Every move comes with the opportunity to personalize a new space and build a place that feels like home, and moving to a senior living community is no different. (With the added bonus that your new home comes with great amenities and a built-in community!) When making the move to senior living, many residents go from a full-size house to a smaller apartment. We previously offered tips on how to downsize your things without downsizing your life, but now we want to focus on the fun part: making your new apartment feel like home.

Find a style you love. Whether it’s minimalism, mid-century modern, farmhouse or something totally unique, find a style you love and design your home around it. Moving is the perfect time to explore a new style and switch things up, so get creative with it and embrace this opportunity to reinvent the wheel. It doesn’t mean you have to completely start over, but maybe you want to upgrade certain items in your home. It can even help to note your favorite pieces of furniture that you already own and use that as a jumping-off point to design the rest of your space.

Show off your personality. Your home should reflect who you are. Whether that means choosing wall art that has sentimental value, displaying items that relate to your hobbies and interests, or filling your home with photos of your family and friends, this will bring the feeling of home with you wherever you go. Some ideas to get you started are displaying things like instruments, handmade items such as blankets you’ve crocheted or knitted, framed collections of art or a personal collection, and décor or pieces that are tied to fond memories.

Use bright colors. Unless you simply prefer dark colors, bright colors are the way to go, especially in a smaller space. You may not have control over how much natural light your apartment gets; but sheer, white curtains can do a lot to brighten a smaller room. Use bright accent colors in decor such as wall art, throw pillows, bedding, fresh flowers, tableware and anything else you want. It’s your home, so have fun with it!

Make it home for your pets, too. If you’re not a pet person, you can skip this one; but if you are, then you know how much love and warmth pets bring to a home. All of our communities are pet-friendly, and we encourage residents to make their furry friends feel at home. You can even use pet accessories as decoration for things like pet beds, food bowls, toy bins and blankets. It’s just one more thing to make your home feel even more personal. And we know your pets will love it, too!

Invite people in. Nothing makes a place feel like home more than filling it with people you love. While visitors may have to be virtual right now, you can still host virtual housewarming get-togethers. When safety precautions allow in-person visitors, having family members over and hosting things such as game nights can be a great way to bring warmth and laughter to your new home. Here are some card game ideas to get the party started!

We hope this makes you excited about all the different ways you can make your apartment feel like home. Once you’ve settled in, don’t forget to tag us on social media if you share photos of your cozy new home!

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