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Reimagining your living space after divorce is an incredible opportunity to redefine and showcase your new life. 🪴📚

After you’re done saging the place (seriously), we’ve got some great ideas for reclaiming your space and making it your own. ✨🛁

Keep reading for 10 practical tips for refreshing your living space after divorce provided by Danielle Waldera, our realtor expert-in-residence.

10 tips for reclaiming your space

  1. Start with a clean emotional slate.
    - Declutter anything that carries emotional weight from the marriage or relationship. If it doesn’t make you feel good or reflect who you are now, let it go.
    - Don't rush, grieve what you need to, then move on to joyfully claiming your space in your style.
  2. Define what YOU love.
    - Ask yourself: What colors, materials, art, and lighting make me feel like me?
    - Create a Pinterest board with colors, rooms, patterns & layouts that inspire you.
    - Tip: Changing a space can be relatively inexpensive and easy to do by creating accent walls, incorporating bold throw pillows, adding greenery, etc.
  3. Make a statement with art or decor.
    - Pick one bold piece that represents your personality, like a painting, a funky lamp, a gallery wall, etc.
    - This can serve as the room’s anchor and a daily reminder of your identity.
  4. Design for comfort and control.
    - Make the space nurturing, cozy, and functional, especially if the previous home was more about compromise than identity.
    - Treat yourself to a divorce gift! It’s time to splurge on that comfy chair, new mattress or coffee machine you always wanted.
  5. Add living things.
    - Plants or fresh flowers bring life, growth, and movement into a home; and help create a sense of grounded independence.
    - Did you know? Certain plants encourage oxygen flow or positive scents (ie, snake plants, lavender, rosemary, basil etc.)
  6. Layer with textures & senses.
    - Think beyond just the way the room looks by engaging the other senses.
    - Tip: add textures (throws, rugs, curtains), scents (candles, essential oils), and sounds (a favorite speaker or playlist) that make the space feel like home to you.
  7. Take it one room at a time.
    - Avoid overwhelming yourself by starting with a space that you use the most or like the most, like your bedroom or home office.
    - Make that room completely yours before moving onto other areas.
  8. Add personal meaning to the space.
    - Display photos of friends, travel, or joyful solo memories.
    - Create small vignettes on a shelf, desk, or mantle, that tell your story.  These small spaces can be filled with souvenirs, quotes, or meaningful and memorable items that you love.
  9. Embrace the freedom.
    - Your space can now reflect your rhythm of life. Want a yoga mat in the living room? A record player in the kitchen? A disco ball in the bathroom? Go for it!
    - Embrace quirky, fun, or bold touches just because they make you happy.
  10. See this project as a form of self-care.
    - Think of decorating not as a chore, but as an act of reclamation and empowerment.
    - You're not just furnishing a space, you're rebuilding a life that is wholly and authentically yours.

Have you reclaimed your space? What steps did you take? Let us know in the comments. 💬


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