When work or daily life gets a bit tough, it feels good to return home. But rushing around to fit in errands and dealing with family matters can leave little time to keep the house looking its best. And if your home looks messy or feels a bit shabby, it’s easy to fall out of love with it.
So, how do you create a home that you’ll love to return to? Here’s a few tips to make your house a ‘home’ once more.
Create a welcoming entrance
When you return home and see the front of your house, you want to feel as though you’re being welcomed home. And coming in through the front door should bring a smile to your face.
So, how do you achieve that welcome feeling? Well, it’s not one thing but a combination of factors. A bright and well-cared-for front door is a good start. If your door is a bit dated, why not think about swapping it for something more modern and attractive? Quality door furniture and an attractive seasonal wreath will also perk it up.
Placing matching small trees or shrubs in neat pots at either side of the door and adding a welcome mat will add to your entrance’s appearance.
Once inside, your hallway should match the welcoming and attractive frontage. So fit sophisticated flooring that’s easy-to-clean and durable, such as luxury vinyl or tiles. You should also freshen up walls with a bright or warming paint colour.
Organise coats on hooks and shoes on racks and if you’ve got space add a console table where you can pop pictures of loved ones or place a bunch of flowers as a treat for yourself.
Make your home warm and cosy
Of course, creating a home you’ll want to return to, doesn’t simply end at the doorway. Making sure the rest of your home is welcoming is a bigger task, but it’s well worth it.
A warm and cosy home is a much easier place to relax in, enabling you to unwind properly, and that’s definitely somewhere you want to be.
There are lots of improvements you can make that will make a big difference to how your home feels. Fitting an underfloor heating system is a good way to warm your rooms evenly and efficiently, giving you a snug feeling wherever you sit. Add some thermally lined curtains and block out those annoying draughts, and you’ll soon be pretty cosy.
Having somewhere comfy to sit when you get home, is essential. An overstuffed sofa or a couple of snuggle chairs topped with scatter cushions and woolly throws, will give you somewhere to hunker down after a long day.
Keep clutter at bay
One thing that most family homes struggle with at some point is clutter. With a lack of time, a lot of stuff and little space, it’s no wonder. But there are ways to help keep clutter at bay so you can reclaim your space and the home you love.
Firstly, it’s a good idea to have a clear proper out. You and your family will need to set aside some time to do this, but once it’s done things will be a whole lot easier. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to see where you’re really lacking in storage space and different spaces will need different solutions. For kids toys it may be stackable storage boxes and cube storage units. For clothes it may mean utilising the space under the bed for extra storage.
Go through the house and look for unused spaces you can turn into spaces for storage too. Under the stairs and fireside alcoves are ripe for utilising. Window seat storage benches and coffee tables with hidden storage are good multipurpose options. Once your house is looking less cluttered, it’ll feel cleaner and more spacious. A place you want to return home to.