Making a house into a home?

old-fashioned-girl · 30 October 2014 at 2:02PM

I just moved in with my boyfriend and it is a bit of a bachelor pad! I am currently trying to find organised places to put all my stuff but I also want to make it feel a bit more homey ....

What makes a home feel welcoming to you?

Sort of cosy and warm and welcoming! Not up for redecorating at the moment but what else can I do to cosy it up?

It is never going to be a perfect show home as his children are here a lot and we have two dogs and I don't have a huge budget to go buying expensive stuff. There is some lovely stuff in Next but it seems pricey to me!

I think I will have to tone my girlyness down and my room with my parents was very pink and feminine!

Also I have taken a pay cut to change jobs so any practical ways to make the house warmer would be handy too! I just want to come into the house and to think *ah we are home!*

Thank you!

Jenny x

lostinrates · 30 October 2014 at 2:24PM

Here every sofa has something to snuggle under, DH and I curl up together ( with cats and dogs) to watch tv or a film at weekends, or I curl up with the critters through the week. Somewhere to sit and snuggle comfortably is important.

Scent: I fragrance our rooms slightly differently as I clean them. So as we are in the house not only does it smell 'nice' but appropriate to us for the activity or ambience of the room. A favourite flower essential oil of his in his study, a favourite flower of mine in the sitting room, so on.....

Organising: if you are working fewer hours you might be doing more house work....it might be how the linen and stuff was stored doesn't suit you as well as it did him alone. Taking time to arrange stuff in a way that suits you ( and maybe rationalising, lining shelves with paper and putting some soap or lavender or something nice in there) might make tasks more enjoyable for you.

bedlinen: even one set of beautiful, romantic bedlinen, whether your taste is crisp white hotel style, or something more frilly, it sets the scene in your bedroom, and that week always feels happy and inspires a good room clear up. I also find some prettier clothes on hangers on display, not messily, but artfully, can look really nice. I have a sequined top my DH loves to see on a hook we have on the wall as it sends light all around the room like a disco ball which he says is very me.

art: in our kitchen we have a mixture of original art, a print from Royal academy and three art photos that get loads of 'where did you get 'THESE'?. I got them from a Sunday supplement, cut them out carefully and put them in matching budget frames. The frames cost two pounds each.

Hope some of that inspires.

happydays89 · 30 October 2014 at 2:34PM

If you don't mind second hand then charity shops and car boots are great,friends are always saying how cosy our home is,it's nearly all second hand.Our local Red Cross shop had a beautiful black vase with a big bunch of red flowers in for £3,it's now sat in our lounge and looks very expensive.lots of cushions and throws ect make a room look cosy.

bexster1975 · 30 October 2014 at 3:37PM

Hi jenny

Some great ideas already posted. If you want affordable soft furnishings then ikea, dunelm mill or wilkos are a great place to start. Also, most of the big supermarkets have good ranges. I second lost in rates that cosy throws to snuggle under is a great start. A nice reed diffuser will scent the room all the time. Though they are pricey, I am a fan of the white company diffusers and one will last in my living room for 4-5 months. Look out for 15% off codes there and cash back from sites like quidco and they will cost you less than 20 quid.

A place is not homely just because it's perfectly clean and tidy, IMHO in fact if it's too clean and tidy the opposite can be true. It's easy to brighten a room up with cushions etc. and charity shops and car boot sales are a great idea for vases, display bowls etc.

I also agree that lovely bed linen is great ( again the white company have done some spectacular deals in the past) but look out in debenhams, john Lewis etc for high quality linen in the sales. I like nice smellies in the bathroom ( molton brown currently have 25% off) Egyptian cotton towels and great storage but that's just me!

All the best with your new home, there are some great home style mags ( your home / style at home) which are less than 2 pounds each and may give some inspiration.

Bexster

Islandmaid · 30 October 2014 at 3:48PM

Ahh, congratulations

Without sounding trite, what makes a house a home, is the people in it.

Its new for you both, and although I know you want it to be 'perfect', just take your time and let your home evolve together, those little things you choose together are where the memories come from, not the bits you bulk order from Next or any other shop.

Like the other's have said a few bits for cosy nights in when its just the both of you, and maybe some bits to make sure his kids feel comfortable in your new home together.

Good luck and enjoy making your new home x

Maitane · 30 October 2014 at 4:25PM

Hi de hi,

When I first moved away from home, I found that fleeces and cushions were really helpful especially if they're colourful. Mine came from Primark and Ikea but I also picked up some posters, glass things and blue and white pottery from charity shops.

Fleeces night also be good for the kids and the dogs as they'll save certain surfaces.

cherryblossomzel · 30 October 2014 at 4:58PM

Soft furnishings and art? As someone else said, these will have more meaning if you pick them out together, or it comes together sort of organically, rather than just dumping a whole lot of new stuff in the place. Flowers are great too.

Charity shops are great. You have to be patient, because it can be very hit-and-miss, but I am in the process of furnishing a one bed flat almost entirely from second hand stores. Only my mattress, TV and a few kitchen things are new, and to be honest, if could have gotten a lot of that stuff free of freecycle if I had looked.

babychick · 30 October 2014 at 5:13PM

A few photos (black and white if you're feeling arty) of the two of you, your families and pets? Whenever I've moved house it's always been one of the touches that I feel makes a house our 'home'.

maman · 30 October 2014 at 6:53PM

I like flowers (Aldi is very good value) and subdued lighting. So plenty of table lamps and/or candles rather than the overhead light.

dingdongsaving · 30 October 2014 at 7:00PM

Photos, favourite pictures or art work, blankets on the back of sofas/chairs or ready to grab from a nice basket, scented candles & lamps instead of overhead lighting, a fireplace, a good book on the coffee table ready to dip in and out of when the kids sleep & my favourite playlist ready to listen to...ahhh...throw in a cuppa/some slippers and it's "home" for me anywhere!

Enjoy finding what makes you feel snuggled and relaxed. It's so much fun setting up your 1st home together. x

meritaten · 30 October 2014 at 7:23PM

I agree, lots of cushions (males don't quite 'get' cushions), furry or fluffy throws, soft fabrics as curtains etc. all help to make a room feel Cosy and comfortable. what makes it a 'Home' really are the personal items - favourite family pictures or the kids drawings on the fridge.
don't forget either the oldstyle 'room warmers' like home made draught excluders for the doors (small ones work on windows too). Rag Rugs on bedroom floors etc.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Making a house into a home?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free