Make Your House More "Homey" | homemaking

I am on a personal quest to make my house more organized and to make it feel more like a home; welcoming and functional! Join me on this task!

*disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links or may be a paid post. This post is of my own opinions!

While we have been home most of the past year, with what seems like no end in sight, I have been longing to add to the coziness to our home, and the organization! I know I am not alone on this one, as our local home improvement stores can attest to this statement. Blame it on having to be home more, growing and busier children, or the home renovation and organization shows.

It's binge watching anything home related, for me. 

Honesty. I have this real desire to throw everything out, and start fresh with a minimalist mindset. My husband gives me an eye roll and just listens to my crazy ideas, some make sense, some are totally not feasible! I now know that I cannot remove a certain wall, and that I cannot add on a back patio (hello, septic tank!). SIGH. 

But, I have found some ways to work towards my goal of having a “more homey” living space. Some are really simple, and budget friendly, if not free. Some are more of an investment. But, aren’t our homes supposed to be an investment? I feel like your home is not only a financial investment, but an emotional investment for ourselves and our family.

I want my house to feel happy, stress free and welcoming when we come home. How is that? I want my family to be happy here, I want them to come home and feel fresh and renewed when they walk in the door. To me a stress free home is a home full of love and lacking major amounts of clutter; clutter and messy floors and counters. Anyone else feel that way? 

How can you add to the “homey-ness” of your home?
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odecluttering

Start with decluttering, first. This is free, and can sometimes allow you to make a few extra dollars, consign baby and kids items, or sell items at a yard sale or on social media sites that allow it; just remember to follow the guidelines set by that platform or group admins. Donate items to second hand stores, or to someone in need.

Let go of items you have not used in six to twelve months, things that do not bring you joy, things that do not serve you well or how you expected. Don’t be afraid to let it go. If you have not touched it in years, you probably never will. (Speaking from experience, here!) Also, if you do not have the room to store a certain item, either find a way to store it or consider letting it go.

organize

Everything should have a place. And if it doesn’t or you can’t find a place, refer to the decluttering section! This can be really simple, and you can invest as little or as much as you’d like into this project. Organizing to me, is about making items fit, but functionally. Organize cleaning products, clear out old products, have more than one bottle of a product, mix them together, if you can (only the same products- don’t mix chemicals!) Organize child’s books by color, think the rainbow, this will help them learn to put things back where they go, too. Create a space for board games, DVDs, crafts, seasonal decor, and so on. 

Knowing everything in your house has a place will automatically make your home more welcoming and calming. If you are like me, that is soothing in itself.

color change

Part of taking care of our homes is updating paint colors. A good coat of fresh paint can do a lot to a room or house even. This not only makes you have a fresh look on a room, it helps that room be more clean, feel clean and smell fresh. While this is a small investment financially and work wise, it is a great place to start investing into your house, one wall at a time.

When we first bought our house, the master bathroom was blood red. Not even a pretty wine, blood red. That was the first thing to go. That bathroom felt so overwhelming and honestly just made me feel anxious. We painted it a light blue, changed out the shower and vanity (the vanity hit right at knee level on my husband, so it was not going to work for us!), and it is like an entirely new bathroom. It is honestly my favorite bathroom, maybe even my favorite room. Okay, I kid, but it is light and airy and that is welcoming in my book.

decor

This can be super simple, but can add up, quickly. A few ways to add to the coziness of rooms, throws, throw pillows, a nice rug, mirrors (can add more light to a room if positioned correctly), lamps and so on. 

I like to start with a nice throw blanket- or two. Now, my family loves “blankies”, so this is a given for us. I also love a good rug. A rug can make or break a room; they can also add the appearance of light and darkness to a room. 

Once again, this can add up financially. Check discount stores and more for deals to help you save money for larger investments.

CLICK COUNTERTOPS

A larger investment that can add to the quality and coziness of our home are countertops. I know that sounds crazy, how can counters be cozy. Well, technically, they are probably not cozy, but they do add a lot of quality to our kitchens and bathrooms, or laundry rooms for that matter. The right color(s) chosen for your countertops, can make your kitchen more than the room you cook in, it can make it THE room you gather in; the room you entertain your friends and family, the room everyone just stays in. 

The Johns Creek Quartz countertops company can help you find the best countertops for your project. They are completely consumer focused, from price to quality, in a timely fashion, too. The business owners of Click Countertops are highly invested, so they are confident in their system and products, and want to see that their customers get exactly what they are looking for. They even offer a limited lifetime warranty. 

These are just some ideas for your journey, the most important thing is to make wise investments (countertops, flooring, etc), and discover what works for you and your family!