How to Love Your Home Part One

If you are struggling to like where you live, then this four part series is for you! Enjoy the first part of our “How to Love Your Home” podcast series.

We are launching a fun new series for our Your Home Renewed Podcast.

Since February is known for the month of love and also the American Heart Month focusing on cardiovascular health, we thought this would be a good time to create a How to Love Your Home series for our Podcast.

Most of us don’t live in our dream house, or at least have encountered a less than ideal home at some point in our life.

We are exploring ways to help you focus on what is good in your home with a few simple things to consider.

So if you are currently living in a place where you are finding it difficult to like where you live and don’t have the option to move, then here are some practical tips to try to find joy in your current living situation.

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We’ve lived in lots of different homes over the years.

Some have been beautiful homes, and some were the complete opposite.

Many – many years ago, Trent and I threw caution to the wind and moved out west to Los Angeles hoping to pursue our music dreams.

We packed up a U-Haul without a job or a place to live.

We ended up renting an apartment in a triplex home that was less than desirable when we moved to L.A.

The walls were super thin and the owner lived upstairs with their huge dog that would run up and down the upstairs apartment all day long.

The kitchen floor was peeling up, likely filled with asbestos,

We were hired to provide audio for a company and with the noise levels, we had to made do with what we had.

So we would wait until 1 am and create a ‘sound booth’ in this little hallway that we draped with blankets and towels.

We had to made do with what we had.

And that apartment was where we also made our very first DIY!

We built this padded headboard for our apartment.

Listen to the podcast to hear the funny story of how we built it! 🤣

Even after 20 years, we still have this first DIY.

But we took the worst of the housing situation and found ways to enjoy where we lived and how we looked at that home.

We weren’t in the nicest apartment, but our circumstances spurred us to become creative and make a home on a budget.

I made DIY Cornice boards for our windows, and we got permission to paint our living room walls with a faux finish.

Part of our life journey includes that house where we were able to find the good with the living space we had.

How to Love Your Home
Part 1: Focus on What is Good in Your Home

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Here are some steps you can take and questions you can ask yourself to help you find ways to enjoy the place where you currently live.

Let’s start with the first step in creating ways on how to love your home.

Ask yourself:

If I were to move, what would I miss about this home?

Start by focusing on something positive and think about the good things in your home.

Something that you love about the home – instead of thinking about the negative aspects.

Make a list of the things you do like about your home.

You could go room by room and find one thing you like about that room.

Like the light fixture in your master bathroom.

Or how that piece of furniture looks when sun catches it just right.

Where do you spend the most time and why?

That little change in thinking can make a big impact on your attitude.

And that first step in appreciating what you have is a great way to create that home sweet home.

So how do you find the joy with this list and help remove those burdens that you just can’t seem to shake?

List out the things in your home that make you unhappy.

By seeking out the source of your unhappiness, you might be able to find solutions that will help.

Sometimes the best way to find solutions are small changes.

If your home is noisy, buy a white noise machine.

If your bedroom is too bright, invest in some affordable black out curtains. We love these linen ones we found for our bedroom.

If your home is too dark, then rethink your window dressings.

We took the bold step to remove our beautiful plantation shutters because our home is too dark for our tastes. And boy, did that natural light make a big difference!

It didn’t take a major renovation to make our house feel brighter.

If you are able to zero in on the source of the problem that is making you unhappy, then you may find simple tricks to fix the issues can help you view your home in a different way.

Do things that can help create an emotional connection with your home.

The biggest thing to take into consideration is if your attitude about your current home is affecting your mental health.

Start with something small, like creating happy memories in your home with a family movie night or game night.

Make meals at home or host a dinner party with people you love.

Bring fresh flowers home that can enjoy.

Create special occasions out of everyday meals by hosting a fun, themed dinner complete with props, music and menus!

If you only think about the negative things in your home, then overcoming this hurdle may be tough to do.

While we had challenges in our L.A. apartment, I will always cherish that place because that’s where we brought our first baby home.

Fill your home with your favorite things.

Bring a bit of your own personality to your home.

Adding new paint colors are tried and true ways to not only give your home a new look, but also create a happy place where you can’t wait to spend your time.

If you love a certain scent, when you walk in, surround yourself with your favorite smells.

We struggle with that old home smell in the current house we live in.

When returning home from a long trip, there is always a musty smell that welcomes us when we walk in the front door.

Living in a home that is more than 30 years old shows it’s age sometimes.

So being able to mask that with a fresh candle helps a lot!

If you love music, fill your home with your favorite sounds.

Are you able to relax in your home?

Are you able to find peace at home?

If you can’t seem to wind down, relax, or allow your mind to rest, then seek out those issues.

If you are like us and run a hectic life, spinning all the plates, then are you always multi-tasking and never taking a moment to slow down?

You may find yourself avoiding the room where you are always ‘working’, instead of creating a space that helps your home feel peaceful.

Some creative solutions may be to stop, slow down, and look out the window.

Listen to the birds. Linger over that cup of coffee without answering emails or scrolling.

If you don’t like your home because of excessive clutter, clear out that junk drawer and overflowing closets.

Count your blessings.

Even in the worst of situations, you can find one small thing to be thankful for.

A roof over your head.

Walls to keep out the cold and rain.

A blanket to keep me warm at night.

When we have a grateful heart, it can create joy in our hearts.

And if you are dealing with a difficult child or are having marital struggles, spending time trying to be thankful for something can shift something in your heart.

That warm cup of coffee in your hand.

Your sweet pet coming in for some love from it’s favorite person.

One thing we can all do better is fixing our minds on what is good in our life, or good in your home.

Do you have more tips that you want to share?

Be sure to leave a comment below – we would love to hear your amazing suggestions!