After an extensive search you found your new home and are ready to move. It’s an exciting time and an opportunity to think about how to design your new home after moving. It’s best to pre-plan as much as possible before the movers show up to pack up all of your things and get you settled into your new house, condo or apartment. Here are some tips and resources to help you with designing your new home.

Take Stock of Your Furnishings in Designing A New Home After You Move

In designing a new home, think about how you want your place to look and whether you want to redefine your style before you make the move. Look at your furniture pieces and envision how each will work in your new space. Consider doing an initial sort, getting rid of excess stuff and clutter. You may also want to purchase a few new pieces to replace those you’ve outgrown or that no longer fit in with your design vision or the space.

In designing a new home after moving, take a look at your paintings and photography, area rugs, and knick-knacks, too. Do you still want everything you own? Will they work with your new vision? If not, before making the move, consider what you’d like to sell or donate. You can opt to have a garage sale or sell items online (via Craigslist, LetGo, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace, for example) to get some extra cash for the pieces you plan on purchasing.

Use Change-of-Address Retail Coupons in Your New Home Design Move

When filing a change of address from the Post Office, remember you’ll get a package of moving coupons from retailers like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Lowes, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, The Shade Store, West Elm, Wayfair, and many others. Discounts typically range from 10%-20% and can add up to significant savings on home furnishings, rugs, bedding, pillows, dinnerware, etc. Keep these handy for future purchases when designing your home.

Look at Home Décor Magazines On- and Offline for Ideas

Get ideas of what you like by going through home decorating magazines like Elle Décor, Veranda, Country Living, House Beautiful, Real Simple, Dwell and Better Homes & Gardens. Choose color trends, window treatments, and furniture placement ideas that appeal to you. Make storyboards of what you like, including a color palette and the type of furniture and accents that will make your design vision a reality.

Online Design Services Available for When You Move

Free online room design tools and advice are also available, including from Better Homes & Gardens, Find Any Floor, West Elm, and Pottery Barn, Better Homes & Gardens, Find Any Floor, West Elm, and Pottery Barn, to name just a few resources. Or, you may want to consider paying for an online interior design service like Modsy. Just email them photos of the new space layout, tell them about your project, lifestyle, and budget and they will send you a 3-D design of the room with furniture and decor along with discounts on the products from retailers.

Getting Your Home Design On In Your Move

Clean your new place thoroughly – from top to bottom. This is a great way of making you feel more at home and seeing what you may want to change. Get the dishes, cutlery and pots and pans unwrapped and put away. Then get to work on your bedrooms where downtime happens, focusing on inviting and comfortable bedding and window treatments. If you’re an early riser, consider having lightly colored window treatments that don’t block out too much of the sun. If you wake up later in the morning, you may opt for darker tones and better coverage on your windows.

Be Thoughtful and Intentional in Your Home Design After Moving

Before you start arranging furniture and hanging paintings and pictures in a particular room, think about how each room will be used. For example, will your living room be primarily functional with a comfy sofa and television or will it be used mostly for entertaining friends and family or both? If you have a room that will serve more than one purpose, for instance, a living and dining room, look at how you can best divide the space. Rugs, dividers, or a bookcase help separate a space without interrupting the room flow.

In looking to buy additional or replacement furniture for a specific room, avoid purchasing sets such as matching sofas or side tables. Having contrast gives a room more life. Also, add some texture in the rooms like fuzzy pillows on a couch or textured wallpaper in the living or dining room.

If you’re considering painting a particular room or just adding a pop of color to one wall, get some samples and see what shades will work with the furnishings you may be keeping or have just purchased. Once you choose the color, go for it.

Add your family photos and other mementos to make your new place a home.
Consider how to design a new home after moving – whether into a large home or studio apartment. Make this an opportunity to start anew in your ‘home sweet home’.