How to Make Your Not-So-New Home Feel Like Home Sweet Home
If you feel a bit apprehensive about moving in general, then moving somewhere new post-retirement could leave you feeling even more unsettled. However, with just a few changes here and there, it can start to feel like a home sweet home sooner than you think.
This article is one of several great pieces of content you can find on the GBRLIFE blog.
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General maintenance tasks
You'll probably want to give your home a good scrub down before you move in to ensure it's sanitary and clean according to your cleanliness standards. Apart from disinfecting the bathroom and wiping down and sanitizing the kitchen area, you'll probably also want to clear away the dust and vacuum the carpet if there is one. Of course, this is probably too much work for just one person if you're just not feeling up to it, having recently retired. Then, there are plenty of professional services that can handle the heavy-duty work for you while you concentrate on getting settled in.
Focus on the decor
Now, here's where decorating can get truly exciting because you get to personalize the space according to your own tastes. In this, you can make your home look even more homely by scattering personalized knickknacks and personal mementos around your home, as well as hanging your most cherished family pictures and portraits on the walls to give the walls that extra special touch. Also, don't hesitate to decorate the walls with contemporary art pieces you have accumulated over the years, and interesting trinkets and ornaments that will make it feel even more inviting to you.
Perhaps you're not a fan of the smooth, one-dimensional look of paint but would rather prefer to use artistic or vintage-looking wallpaper instead. With repositionable peel-and-stick wallpaper, you can design your own wallpaper or choose from an original design and know that you'll never be out of stock if you order on demand.
Image Credit: arcwind
Setting up an outdoor space
Perhaps you were especially fond of your old rose garden or vegetable patch, and you're really sad to see it go. Then there's no reason why you can't carry out your vision for an immaculate garden where you go. Simply carry on with the habits you've become so familiar with, and soon it'll feel like you hardly made such a big life change, despite moving on later in life.
Making your new home more accessible
If your new home is not quite suited to your liking in terms of accessibility, this could be your chance to make those smaller wall-to-wall adjustments so that you feel more comfortable. Adding ramps to areas where there may be too many stairs is one example of making your home easy to get around. You may also need to move your existing furniture around so that it creates clear, wide-open spaces to move around and through easily.
Image Credit: Sebastian Scholz (Nuki)
Putting security measures in place
One can never feel too secure at home. Therefore, it can't hurt to ramp up the security at home to give you more peace of mind if you are unfamiliar with the area. You should also ensure that emergency buttons or panic buttons function properly if there are any.
In summary, moving to a new home if you've been settled in an existing one for some time will take a certain amount of getting used to. However, it should be well worth the wait if you've made the necessary adjustments to make it feel like a more familiar version of home for you.
