If you have met the love of your life, moving in together is a significant step in your relationship. There are many factors to consider, such as kids, pets, extended family, budgeting, finances, and much more. Lawyers, financial planners, and family counsellors can advise you on those items. Out of Chaos is here to give you some insight into merging your household possessions into your shared space.
Communicate and Create Belonging
Communication is the key to successfully moving in together. Talk about the feeling you want to create in your home. Discuss your favourite colours, styles, and textures (Does anyone else find wool blankets extremely itchy?). But talking is the lesser half of communication. It is more important to listen. What are your partner’s non-negotiables? Do they love their antique china cabinet? Is it essential to have storage space for sports equipment? Once you determine the non-negotiables, work around them to build a home you love.
Remember, all family members need to have something that makes them feel comfortable and “at home” even if it doesn’t coordinate with the rest of the décor. If you need some convincing, watch the video below. In this sitcom sketch, Frasier, who wants a stylish, enviable home, throws out his father’s colourful, 1960s recliner. He replaces it with a new leather recliner that matches the décor, but his father gives him an earful on how a chair is not just a chair.
Day-to-Day Living
Consider your daily routines before you finalize the household items you are merging into one home. Imagine a day in your life from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep. What do you need, when do you need it, and where will you store it? If your spouse is up early to write in their journal, maybe they need a small writing table in the bedroom. A home with children going to school will need extra storage for the boots and shoes in the entryway.
Discuss weekend and holiday routines too. You might need more open space and less furniture for kids to run around on their holidays. Or you might need a large dining suite with less open space to host guests at your dinner parties. Again, communication between all family members is vital.
Set up a family command centre when moving in together. Even if you do not have children, you will still need a place in the home where you can coordinate schedules and manage incoming and outgoing paperwork.
Measure and Think Multi-Functional
When moving in together, it is important to measure the space in your home and the furniture. There is no point in keeping the giant sectional if it won’t fit in the living room or down the basement stairs. Also, think about how you can use furniture in different ways. For example, you could use end tables from one home as nightstands in your new home. You can repurpose a chest of drawers from a bedroom to hat/mitten storage in an entryway. Shelving is useful in almost any room or closet. There are many possibilities if you think creatively.
Keep the Best, Let Go of the Rest
If you have multiples of some items, it might be obvious to keep the best one. However, the term “best” is subjective and might mean something different for each person. For example, some people might feel that the coffee maker that brews coffee a certain way might be best. Another person might think that a coffee maker with a timer is best. If you are still undecided about some items, put them into storage. If, after a few months, you haven’t used them or missed them, you can let them go.
More Tips for Moving In Together
The Starter Couple
Starter Couples are people who have been living with their families or roommates and decide to move in together. Generally, neither has enough to furnish an entire home, and they may have hand-me-down furniture and appliances. It can be tempting to buy everything new when moving in together. But that might not be the best decision. They may wish to purchase items as they need them to choose the features and options they need/want.
The Established Couple
Established Couples are generally older people who have been on their own for some time or have had a previous long-term relationship. They probably have duplicates or even triplicates of many household goods and accumulated a significant amount of memorabilia.
It may be helpful for these people to downsize before moving in together, especially if they are moving into a smaller space. They may wish to budget for off-site storage for their sentimental items if the home has limited storage areas. A dedicated space for each person that reflects who they are might be a higher priority for established couples than starter couples.
Blended Families
Building strong yet flexible organizational systems is one of the best ways to help members in a blended family stay organized. Develop your command centre and explain to family members how to use it. Allow children to have some input into its creation. For example, let them choose their own colours when you colour-code their inboxes and calendar. Children in blended families split their time between your home and their other parent’s home. The organizational systems in their other home might be different (or non-existent), so be patient with kids if they don’t adhere to the processes in your home.
If kids are sharing rooms, make sure they have equal opportunity to design or decorate the space. You may wish to create a toy box or bookshelf for each child with their own special things along with communal books, toys, and games. If the number of toys is too much for the space, put some into storage and rotate them regularly.
As children grow, they may need a dedicated study space, so think about how rooms can change over the years. You might wish to divide the toy room into two areas, one for toys and one for homework. Alternatively, create a portable office so your students can work from the dining table or picnic table.
There are many organizational systems that you can implement when you are moving in together. Whether you’re a career-oriented couple with no children or a children-oriented family, contact Out of Chaos to help you live orderly ever after.
