend time taking care of the rest of the house.
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Pause.
It is crucial to ‘sit and stare’. Take a break. Look at your walls, your room, your outdoor space. Dream. Imagine how it would look with that swing, that couch, that picture frame.
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Unify.
The white walls under point 1 already do a great job at unifying your place. Other things make your house ‘whole’ as well, such as: floors, a theme, a color, a style,… Think about what is the ‘main’ character your house should portray. Then try to translate that into each room. No need to go overboard. Sometimes it’s enough to have wicker baskets in each room, or similar paintings.
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A place for everything.
Moving usually is great for getting rid of clutter (preferably beforehand!). In order to make sure clutter doesn’t reappear, make sure you find new places for all things. Keys, shoes, paperwork, shopping lists, bags, … If things don’t have a dedicated place, they become clutter, they are moved from one place to the other causing you stress because your attention is on them. They are energy eaters. Get rid of them! Find the right storage, the right cabinet, the right bowl, etc…
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In time, everything will sort itself out.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is your home. Chill, relax, have a glass of Chardonnay on your new terrace, take a bath and enjoy your new place.
I’m off to take a bath – now that I have one!