Moving into a larger home: What to do with all this space?

A lot of people are excited about the prospect of moving into a larger home. When they get there, they realize they don’t know what to do with all that space! Don’t feel overwhelmed by your larger home and make the mistake of rushing off to fill it up. Here is how to cope with the adjustment of living in a larger home.


Make a floor plan before you move-in
One of the biggest problems of up-sizing homes is that your old furniture probably will seem inadequate. Do yourself a favor and download a floor planning app or program. This will allow you to see exactly how your furniture will fit in the new space. You might find that, with some creative planning, you can make your old furniture work in the larger space such as by putting the sofa at a diagonal instead of flat against the wall. If you’re old furniture will absolutely not work in the new home, and then get rid of it before you move. This will save you the hassle and expense of moving the furniture.


Get curtains made ASAP
Curtains are one of the top priorities after moving into a new home. You need your privacy after all with larger homes, curtains can also do wonders to fill up all that blank space on walls and make the room feel cozier. Do these before you start on any decorating?


Don’t decorate just yet
While some people enjoy the minimalist approach, most of us who are used to living in small homes get intimidated by all that blank space on walls. Resist the urge to start hammering nails and putting stuff all over the walls. You need to wait at least a couple weeks after you finish unpacking to start decorating walls. This will give you time to come up with a plan for what you want to do.


Utilize free and cheap decor
Visit your local thrift shop or check out ads on Craigslist. You can probably find a lot of beautiful, stylish furniture and decor for your home at very low prices (or even for free). Again, take your time! There is no reason to buy the first thing you see just because you feel the urge to fill up all that space. By taking things slowly, you can make sure you get the home you really want.


Consider scale
Does your new home have high ceilings? Then you will need to keep things in scale by having taller bookshelves and furniture. Instead of buying new furniture, see if you can make the furniture seem taller such as by putting vases or sculptures on top of the bookshelf.


Anchor small items with one over-sized item
Your small end tables and lamps might have been perfect in your old home, but they seem dwarfish in your bigger home. If you rely on all these small pieces for decorating your large home, it will seem cluttered and chaotic. Buy one over-sized centerpiece item (such as a large sectional sofa) and use it to anchor your smaller pieces. With this approach, the oversize item will become the centerpiece and the smaller items will be accents.