After several years or decades of marriage that ends in a nasty divorce, you want to do everything you can to move on with your life. This becomes a challenge if everything in your house reminds you of your ex-partner.
Fortunately, you can remedy this issue by relocating, selling the house, or redesigning the house to feel like a home. Since you’re trying to move on, being in a house full of familiar belongings will not help. You need to find a way to make your old house feel like home again.
How do you redesign after divorce?
Focus on the basics
You need to plan and budget for your redecoration. Talk to an interior designer and explain your needs. Being divorced from a partner you spent a chunk of your life with will leave a hole, and crafting your space to feel like home might help fill that hole.
If you have kids, make sure that the kids are involved in the discussion. Divorce is brutal on kids, and they have no say in what happens. However, involving them in the redecoration will give them a sense of control.
The redesign can act as a form of therapy for you and the kids. If your finances or lease doesn’t allow you to tear down the walls, you can opt for a cheaper approach, such as repainting the walls. You can change the beddings, downsize on certain things and convert vacant rooms into useful space.
Reinvent your bedroom
This is the room where you spent the most time with your ex-partner, it’s the room where you shared dreams, intimate moments, secrets and desires. You redecorated this room to fit your needs as a couple. The room is a treasure trove of good and bad memories.
If you want to move on, you’ll need to reinvent your bedroom and reclaim it as your own space. Get new bedding and decorate your bedroom around the patterns of your beddings. If you need to repaint the room, then do it.
Embrace artwork
It’s now your space; you can indulge in artwork that suits your taste. When you had a partner, it was hard to agree on simple things such as food; now, you’re free to be yourself. You get to choose the type of artwork you want on display in your home.
If you don’t have time or resources to visit art galleries in search of artwork, you can check online stores. For example, you can check online stores for photowall wall murals that will transform your home into a place that reflects your sense of style. The murals don’t have to match the room; it can reflect what you feel.
Choosing artwork is delicate, especially if you’re decorating the living room, there is a lot of pressure. You want a piece that’s thought-provoking and doesn’t remind you of your partner. It doesn’t have to be a canvas, photograph, or mural; it can also be a replica of a flag or any other piece of artwork that reflects you.
Declutter your house
Since you’ve both agreed to move on with your lives, it’s time to let go of everything that reminds you of your ex-partner. Start by packing everything that you don’t need in boxes. You can decide what to give away and what to keep.
This will create sufficient space for anything new you wish to add. Keep in mind that you don’t want to overspend by buying everything you come across. You need to downsize on your purchases to ensure that the absence of your ex-partner becomes less noticeable.
Make the house kid-friendly
If you’ve agreed with your partner that you will have the kids, you might want to redecorate your home to accommodate them. The same applies if you’ve settled for jointed custody or any other agreement that allows you time with your kids.
If the kids are older, involve them in the redesign process. Ask for suggestions on what they’d like their rooms to look like.
Wrapping up
Take your time to plan and execute the redesign, redecoration, or renovation. You will need to plan and budget for all the changes you’ll make. It might take weeks, months, or even years, but eventually, the house will feel like your home again.