If you follow me on Instagram then you know I just purchased my very first home! It is a cozy 3 bedroom home next to a beautiful historic downtown. I have thoroughly enjoyed working over the past few months to make this house feel like home. Let me tell you- it is difficult to prioritize which project comes first! Below are the best tips I can possibly think of to get you started!

Surround Yourself In Comfortable Items

In your youth (ie. when in college, etc.), you might have old, scratchy couches and other furniture items that were bought secondhand from a thrift store or even through the Facebook marketplace. Sure, maybe the furniture was clean and sufficient for its purpose, but it wasn’t until you bought some super soft throw blankets to adorn said pieces that it became your favorite place to nap and relax. Does that sound familiar?

My point is that a cozy blanket (or other cozy items) can go a long way toward making any space more peaceful and inviting, and it’s easy to find a snuggle-worthy throw at any budget. Look into purchasing a weighted blanket if you suffer from anxiety or stress. These popular bedding accessories place a gentle amount of pressure on your body to make you feel calmer and increase relaxation. You could also get a heated blanket for the upcoming winter months. There are so many options and you do not have to stop at just blankets. Think: pillows, soft rugs, long, flowy drapes that add a sense of warmth and coziness to the room, and more.

Bring In Memories

The best way to bring in memories? Hang up your pictures! I know some people fear putting holes in their wall. I am definitely not one of them; you can patch a tiny nail hole in about four seconds. Also, I almost always get someone else to hang things because they are more than likely way more of a perfectionist than I am, so things end up hanging much straighter and more evenly if I hire the job out/find someone else to do it for me. So I guess tip #1 is actually “Find someone to hang pictures quickly to bring in memories.” No matter what the house looks like when you first move in, you have pictures on the wall and it truly makes it feel so much more at home.

Make It Smell Nice

Each house always has its individual scent. Candles, essential oils, dogs, food, laundry detergent, or whatever else it might be. While the scent of your home (or yourself, for that matter) isn’t really noticeable to yourself, when you get a new home, you will pick up on that new scent and it might not smell like “home.” The good thing about this? It is a really easy fix! Whatever smells you like – include them in your new home! Love the smell of an all natural beeswax candle? Burn one! Prefer essential oils? Start diffusing! This is so quick and easy to do and it’s an automatic way to make it feel (or smell, I guess) like home.

Unpack And Work On Organization

“Women who described their homes as “cluttered” or full of “unfinished projects” were more depressed, fatigued, and had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than women who felt their homes were “restful” and “restorative,” according to a study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. It’s no wonder: When you come home to piles of things, loads of boxes to unpack, or a list of To Dos, it may prevent the natural decline in cortisol that occurs over the course of the day, researchers say. This, in turn, can take a toll on your mood, sleep, health, and more. Taking the time to tackle those unpacked boxes, piles of laundry, sort through stacks of papers, and spruce up your space won’t just clear away the physical stuff, it’ll actually help you feel happier and more relaxed in your new home. You definitely want to make sure that you feel great after you move in, so before you officially move in all of your things, do a run through of the house and see what you need to make sure that you will be able to get organized immediately after unpacking everything.

Do Some Exciting Updates

Last but not least, do some exciting updates that you are looking forward to, such as re-doing your bathroom, buying new decor, adding additional landscaping, or installing kitchen quartz countertops in Alpharetta. Click Countertops can help you with that last update and they make it so insanely easy for you. Based out of Alpharetta, GA, Click Countertops has over 20 years of experience in the stone fabrication and countertop industry. They say, “We have owned and managed companies that have performed & delivered well over 500,000 countertops installations. Needless to say, we know this industry better than most.” That is just one of the reasons why they are the best in Atlanta: they truly know their stuff AND provide amazing customer service. In fact, their entire goal is to provide the best service that they possibly can. Why? Because the business owners of Click Countertops are personally invested and have a lot of skin in the game. Their future success & livelihood relies on their customers’ satisfaction. This means that when you call, the phone will get answered, and they are not going to leave a customer hanging, which, unfortunately, has become a normal practice in a lot of contracting trades. The lack of professionalism, communication, and service with traditional contractors results in a lot of frustration and aggravation for consumers like you. Click Countertops will relieve that frustration and only bring joy and excitement! The perfect way to get beautiful new countertops while enjoying your new home.