What is a “forever home?” I’m sure you’ve come across this term on the internet, or in design books or magazines. As defined from those sources a forever home is your last home. The home you plan to live in until your life comes to a close. There is a sense of permanency and settledness that these dwellings have.
For many of us, this idea of a forever home is closely linked to our “dream home.” It has the perfect layout; a floor plan perfectly suited to our family and lifestyle. The colors and style are perfectly “us” and we have filled it with our favorite decor and furniture.
This idea of a forever home can seem like an ethereal dream to many of us. Something unreachable, and especially unaffordable. But it doesn’t have to be.
None of us know the future. Is the home we are in now going to be our forever home? Will there be an inherited forever home in our future? Maybe you will slowly graduate from a “starter” home to an intermediate home, to your forever home? Or perhaps your forever home will be a fixer-upper or a custom build. Whatever path you are on there are ways to move towards your forever home today.
Move towards your forever home in two simple ways: the structure and the stuff.
Forever Home Structure: Getting the bones right.
No matter which of the homes or life stages that we listed above you find yourself in you can improve the structure of your current home. I can hear your resistance… Should we invest time and money into remodeling the home we’re in if it’s merely a stepping stone to the home we want? Shouldn’t we wait till we are living in our “forever home” to invest in these upgrades? We can’t take it with us anyway… right? I hear you and I get it.
Investing in our current homes has several benefits. We increase the pleasure of living in our homes on a daily basis. The value of our home is increased. We gain “practice” for how we want to live in our eventual landing place. We can experiment with the ideas we are dreaming of now so to see how they work in a living home. For example: you’ve always imagined having a fully stocked coffee & tea bar with all the bells and whistles. Well, the idea is that you can create a version of that coffee bar now and see how it works in your real life. The opportunity to live as you imagine in your forever home is right before you and by creating some version of your “forever home lifestyle” you can gauge what is realistic and what’s not. So, while we can’t take the structural upgrades with us, we can learn from the experiences, and take the acquired construction and DIY skills with us.
You don’t have to embark on a major remodel to make your current home more enjoyable. You may not want to move walls or swap rooms around but you can add simple upgrades. This means simply improving the boxes we call rooms. Consider your ceilings, walls, and floors.
Ceilings: Treating the Fifth Wall
This surface should be considered the fifth wall. There are many possibilities here that are often overlooked. The ceiling sets the perceived height of the room. A highly lacquered ceiling painted a light color will lift the heavy feeling and give a lovely reflection of the lighting. Or, if you have a higher ceiling you can DIY a coffered ceiling to add rich texture and character to your room. If the ceilings are low and slanted this could be your opportunity to add cozy cottage wallpaper and beams. Even if you are renting you can find ways to improve your ceilings ~ even if you just give them a fresh coat of paint.
To upgrade the ceiling in our guest bedroom Matt hung bead board, then trimmed out the room and finished it off with a ceiling rose over the vintage chandelier (which replaced an oversized dated ceiling fan). Once the ceiling upgrades were installed he painted them all the same creamy Ivory Lace by Sherwin Williams.
Walls: Paint, Paneling & Texture
This surface is the most obvious one and the one we most readily think of. The good news is there are so many options that have been well documented all over the internet. Some options include painting, paneling, applying faux brick, stenciling, wallpaper, lime-washing, and on it goes. No matter what budget, or living arrangement you are in there are options to fit your needs/wants.
Here is an example of how we improved the wall in our kitchen by adding tongue-and-groove paneling. Not only is the real wood a better quality than sheetrock, but it also gives a custom design feature to the kitchen by adding texture and character. Plus anything decorative looks even better on this backdrop.
Floors: Rugs, Tile & Painted Concrete
For flooring, there are many, many options as well. If you are on a limited budget, or renting, you can always consider purchasing rugs. They come in a wide range of patterns, colors, sizes, and price ranges to suit every space and budget. You can invest in hand-knotted wool rugs or inexpensive washable printed rugs. Concrete can be painted, wood floors can be refinished, and tile can be laid. I especially love the look of a herringbone brick floor, which can be done with thin brick veneer.
The flooring in our tiny master bath was the small one inch tile popular in the sixties. In the bathroom remodel process we replaced the tiny floor tiles with larger tiles that we took up the walls as well. Having fewer grout lines was a huge plus, as well as making the room seem larger.
The Stuff: Decor and Furniture make a home
You’ve considered the structure of your rooms and you’re ready to add the things to make your house a home. The things, or “stuff” include anything that goes in the boxes we call rooms. Furniture, art, lighting, tabletop decor, textiles…
There is a lot to consider! This is often the most fun (and possibly overwhelming) part of creating your forever home. Here it’s good to have a plan, even if it is a loose plan. It is most likely that you already have a good portion of these items and those are great shoes to be in! If this is your case then a stiff evaluation is in order. Even though it’s a nuisance, a “room reset” is a good idea. A reset is emptying a room to the bones and slowly adding only those things that you truly love and enjoy daily. This exercise may seem a bothersome chore, but it’s guaranteed that once you get started you will end up with a better arrangement of furniture (possibly even a room swap) and a more cohesive collection of stuff. You will gain clarity about what this room needs next. Perhaps a new pair of curtains, more (or better) art, or you are short a couple of side tables and lamps. Now you have a shopping list you can work from with confidence. Flea markets, thrift shops, and Marketplace are your best bet for this stage!
Use What You Have & Buy Slowly
On the other hand, you’re ready to create a welcoming, usable room, but you haven’t much to work with. Take heart and use what you have! I firmly believe as British interior designer Rita Konig says “An ugly table is jolly useful, and it’s better to have an ugly table than no table.” Besides, you always paint the table or cover it with a cloth. Put your things in the room then list what is needed. Begin hunting the largest pieces first. You need a sofa more than you “need” art (yes, I did say that). It may seem like a meager beginning, but with patience and strategy, this is a fabulous opportunity to make strides towards your forever home.
As you search for the items on your list, focus on buying well and buying slowly. I’ve found that you can gather furniture fairly quickly and if one gets in a hurry and buys a piece that is “almost” what you wanted, or a lesser quality than you’d hoped it’s much harder to get rid of these things. Also, the experience of discovering that perfect piece is incredibly gratifying. By choosing quality, useful pieces of furniture you will create an excellent “forever” foundation to build upon. Once you have the larger pieces in place then fill in the gaps. Lamps, small side tables, art, mirrors, throw pillows, and blankets. Sometimes these smaller pieces show up before you’ve found all the big pieces and that’s okay, too. Just be sure to stay focused on finding the most needed larger purchases as your primary goal.
By improving the structure of your home and thoughtfully editing and curating your stuff you can move towards your forever home today no matter what your budget or the home you live in! In what ways are you moving towards your forever home goals? I’d love to hear where you are on your journey! Until next time,
Take care,
Rachel
