New Country, New Home: A Guide to Settling In with Style
- Staff Desk
- Aug 7
- 5 min read
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Relocating to a new country soon? The prospect of leaving behind the comforts of your old home can feel quite daunting and nerve-wracking, especially if it’s your first time starting somewhere anew.
However, if this move has been planned for a long time, there’s also a sense of excitement you can feel behind the nerves. The newness of it all—the culture, the people, the environment, and the cuisine—can all be exhilarating to experience firsthand.
Naturally, if you’re planning to stick around in your new country for the long haul, you’d want to get a home that best fits your needs. You don’t want to haphazardly make a decision on a property without giving it much thought.
The house you select isn’t the end of it. Far too many immigrants and expats fail to adequately style their homes in their new country. This can make them feel like they’re in a never-ending state of transition, never fully settling into the home and suspended in a sterile and impersonal limbo.
To fully take in the new world, you’d want your home to feel like a personal sanctuary in this unfamiliar environment, a place you’d return to at the end of a busy day and feel at peace knowing that you’re safe and cosy.
If you need some tips on how to decorate your home to make it really feel like one, then you’re in the right place. We’ll give you four useful tips to help you settle into your new house and transform it into a true home.
Let’s get right into it.
Choose a Home That Matches Your Lifestyle
The first thing you should consider when relocating to a new country and choosing a new home is its fit for your specific needs.
In various property listing websites in your target destination, you’re bound to find several housing options available. Each listing comes in different price ranges and designs, and it’s important to vet your options methodically and realistically to ensure you’re choosing an ideal place to stay.
For instance, a compact apartment may be suitable if you’re living alone in a big metropolitan city and need easy access to your workplace in the city centre.
On the other hand, a suburban home may be an optimal choice if you’re in a relationship and planning to have kids in the not-so-distant future. A townhouse may also be a good idea if you’re looking for a cost-effective option.
Besides the type of house you’re planning to stay in, the matter of owning a house or renting one is also something to consider. Most people look into renting first, especially during their first few months in a new country, as it offers more flexibility while they adjust to their surroundings.
However, buying a house is also a decent option, especially if you have the funds on hand already. Some banks and lenders offer services that allow you to pay in installments or at a later date, making it easier to stay on top of your finances while securing a house under your name.
Click here to learn more about private financing options you can get in Australia.
In any case, it’s important to consider the type of house you’re planning to get before anything else. By being intentional with your decision, you give yourself the best chance to grow, feel grounded, and find comfort in unfamiliar territory.
Keep Comfort As The Priority
When moving to a faraway place, you’re bound to feel a wide range of emotions, and this negative feeling can be amplified by a somewhat indifferent environment.
While there are high moments, there are definitely going to be low moments as well. As such, when designing your home’s interior, it’s important to consider the comfort of the space. In fact, we’d argue it’s the first thing you should pay attention to when planning your layout.
There are many micro-decisions you can make to enhance the comfort of a space. The first one is to increase your space’s cosiness by introducing soft, plush elements into it. Things like curtains, carpets, throw pillows, blankets, and soft sofas are excellent touches to a space to imbue it with a nice and cosy warmth, regardless of the season.
You can also consider adding fragrance to the house. A waft of calming diffused essential oils or scented candles that you use from back home can be an excellent way to make your place feel familiar from the start. If you haven’t used fragrance to set the mood of a house before, then you can’t go wrong with classic scents like lavender and bergamot to ground your space.
By making your new home cosier and hazard-free, you’ll feel more at peace. This, in turn, can help your transition more easily into your new life with a positive and calm perspective.
Bring Things From Back Home
When settling into a new country, it’s always a good idea to bring mementoes from back home to remind you of your past identity. Looking back at these things can help bring peace to your heart whenever you feel disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings of your new space.
There are many items you can consider bringing along with you to your new home. As a rule of thumb, bringing something with emotional significance is always a good move. For instance, you can bring a picture frame of your pet or your family. You can also bring things like your favourite book, a special mug, or a toy that has been with you through all these years.
Besides the emotional weight of these nostalgic items, there’s also some practical value in bringing things from back home. For instance, if you’re bringing, say, a shoe rack or dining set with you, then that’s less cost for decking your new home with items that you’ll need on a day-to-day basis.
By bringing these familiar things to your new space, you can soften the impact of the transition and make things feel less foreign to you. Furthermore, these small but intentional touches allow you to feel like your space is truly characteristic of your innermost character, granting a sense of peace that can make you happier about the environment you’ve carefully curated.
Use The Right Lighting to Enhance the Mood
Lighting is one of the most overlooked mood setters in a typical home environment.
Most people stick with the bright white lightbulbs as their main lighting for their living room and bedroom, and end up worse off because of it. Even if the furniture sets are properly decorated, bad lighting can make the atmosphere of a space feel suffocating and impersonal.
As such, as soon as you move to your new space, make sure that you focus on your lights. You can start by layering light to ensure that there’s intentional depth in your space. Overhead lights aren’t the only thing you should consider—you should also mix things up by adding task lights and accent lights.
Furthermore, refrain from sticking with white lights exclusively. Consider getting warm yellow LED lights to give your space a more cosy atmosphere. These lights also look much better at night and set a cosier mood. You should also consider allowing natural light to flow into your space more seamlessly—avoid blocking windows with tall furniture like cabinets and plants.
By minding your lighting choices, you can make your space feel cosy and stylish. As highlighted in any good Guide to settling in a New Country, thoughtful lighting choices transcend culture and borders. So, make sure you follow the best lighting practices to ensure that your home is well illuminated.
All the best in designing your new home!
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