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How To Love the Home You Have Just a Little Bit More

Nancy Mitchell
Nancy Mitchell
As a former Senior Writer at Apartment Therapy, Nancy split her time among looking at beautiful pictures, writing about design, and photographing stylish apartments in and around NYC.
published Feb 17, 2016
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(Image credit: Kim Lucian)

Valentine’s Day has come and gone for another year, leaving everyone thinking about love and relationships. But what about the relationship you have with your home? Here are five (free!) things you can do to love your home just a little bit more.

Get rid of some stuff.
Lots of advice about how to make your home better revolves around bringing in something new. But you may be surprised at how much more pleased you are with your home when you start getting rid of things you’ve been holding onto but don’t really need. A room full of things you love, with a little room to breathe, beats a cluttered room any day.

Do a deep deep clean.
Home relationships are like human relationships: we tend to put more effort into the things we value. And this can be a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy: the things we put more effort into become the things we value. A deep clean is an easy way to feel like you have a completely new home without spending any money at all — and the extra effort you put into your relationship may bring you and your home just a little closer.

Make a list of all the things you love about your home.
It may sound a little cheesy, but this is a great way to focus your attention on the things you really love about your home, but may not usually take a lot of time to appreciate. Maybe your home doesn’t have as much natural light as you would like, and you spend a lot of time wishing it were brighter. But maybe it’s also in a really great neighborhood, or has an awesome outdoor space, or a kitchen that you love. Make a list of the things you like and focus on the positive.

Meditate on good memories you have there.
Your home is so much more than just a thing: it’s also a stage on which the drama of your life takes place, a place that contains and connects you to some of your most important memories. Taking a moment to meditate on some of the good experiences you’ve had in your home is a great way to help you appreciate the space you have.

Invite other people over to enjoy it, too.
While you’re at it, why not make a few new memories, too?

Filed in:
Mindful Living
Wellness