Design Dilemma: How Much Should You Invest In Your Non-Forever Home?
How much should you invest in your non-forever home?
Answer? It depends!
How's that for helpful? 😉
I think this is an unspoken, but super important question for a lot of folks (including many of my e-design clients!) when it comes to decorating or renovating their homes. It can be hard to know how much to commit when you don’t think you’ll be in a house forever. We’re actually going through this right now with an addition we’re considering for the back of our house. There’s a long backstory to why we’re thinking about it, but we’ve definitely been weighing the costs and benefits to putting a pretty big chunk of money into what we think is our non-forever home.
So! In an effort to help us all think through this, I wanted to share my thought process on how I might go about making decisions on where to invest in your home.
First off, in general I always recommend doing your best to make your home a place you love no matter how long you think you'll be there. Your home environment influences your well-being A TON, so it's worth putting some time, effort, and those hard-earned dollars into it to make it a place you can enjoy to the fullest.
How much you invest will look different for everyone, but here are three guiding questions that will help you work through it:
Think big picture. Is they way you live in your home working right now? What would improve your quality of life and make your home feel like home?
What large scale projects are needed (if any)?
Are there any specific pieces of furniture or decor that you need/would like to have that will make your home more comfortable or functional?
And now I've got three little "case studies" - practical examples of how this might play out in different scenarios and phases of life. It's a little long, but worth a read if you've been asking yourself the “how much to invest” question!
SCENARIO 1: THE RENTER
Lucy is a young professional who just signed a one year lease for a new apartment. She'd love to buy a house one day, but she's pretty sure she'll be an apartment-dweller for at least the next few years, so she's being thoughtful about purchasing flexible pieces in neutral colors that'll work just about anywhere she moves. She's striking the balance between comfortable and affordable, making sure that they're all normal scale pieces that can transition easily from one place to the next.
Her way of making her apartment feel like home is by actually moving in. That means fully furnishing it like a true home (no squatting here!), banishing blank walls by hanging meaningful art, and doing a few things that add some personality to the blank-slate like covering a wall in her bedroom with removable wallpaper and even swapping out a light fixture. She just makes sure to ask her landlord's permission if she wants to do anything that's a little outside of the box!
SCENARIO 2: THE STARTER HOME
Anna and Jack just had a baby girl and moved into their 1500 square foot rancher shortly thereafter. It needs some love, but they know over time they can update it to suit their lifestyle and increase the resale value. They're planning to be there for 3-4 years and then find their forever home in a nearby neighborhood they've had their eye on.
Since a lot of their furniture works well in this house, they're primarily focused on renovation projects. They love to entertain, so they've got their sights set on a big kitchen renovation and opening up a couple of walls to help with the flow of their home. Tackling those big ticket projects will definitely help this new house feel like their home too. To make sure they don't over-invest, they're choosing middle-of-the-road finishes that will help them get a good return on their investment while allowing them to truly enjoy their home.
SCENARIO 3: THE 5-10 YEAR HOME
After moving to three different cities in the past six years, the Longs are super excited to be putting down roots in their home town. With their kids in school now, they want to stay in their new home for awhile, but know there's probably a good chance they move into a nearby area eventually if the right house comes along.
Thankfully, their new home is move-in ready, so their goal is to decorate it with some pieces that are tailored to this house and the way they live. They decide to invest in a few quality pieces (namely, their family room and dining furniture) that match their style that they know will last a long time. They can't wait to plop down on the sofas for movie and game nights, and invite friends over to gather around the table for meals. Being able to really live in their home - particularly the common spaces - is what's important to them, so focusing their efforts there comes first.
