Starting Over

Life very often has its ups and downs, and sometimes unexpected things will happen that mean that you have to start over. Maybe a marriage breaks down, or a partner passes away. Whatever the reason, you may end up needing to start over on your own, readapting your home to suit your new situation.

So what home decorating ideas are there for someone who has to start over?

If your partner has passed away, you don’t have to leave your home, but it should not become a shrine to your lost love either. Obviously, this does not mean that you should expunge every memory of the person you have lost. But you should try to bring in a spirit of renewal and express yourself as who you are now that you are alone.

One of the first things to do is to find one specific place, say a particular shelf, to use as a place for photographs of the departed. Similarly, by all means keep their clothing and possessions if you can’t bear to part with them, but store them somewhere specific. It is better for you in the long run if you don’t leave his suit jackets hanging on the back of a chair, for example, or his coat hanging by the front door.

If you are divorced and have children, don’t throw out all of his or her pictures, as this is your children’s other parent, even if they have cut off all contact. These pictures are therefore a historical fact, but they can be kept in a drawer or an album for your children to look at discreetly whenever they want, rather than being hung up all over the house or constantly in front of your face.

It is also a good idea to paint the walls of your home. Apart from the new look that fresh paint always provides, it will give you a sense of renewal and a feeling that you are moving on. You may also want to look around and see if you can rearrange your existing furniture to make your house look nicer in general. Changing the position of a sofa or a cupboard can make a huge difference to a room, making it look or feel like new.

Say it with flowers – strategically placed vases of flowers always give a sense of growth and rejuvenation in a home and will add to the feeling of moving on and starting over.

Treat yourself to some new household items. A pretty area rug can make all the difference. How about a new oval rug for the living room and a soft wool flokati rug for the bedroom? These will add a sense of luxury to your home. You can also pick and choose new wall designs. These seemingly small things can do a lot to change the atmosphere in the home and give it a feeling of newness, as opposed to sadness or stagnation.

Home decorating can be a therapeutic exercise. As you throw yourself into improving your home, it will give you an interest and a sense of pride that will only help you in your endeavors to move on with your life. In fact, you may even find other like-minded home improvements enthusiasts, and you may be able to start over in more ways than one …