From House to Haven: Crafting Your Own Unique Space

Your house is more than a place to live. It’s the place you call your own, where you should feel most comfortable and where you can create lasting family memories. It should reflect who you are and what you want your guests to feel when they arrive.

Whether you’ve built a new house or are in a house you’ve lived in for many years, it’s never too early or too late to create your own unique space. The key is knowing what you want, creating a plan, and taking the steps to create your haven.

How to Make Your House a Haven in 9 Steps

If you have a blank canvas staring at you, wondering how you’ll turn a plain house into a welcoming haven can seem overwhelming. It may seem even worse if you already have clutter and items throughout the house without any method to your madness.

No matter where you stand, here are nine steps to easily take your house to haven.

Define your Style

There are many styles to choose from, and most homes don’t mix and match to keep a cohesive look. Take the time to decide what style warms your heart and makes you feel like this is home. A few common ideas include farmhouse, Victorian, modern, minimalist, and traditional.

You can even create your own style—no one says you have to do what already exists. The key is to find the style you like and work around it. This is a crucial first step, as it will guide the remaining eight steps below.

Choose your Color Palette

The style you choose will guide your color choices, but you still have hundreds of options within each color. Choose a palette for the entire home, and then you can select different variations for each room or choose one cohesive color; it depends on the style you want.

Sticking to a specific palette avoids the ‘rainbow’ feeling throughout your home and makes it feel more quaint. You’ll have a distinct color and style throughout your home that ensures each room blends together and makes it feel like one instead of having individual rooms that don’t go well together.

Carefully Select Lighting

Strategic lighting can take your room from ordinary to extraordinary! They can amplify a room’s décor, make a room look larger, or just give it the vibe you desire. Look at various lighting types for the style you chose for your house and play with different options, from table lamps to ceiling lights and everything in between.

Think not only about the style the lamps offer but also about the ambiance they create. They should be the focal point in most rooms and contribute to the desired feel.

Focus on your Kitchen – The Heart of the Home

Your kitchen is likely the heart of the home. It’s where everyone gathers and where you may spend a lot of time creating meals and memories for your family. Be sure it’s a space you are comfortable in and has the amenities needed to create your memories.

Think functional while creating your kitchen, including ample space for eating, chatting, and cooking. Focus on countertops, appliances, room for a table, and plenty of seating. Ensure there is enough room for the size of your family and the number of people you anticipate cooking or preparing at one time in the kitchen.

Create Relaxing Living Spaces

Think of all the functions you want your home to have besides the obvious: eating and sleeping. Do you want specific rooms to have specific opportunities, such as a reading nook, a place to relax in the sun, or a room for friends and family to gather?

Give each room a ‘goal’ and center your design around it. This will help you choose furniture, colors, room layout, and overall décor.

Focus on Themes in Bedrooms and Bathrooms

Even the bedrooms and bathrooms need themes and ideas. For example, the master bath can be a room for complete relaxation, giving it a spa-like feeling, or you can create a minimalist room set up for you to get up and out quickly. It depends on the vibe you want to create.

The same is true of bedrooms. Are you looking for cozy, luxury hotel-like vibes in your guest rooms, or is each room meant for your children? What about the master bedroom? Think about the vibe you want in there. For example, some people go completely minimalistic to ensure they can unwind and go to sleep, while others create a room that reflects their personality.

Choose your Furniture

After designing each room, it’s time to fill it with furniture! Stick with the style you’ve chosen for the house when looking for furniture, and don’t overfill each room. You can always add more later if you feel there isn’t enough.

Focus on what you want to feel in each room. For example, if your goal is comfort, focus on that theme when filling each room with furniture. But if you’re looking for a more luxurious vibe that is less about comfort and more about looks, you’ll choose different types of furniture.

Fill in with Décor

After choosing the furniture, you can begin personalizing the home with your décor. Remember your chosen style and stick with décor that fits each room you’ve designed. Again, don’t overdo it; you can always add more if you feel it’s not enough.

Create Spaces for Organization

Don’t forget about the organization. Ensure each room has a spot that allows you to keep the necessary items. Clutter takes away from any design, no matter how luxurious. Built-in shelves and hidden spots for organization are a great way to make each room look its best.

How to Make Your House Dreams Come True

So now you know the nine steps to creating a haven out of your house, but how do you make these dreams come true? It’s a long list and a lot to accomplish!

Here’s how.

Create a Master List

Start by creating a master list. This list should have EVERYTHING you want to accomplish in the house on one list. Don’t let it overwhelm you. This is your list of goals or where you want to be when you are all done.

Spoiler alert: You may never be done because we’re all guilty of constantly changing ideas and wanting new things.

Keep this list handy, and as you achieve some of your goals, you can cross them off. It’s incredibly satisfying to look at once you’ve achieved some of your goals.

This also helps keep your style in check. You won’t get caught up in new trends or styles and suddenly have different styles in each room. The master list ensures everything fits where it should and will show you any red flags if you make decisions that don’t fit the mold.

Create a Room List

Next, break down your list into rooms. This allows you to focus on the aspect of each area you want to change and decorate. Have the overall style you want for the room, plus the color palette and any other ideas you have.

You can update this list as you go if you come up with new ideas. You can also prioritize these lists so you work on the rooms that are most important to you first.

Choose One to Two Projects and Track your Progress

With your lists complete, it’s time to start your projects! Select one or two (no more) to start. Grab the list from each room and decide how to tackle the jobs. If the jobs are big, including repairs or painting, consider doing both rooms at once so you can get all the physical labor done at one time.

Next, focus on the layout and style of the room, filling it with furniture and décor. As you move down the list, cross off what you’ve accomplished so you can see your progress. If you have setbacks, pull back and wait until you can complete the next steps on the list before moving on to another room.

Manage your Budget to Prepare for the Next Phases

Throughout the décor process, be sure to watch your budget. Have a set budget for renovating your home and see how it fits your plans. If you can’t make something happen quite yet because of your budget, take a step back, save for it, and then move on to the next task.

Revisit your budget often to see if you need to make any changes, either for the better or worse. Making your house a haven isn’t a race; you can work on it for many years, perfecting it while ensuring you stick within your budget.

Give Yourself Grace

Creating the house you desire is a BIG project. It will have its ups and downs. The key is to stay organized, have lists, and give yourself grace. If something doesn’t go as planned, chalk it up to a learning lesson and work around it.

You may find that you like other styles or make different choices when different things arise. Keep updating those lists, tracking your progress, and reveling in the progress you’ve made in creating your haven.

Final Thoughts

Your house won’t look like anyone else’s because it is YOURS. The key is to determine what you want. This step alone could take a long time. Do some soul searching and create the master list that allows you to create plans for the most amazing house that makes you fall in love again every time you step through the door.

With time, patience, and a carefully planned budget, you can create the home of your dreams, even if the outside looks like all the other houses on the block. It’s what’s inside that matters the most for you and your family!