How to Get Cozy Quickly in Your New Palace

Your first move is one of the most exciting steps to take in your adult life. Wouldn’t it be nice to just put down your bags, relax, and have a glass of wine to celebrate? That’s not in the cards, however, as there is plenty of work to do before you make it your home. Here are some projects to settle in with speed, style, and safety in mind.

First off, does anybody know you’re there? Friends and family, sure, but what about the United States Postal Service? That’s just the beginning. You’ll also need to alert your bank, even if you receive your account statements online, as well as your insurers and credit card companies.

Perhaps the most important are the utilities: water, gas, and electricity. Ideally, this should have been done before you moved so that everything is humming when you arrive and you’re not left unpacking in the dark. The experts at Moving.com recommend letting them know two weeks before you unlock the door to your new palace.

This will likely be on your mind, as it’s hard to relax when the family’s not safe. The first things to check are the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors since accidents wait for nobody. Begin by making sure they’re all located in the right places. Ideally, there’s one of each in every room of the house as well as the hallways, and they should all be tested.

Next, take a tour of the house and find the circuit breaker so you’re not left searching all over the home when the power goes out. It’s normally located in the garage, basement, or a storage room. The main water shutoff valve should be located in the basement or on an outside wall. Test it to make sure you can turn the knob with your hands.

There are a few other basic tasks to take care of before you can begin decorating, as they can be a bit messy. Cleaning appliances is a must if you want to avoid excessive electricity bills, beginning with the refrigerator coils if that hasn’t been done already.

It’s also useful to take a tour of the house with a close eye on the floors. Does the hardwood look like it needs refinishing? You may not have noticed that during the open house -- or the walls for that matter. Any painting should be done now to avoid any hard-to-remove stains on your furniture when it’s all in place.

You’ve likely brought plenty of items from the old house, so it’s time to find the right place for them or any other decorations that you’ve picked up while shopping. Lighting is what sets the mood, so find position your table and standing lamps to cast out any shadows from the corners.

Rugs are another way to set the tone and differentiate one room from another, and they can even serve as the basis for your color scheme as long as they don’t clash with the walls and the furniture. Don’t forget to add a touch of the natural with some plants, which can be easily moved around, and adopt a new look with a different pot, say the stylists at Vogue.

It’s a wonderful way to let your neighbors know who you are, and you’ll be spending a lot of time out here during the warm summer months. Before you begin your landscaping project, take into account the sunshine to determine where to place your vegetable garden as well as your patio furniture. It will be more relaxing if you surround it all with a living fence made up of evergreen trees and shrubs that won’t wilt in winter.

Now that you’re finished, it’s time for that glass of wine. Be careful not to spill it on that carpet. After all, stains were not a part of your decorating plans!

Image via Pexels - Written by Natalie Jones