You’ve probably heard of the saying ‘ don’t move, improve’ and it’s for good reason. There isn’t always the need to move from the home that you have put a lot of effort into over the years, even is you are feeling despondent with it now. There is always the opportunity to improve instead. If you love where you live, but feel as though you are outgrowing it, have a look at these tips first, as they make help you to make simple changes that you make you fall in love again with the property you live in.
Declutter and Reorganise

Houses easily get cluttered over time and they often have furniture that just doesn’t go well with the space it’s in – these may be things you’ve inherited or things that have moved with you from another home. Unless the piece is of real sentimental value, get rid of it.The first key to loving the home that you’re in, is loving all of the things that’s in it.

Have a look at my Home Organisation Time Saving Tips!

The same can be said about excess clutter. Having an excess of things like books, glassware, toys all happen because we constantly buy new things without throwing out the old. Unless you are an academic, you don’t need shelves and shelves of books. Donate them away to a charity shop and keep only the ones that you will read again or that you refer to regularly. Similarly, if you buy a new dinner set, why still keep the old one? Give that away to a charity shop too, if it’s not damaged. Plan to do it on a weekend, start in one corner of the room and work your way around. Don’t procrastinate and be strict with your decluttering. Think about following the principles of biophillic interior design to make your home less cluttered and more connected to nature.

Getting rid of furniture you don’t love, and all clutter from your home, will allow you to really see it with fresh eyes and inspire you to choose new furniture or re-design a room. Not liking the interiors, doesn’t equate to not liking the house.

Relook at Your Layout With Fresh Eyes

One of the best things you can do when you are struggling for space is to relook at your layout. Get some graph paper and measure each room and plot it out. Remember you’re not an architect, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you want to get an architects opinion they may be able to guide you and recommend any changes you need to make. Think about your space with no furniture and think about the purpose of the room. You will be surprised what a difference removing a wall could make or what a difference you’d see if you used a redundant corner of you master room to build an en-suite, for example.

You don’t even need to get building or demolishing, swapping rooms around can work just as well. Obviously your bathrooms and kitchen has specific plumping and electricity needs, but you could easily swap a bedroom and an office around; giving you a new view to look at. Think about the space in your home and if that space is fulfilling its potential.Use The Space In Your Loft

Once you’ve made the changes you need to, to your internal layout, it’s a good idea to move to the loft space. This is worth thinking about both before moving or extending your home. Converting your loft space is not only cheaper than both of these options but it’s also easier as you don’t often need planning permission, nor do you need the time to plan a move. Depending on what space you have in your loft, you could add 1 or 2 bedrooms, a home gym or an office up there.

Take into consideration the head height, the windows that will be needed for natural light and any work that may be needed in order to gain electric and heating in the space you are converting. It may be a good idea to look for architects in your area for advice. Getting the right contractor for your home improvement is the most important thing.

Here are 6 Pinterest Kitchens to Covet

Don’t Forget RedecoratingThis might sound majorly obvious, but don’t dismiss the change that redecorating can make to how you see and feel relaxed in your home. Have a look on Pinterest for some colour and accessory ideas, and switch up the look of some rooms. Adding pops of colour or statement rugs can really bring a room alive and change the vibe. You could also switch carpet to hard wood floors, or vice versa. It’s not expensive to redecorate a couple of rooms and it may just make you fall in love with your house again!

These are just four of the ways you can improve your home instead of moving, but there are others such as extensions or updating an outdated kitchen or bathroom. You have so many more options available to you than the ‘For Sale’ sign.

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