With a little planning, you will succeed in preparing your move in order to feel “at home” as quickly as possible. In collaboration with Brault & Martineau , I give you some tips to better project yourself into your new home. How to make the transition in terms of decoration between one dwelling and another? After all, if we apply the principles of Home Staging to better sell a house, why not apply them also to move in well? Showcasing a property also works for a new tenant or landlord, as you will see with my next tips.
As soon as you have signed for your next apartment or house, you can already start thinking about the layout of your new home.
Preparing for your move
In the weeks preceding the move, proceed piece by piece, sorting out what you want to keep, resell, give away or throw away. A move is the perfect opportunity to get rid of the superfluous. What you won’t have to move saves money (volume to move) and time (unpacking and storage).
During a visit to your future apartment or house, take as many photos and measurements as possible. Note the location of electrical outlets and outlets. Reproduce the plan on free software. I like to use Floorplanner (in English) for basic plans or Home Design 3D , a French application that works on any type of support.
Have fun placing the furniture you already have, especially the bigger ones. Find a similar model in the software and modify its dimensions to fit your furniture. Consider changing the furniture you own. Once the bigger items are placed, you’ll start to see more clearly what you can keep or what you need to buy. The 3D visualization option is particularly practical to help project yourself.
Before embarking on new purchases, make an inspiration board that will help you better visualize the atmosphere you want to create in your new home. The Pinterest site is an excellent source of inspiration and you will sometimes find an example in a photo that will be a trigger for your future decor.
It may be more upscale decor, but you can take inspiration from finding similar furniture in more accessible stores, like this furniture from Brault & Martineau used to replicate my inspiration photo.
To avoid unnecessarily moving things you don’t want to keep, plan several weeks to put them up for sale on the classifieds or on Facebook Marketplace. Organize a garage sale. All the money collected can be well invested in new decorative elements.
The choice of a new sofa is to be considered to optimize the layout of your living room. If you’re moving into a smaller space, consider multifunctional furniture and plenty of storage. You don’t have to buy all your furniture right away. Prioritize what you will use the most, such as the beds , sofa , and dining room table .
If the former occupants give you access to the accommodation in advance, it would be wise to have the major structural work carried out before moving in. As a priority: major reconfigurations (partitions, kitchen or bathroom) or the change of ceramics and floors.
One of the cheapest ways to decorate a new apartment is to paint. If you can get it painted before you move in, you’ll appreciate a refreshed and bright ambiance.
My advice: don’t rush for the bright color choices. As in Home Staging, favor neutral colors. You will consider the colored accent walls after placing your furniture
If the sorting has not been done before, now is the time to put aside what you want to keep, what can be given away and what is too damaged. Do not store in your new kitchen what was previously useless to you.
As you unpack your boxes and put them away in each room, make a list of the items and accessories you are missing. Make a shopping budget and stick to it.
My renovation thing after moving in
Everyone is familiar with procrastination and always putting off the last little details to finally make the new house livable.
Book as soon as possible, several months in advance, a handyman who will come and install the chandeliers, the shelves or the missing plinths. In short, the famous things that we end up no longer seeing and that hang around for years.
