Moving - A Wonderful Opportunity

Today I'd like to share with you this insightful article written especially for DIYbyDesign by Anna Hicks.  Enjoy!

Many times moving to a new home is seen as a depressing, nerve-wracking, stressful sea change in life. If possible, if you're moving to a new home you should try and view the change as an opportunity to take out a new lease on life, which is to say refresh your home design. After all, one of the main deterrents to home renovation redesign is stagnation and the feeling that things can't be changed. Moving, especially international moving—when you're actually relocating to an entirely new country—is a perfect opportunity to switch up your interior decorating and design:

Change your ambience. It's easy to forget how much the ambience of your home affects the moods of visitors and even yourself. Use moving to a new home as an excuse to experiment with new lighting and color schemes. If you're moving to a city that gets more rain and less sunshine than you're used to, maximize your natural light and use bright colors.

Reduce clutter. It's amazing how much of our homes are monopolized by clutter. Paper, wiring, books, trash, ancient gadgets, unused furniture and other leftovers litter our homes and make entire sections uninhabitable. If you're moving to a new home, create a system for disposing of unused items or new ways to store items. Moving is the perfect time to divest yourself of clutter and start fresh.

Create sanctuaries. Your home should not be a prison; rather, it should be a place of liberation. If you felt claustrophobic in your last home make sure you make your new home a bastion of pleasant spaces. Cultivate a lush home garden; create a relaxing, soulful deck; build an efficient and productive home
office.

Get some plants. Plants and flowers are terribly undervalued as ways to really spruce up your house. Home flora and fauna can bring in fresh smells, colors, oxygen, and can make a stale room beautiful and fragrant. Especially in the case of a new house that may feel barren and alien, a few good plants can make you feel right at home. Check out Ficus Trees, Bonsai, Chinese Evergreen, Herb Topiaries, Orchids and countless other plant and flower arrangements.

Moving to a new home is often a stressful event in life, financially, emotionally, and physically. Use this epic transition in order to effect positive changes in your interior decorating and home design. Turn your new home lease into a new lease on life!

Thanks Anna.  Hope you all have a great day.

-Judy