Finding a home can be a strangely subjective experience. You can live in many different places, sometimes for years at a time, without ever feeling as though you are home. While you may eventually find yourself somewhere that instinctively feels that way, it is also possible to cultivate a sense of home wherever you are, even if you know you will be moving on eventually.
Make it Your Own
It can be easy to live in a place for a long time and always think of yourself as someone who is just passing through if you are stuck with the choices of the previous owner. If you’ve always hated that orange tile in the bathroom and the giant island in the middle of the kitchen that no one ever uses, why not change it? If you are worried about how you will pay for upgrades, you may be able to borrow against your house with home equity loans or a home equity line of credit. You can review a guide about how to do this and find out what your best rates are likely to be.
Connect with Others
One of the best ways to feel more like a space belongs to you is to anchor yourself to it with good memories of others. Get to know your neighbors. Invite your friends over for a dinner party to check out a new healthy recipe. When the place where you live starts to fill up with recollections of fun times with people that you care about, you’ll be surprised at how quickly those associations make it feel less like just another place where you sleep at night and more like a place that is truly home.
Explore What Home Is
It might be an interesting experiment to think about what home means to you. For some people, it might mean a place that their family has been connected to for a long time. For others, it might mean the place where their books are or a place where they feel especially safe. Still others may have a place in mind that they have always imagined as their perfect dwelling, whether that is a suburban house, a cabin in the country or a city apartment. Eventually, this exercise might mean that you figure out how to be comfortable where you are or that you set a goal of moving to a place that you will truly love.
Know Your Space
Another important element in making a place feel like home is becoming very familiar with it. This can mean slowing down and paying attention if you are the kind of person who is normally only back at your house long enough to sleep before heading out again. The way the sun comes in the kitchen window in the morning, the birds that visit your backyard, even the way a certain board always creaks when you step on it can all become familiar sights and sensations. Making your place comfortable, ensuring that there are plenty of places to sit or lie down and that it is warm in winter and cool in summer will also go a long way toward making it feel like home. If you want an upgrade and even more better experience, it might be the best time for you to have a deck and screened porch contractors visit your lovely home.