Congratulations! You’re a homeowner! It’s been a long time coming, but here you are! You’ve signed all your paperwork, picked up your key, and now all the belongings you’ve accrued over your lifetime thus far are sitting in a moving van in the driveway, just waiting to be moved right in. This is most certainly the most fun part, but by no means does that mean it’ll be easy. Moving never is, but moving into a space that’s entirely your own? And making it your own? If you’re feeling a little lost, try starting with the little tips we’ve outlined below.

Making a house a home is all about making space for things that bring you joy. Let yourself be bold and colourful and unabashedly you.

1. Start with the big…

First and foremost, you’re going to want to figure out roughly where you’d like to place all your larger pieces of furniture. This way, you’ll be able to get a head start on emptying out the moving van, as well as give yourself a basic understanding of the layout of each room in your new home. Pull out all your armchairs, drawers and cabinets, tables, and chairs, and identify what rooms they’ll be likely to occupy. Your bathroom and kitchen space won’t be a major focus during this preliminary step as setting up these rooms is largely about sorting out their storage. Prioritise your living and bedroom spaces first to ensure that you can feel comfy and at home even on moving day.

2….then add a personal touch

Once you’ve decided where your larger pieces of furniture will go, it’s time to get a little bit more personal with your space by paying some thought to where you’d like to hang or display some photos, personal decor, and other keepsakes. Making a house a home is all about making space for things that bring you joy. Let yourself be bold and colourful and unabashedly you. Whilst some designers may say that this step should be further down the list and that adhering to a theme is a higher priority, we say don’t put yourself in a box! In fact, expressing yourself at this early stage allows you total peace from having to worry about whether or not your space is currently cohesive. It won’t be cohesive until you’ve fully unpacked, so you might as well put out what you really want first, and then just decorate around those elements. Family and van Gogh prints come first in this household!

3. Prioritize functionality

Now that you’ve taken a minute to make the space feel truly your own, it’s finally time to think about how you can best organize your living spaces to be optimally functional. This naturally means different things to different people, so be sure to think about who or what your home environment would need to cater for. Are you going to be doing a lot of hosting? If so, make sure there are plenty of cozy spaces for your guests to feel at home. You could potentially even transform an available room into a guest bedroom, and have it fitted with amenities for any overnight guests.

If you’re not interested in playing the host too often, focus on boosting the functionality of your kitchen and bathroom spaces. Look for ways that you can maximize your kitchen space, such as adding shelving and hanging pot racks, and using cupboard organisers to keep this space highly functional and less prone to clutter.

4. Experiment with select design styles

Finally, it’s time to let yourself think about what design styles you’d like to incorporate into your home environment. It’s okay if you’ve secretly been doing this final step from the moment you first laid eyes on your new home, or perhaps even the moment you decided to become a homeowner. The reason why experimentation comes last is simply because this is a step that honestly may never be completed. It’s important to remember that this space is your own, and like yourself, it should be flexible to change. Consider incorporating elements from multiple different design styles and creating a space that’s unique to you.

And don’t worry too much if you can’t quite pin down exactly how to describe your home’s style. So long as your loved ones exclaim that ‘it’s so you!’ upon their first visit, you’ll know you’ve done a superb job.