What Makes a House a Home? Tips to Make Your House Look Lived-In

You should Invest not only money but also time and effort on your home, and in return, it will provide sanctuary for you.

That is why moving into a new house and making it feel like your own home can take some time.

It is not how a house looks but how it makes you feel that make it a lived-in and loved home.

And these are some tips that will help you achieve that goal:

Quality lighting

Well placed lamps that offer warm light provide serenity and a homey feeling that can never be achieved with overhead white light.

So fill your home with warm lighting; light up your favorite spot, place floor lamps in dark corners and table lamps on some tables.

Art collection

Art is one of the best ways to make your home more yours. And displaying photos in the house is an obvious way to personalize your home.

Create a gallery wall, you can combine a variety of your favorite images in beautiful frames; your kids’ art, art works you have collected over the years and your favorite family photos.

Try grouping photos together to create a cluster for more effective and contemporary look.

Paperback books

Many homes contain shelves full of carefully arranged coffee table books or hard covers. Some people even use encyclopedias for a more sophisticated look.

But the truth is, no one ever reads these books, so they look staged and unreal.

Instead of these, display the books you actually read and enjoy, the dog eared books you have read so many times.

Your own personal book collection is uniquely yours so putting them on display in your home is an ideal way of personalizing your space.

Appliances on the countertop

A real home’s kitchen does not look like a museum, it looks lived-in and used.

This means that the appliances you use every day would have a permanent place on the countertop where you have easy access to them.

And having a fruit bowl on the kitchen table and fresh bread in a beautiful bread basket give the kitchen an inviting allure as well.

Family heirlooms

Your home should tell your story, and that story should include your past and your ancestors.

Therefore, when you decorate your rooms display your beloved family heirlooms, for example by framing your parents wedding photo or displaying your grandmother’s quilt.

Throw pillows

Pile your bed high with some throw pillows, or give the couch a cozy makeover with some cushions and a throw. Throw pillows always give that homey feeling to a house.

There is no particular arrangement required, just mix and match what you love.

Add some greenery

Green plants require love and care to grow, that is why a house with lots of green plants says lived-in and well-loved home.

An addition benefit is that they also add fresh air, nice scent and vibrant colors to any room.

So why not try your green thumb and get some beautiful green plants to your home.

Pro tip: creating the right lighting not only helps the plants grow, it also doubles the overall look.

Do not overlook the negative impact of a generic space.

Do not overlook the negative impact of a generic space

Leaving spaces ,like hallways and entries for example, neutral and generic lends a certain coldness to the house.

So try to give such spaces some love and a homey touch; maybe add a colorful rug, or an ornate mirror.

Above all, furnish your home with love

It is common sense that when you are shopping for items for your home you consider how the color and style will work with your interior design.

However it does not make sense to choose something you do not like just because it complements the design over something you like because it does not.

Find a way to make what you love work with the design.

Keep in mind that your home is not a museum, so treat your house like your own cozy space and decorate it as such and you will forever feel at home.