Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: April 15, 2020
Written by Brooke Faulkner-Guest Contributor
It’s where you’ve made a life. It’s where you raised your children. For decades, it has truly been where your heart was. It’s your home, and you have loved it well. But if there is one constant in life, it’s change. For many of us, there will come a time when the house we have loved for so many years no longer serves us, a time when our once perfect home no longer reflects who we are and what we want and value in this world.
Accepting change is never easy, of course, but moving on doesn’t mean abandoning your precious memories. It doesn’t mean forsaking your former self, either – it merely means letting going of the things that are holding you back, the things that a preventing you from stepping boldly into that future you want. Whether you are a fledgling empty-nester, a recent retiree, or a newly-minted mature single, building your best tomorrow should begin with creating a home that speaks to who you are today.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
As you step into your new life, you may well find that your family home no longer serves your purposes. It may simply be too big for your needs. It may not reflect your current lifestyle or interests. It may just be too expensive or inconvenient to maintain. In that case, you might consider downsizing. Many empty nesters, especially, find themselves opting for condo or apartment living as a way to cut expenses and eliminate maintenance and groundskeeping responsibilities. You may even find that your new life is drawing you out of the suburbs and into the city, where your favorite amenities may be within walking distance.
Best of all, reducing the size of your home doesn’t mean skimping on comfort or style. In fact, a few clever decorating ideas can make the smallest of homes feel palatial. Investing in luxurious seating, sumptuous draperies, and rich, oversized rugscan transform even the most humble apartments into a dwelling fit for a queen.
Declutter to Delight
Whether you’re downsizing your home or just sprucing up your existing one to better reflect your new life, the first and most important thing you can do is declutter. Make no mistake: decluttering doesn’t mean taking a flamethrower to your beloved memorabilia. What it does mean is making room in your life for the things that are truly valuable to you.
To do that might mean feeling ruthless about the things that aren’t as valuable to you now as they used to be. However, decluttering means losing the sentimentality and getting your priorities straight. It means being clear-eyed about what is truly meaningful and that which isn’t, and committing to no longer wasting any more of your precious time, space, or energy on things that don’t truly deserve all of the effort!
Fresh and Orderly
As you’re creating, or recreating, your home to reflect the new you, you not only want to focus on decluttering, but also on getting organized and giving your digs a fresh new feel. Invest in shelves, boxes, and baskets to ensure that everything you’ve chosen to keep after the decluttering tornado has a home that is easy to access when you need it. Don’t go crazy, though. Buy only as many boxes and baskets as you need. After all, you want to end the clutter, not add to it.
Once you’re all decluttered and organized, it’s time to have a little fun. Give your home – old or new – some personal style. Spruce things up a bit. That can mean anything from a new coat of paint on the walls to crisp new bedding to a few cozy throw pillows and coverings to infuse your space with splashes of color. These strategic little touches are inexpensive and easy to do, without adding a bunch of unnecessary stuff. Best of all, throws and bedding are easy to trade out each season or simply whenever you feel bored and want to try something new!
Feng Shui, Anyone?
If you want to create a home that’s not a relic of your past but a promise of your future, then you can’t go wrong by embracing the principles of feng shui. Feng shui, basically, is all about bringing peace and harmony to your space through the use of specific design strategies. This can include everything from the placement of your furniture to the incorporation of plants and other natural elements, such as flowing water. The goal is to create a space that allows your good energy to flow freely, promoting happiness and tranquility.
The Takeaway
Your home may be the truest, most important reflection not only of who you have been, but of who you are and who you strive to be. When you’re moving into a new stage of your life, whether it’s sending your grown children out into the world, entering retirement, or building a new life as a single woman, you want your home to mirror your best self for today, as well as for tomorrow. That may mean downsizing, or it may simply mean sprucing and spicing up your existing digs. No matter how you choose to go about it, though, you owe it to yourself to create a home that carries you forward into your future, rather than dragging you backward into your past.
Author Bio: Brooke Faulkner is a mother of two and animal lover from Portland, Oregon.
