Last month I shared 35 things to do to get your house sale-ready, so now you've got your home looking fantastic, and it flew off the market, its time to start planning for your beautiful new home. When you move into a new house it can take a while before it feels like 'home', so here's my list of 25 things you can do on moving into your lovely new place...
It's never too early to start planning for your new pad, so while waiting to get in there (a stage which can often drag on forever), you can start putting together mood boards, collecting photos and ideas of looks you like, as well as collecting accessories and small bits and bobs. Although its tempting, I wouldn't recommend buying the big things such as sofas, beds etc unless you've had an opportunity to measure up, as a room can look a lot different once you're in there and the current owners furniture and colour choices are all gone. But there's no harm in collecting some accessories to get you feeling excited for the big move.
In the same way, use packing as an opportunity to have a huge clear out. Take only the things you really need, or love with you to your new home. You don't want to start your life off there feeling cluttered. I've shared lots of de-cluttering tips over the years - but '10 easy ways to spring clean & save space your home' should be a good place to start, especially seeing as its always courteous to give your current home a good clean before you move out.
On moving day make sure everything is packaged or boxed up as well as you possibly can - there's nothing worse than getting to your lovely new place and realising some of your possessions haven't made it there in one piece. Package each box up by room, and label them as clearly as possible, seriously, it makes the chore that is packing a longer job, but you'll thank yourself for it.
Tip: Something I wish I'd have thought of before moving into our home - pack up a box of moving day essentials and make sure it's the first thing you take in. Think kettle, milk, mugs, food, a towel, bed linen, and pillows. The last thing you'll want is to be searching through boxes for your toothbrush after what's usually the longest day ever.
On getting in there, the first thing you should plan to do is a top-to-bottom deep clean. If you're lucky the lovely previous owners will have left the place will be spotless. However, if you walk into a house anything like ours was, it will be grubby and still filled with their old clutter (yes really! There was even a shed full of junk, and posters on the walls) If that's the case, get those marigolds on and give the place a good old scrub. It's not really the chore you want after the stress of moving, however I promise you'll feel so much better afterwards.
Once it's sparkling clean touch up any paintwork, or scuffs and marks that might be looking a bit tired. It's your shiny new place, so getting rid of signs of the previous owners will make it feel more like that. If you're renting, do a full inventory beforehand, making sure you make a note of any signs of damage, or things you might get caught for when moving out, and obviously always check your landlord is happy for you to redecorate. If you are renting I've previously shared some tips for making a rented house your home here.
If you've got little ones, now's also the time to childproof your new home too. You can always guarantee a toddler will find that loose wire before you do! If you're worries about how your child might react to such a big change, why not include them in the planning and put lots of emphasis on how exciting it will be. You can introduce the idea in the weeks before the big move, and start collecting some accessories for their new bedroom. On moving day, supply them with their own little backpack of essentials such snacks, toys, books and our old friend the iPad if needed.
If you have someone that can look after your pet on moving day, that's ideal. That way you can keep them away from all the confusion, and make sure everything is ready and settled for them before they arrive. If your dog or cat needs to be with you throughout the move, then its a good idea to place your furry friend in a quiet room whilst you're moving everything in. Set up some toys, food/water, a litter tray and some treats to keep them amused, and ensure there's no risk of them getting out of the house and potentially into danger. If you're not comfortable with leaving them in a closed room, how about investing in a stair gate to put on the door, meaning they'll still be able to see you? Obviously, this might not work for a cat, but is a good idea with dogs. Once you're all moved in make sure you dedicate some time to helping them settle in too, and adjust to their new home!
When thinking about putting your stamp on your new place, its really important to give a room space to 'breathe' before making any big decisions. This is something I was definitely guilty of when moving into our home (which I wrote about in my interior regrets post here). It's recommended that you wait six months before painting any walls, in order to get to know the place, and see how the light changes season to season, for example. If you can't bear to wait that long though (its something I would always struggle with!), try to give it at least a few weeks before making any big decor decisions, as its easy to rush into a colour scheme you've then got to live with. This is coming from the woman who picked up paintbrushes the morning after moving in though - although, in my defence, this is what I was dealing with!
Think about your floor plan when deciding where everything will go. Its really easy to want to re-create your previous home's layout in this new place, particularly if you're keeping the same furniture, but take into consideration how the rooms are sized, and try to think about the most practical way to use each space. This is another reason why holding back on decorating can be a good idea. Once you start living in the space you might find, for example, you don't really use the dining room, and it might therefore be a better idea to decorate this space as a playroom.
As part of this, make sure to choose your big pieces of furniture wisely. Any bold colours, patterns or styles will mean all future colour schemes will need to work around it. Obviously most furniture colours will work with a number of different schemes, however often you want to redecorate, but if, like me, you change your mind frequently, then maybe try to picture how a piece might work five years down the line amongst a different scheme. My biggest tip when decorating any room would be to keep the expensive furniture to plain, neutral colours, meaning you'll be able to redecorate and change your mind as often as you want around it. Cushions and throws are much cheaper to replace than a sofa!
Something I'm definitely guilty of is having too many projects on the go. If you're faced with a house that needs a lot of work, its a good idea to take on one room at a time so it doesn't get too overwhelming. Get each room into a liveable condition - for example get a bed in the bedroom, working appliances in the kitchen, and somewhere to relax, however after that take each room at a time. There's no rush - especially if its somewhere you're planning on staying for a while! This is also a really good idea if you're working on a budget. Its better to save up and buy the kitchen/bathroom/furniture of your dreams, rather than to go cheap just to get rooms ticked off your list. Seriously, learn from my sofa-choice mistakes, if I had my time again I'd get a second hand sofa to use while we were saving up for something better, rather than needing to replace two sofas just a couple of years down the line.
And finally, get yourself a lovely bunch of fresh flowers to stand proudly in your new home - there's nothing like some bright, beautiful bouquet to brighten up the place!
What were the first things you did when you moved into your new place?
Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx
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