Developing Your New Home’s Aesthetic

In 2016, 11.2 percent of Americans moved, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. While most of the physical labor is done once you finally carry that loveseat up two flights of stairs to your new apartment, there’s still some work left.

Don’t worry, though, as a lot of this stuff involves more thinking than heavy lifting. You’ll need to develop a sense of style for your new place. Here are three ways to figure out what kind of aesthetic you want to create inside your home.

“Moving to a new home?

You’ll need to develop a sense of style

for your new place and decide what

kind of aesthetic you want to

create inside your home.”

Question your previous choices

A move is a great time to stop using whatever furniture and home decor you’ve got lying around. Sure, this approach worked well enough when you were fresh out of college and couldn’t afford to replace that old couch you snagged when you were twenty. But you aren’t twenty anymore, and your home is all the better for that.

If you’ve outgrown certain items, that’s OK. Posters and wall prints are more likely to need replacing than other home decor. For instance, that poster of a band you liked 12 years ago probably isn’t all that relevant to your current life. By the time you’re thirty, certain priorities have shifted.

You should be able to invest in fairly luxurious sheets as well as pillows that actually support you. These can both look nice and feel nice. And if your mattress isn’t comfortable, then what are you waiting for? Sleeping on it more isn’t going to make it more comfortable; get a new mattress. You can order online or stop by a local mattress store.

Realize “brand new” isn’t always better

While some things are worth a bit of a splurge (like the bed and sheets mentioned above), not everything has to brand new and right out of the box. Take your TV, for instance. If you’re one of the millions who have cut the cable cord, then you can take that money you’re saving and spend it on a better TV than what you’ve got. But “better” doesn’t have to mean something from a big box retailer a couple miles down the road.

It also doesn’t mean you have to buy an old TV from a garage sale. Look into buying from retailers who specialize in wholesale electronics. These are often liquidated merchandise from big companies who no longer have any use for these particular models. They could be items that were opened but not used, which means they can’t be sold as new anymore.

But that doesn’t mean there’s a lot of wear and tear on these liquidated items. You can have a modern living room with a modern flat-screen TV without spending half your paycheck.

Seek out inspiration everywhere

There’s no rule that says you have to buy home decor magazines to figure out a certain “look” for your new home. If you want to go with a particular theme, you can find plenty of inspiration in both expected and unexpected places.

If you go to a cool new cafe in town and notice the employees are hanging rolled canvas prints instead of framed photos, you can copy that (although you should use your own photos, not the ones in the cafe).

Cheap canvas prints look a little sleeker than traditional photos. With canvas prints, it’s easier to combine images and create murals. You have a little more room to express yourself through this medium, and really, that’s what decorating a new home should be all about: expressing yourself.

When people walk into your house, you want them to think that yes, this seems like your home. It doesn’t just seem like a place you’re crashing at until something better comes along. Instead, your own sense of personality should shine through in every room.

What are your favorite tips for developing your new home’s aesthetic?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.