Making Your New Accommodation Your Own

So you’ve moved into your new place where you’ll stay for a whole year. If you’re lucky, it’s already furnished so you don’t have to invest in furniture and major appliances…but if it’s full of someone else’s stuff, you need to find a way to make it your own. Here’s what’s worked for me:

• Put things on the walls – art postcards, real pictures (the huge downside of digital though is that no one has prints anymore!), and of course a big map. If you think ahead and purchase a couple of nice discount calendars after January 1 at home for $1 each or so, you’ll have 24 pictures that function as cheap but tasteful wall décor.
• Bring fabrics with you or buy them – I have a couple of pieces of saris and scarves which I got in India and they are thin and pack easily and add a touch of “my own” color wherever I am.
• Make good memories there – stress and other negative vibes can alter the environment (should I say “aura”?) forever. Avoid it here! Something as simple as music can affect this too.
• If you need to buy things…buy color! What a difference a splash or two of color can make. You can buy tan and mauve and have everything match, or you can go for color. I have a neon green porcupine pencil holder that “lights up” my working table (luckily not literally).
• I’m also a fan of the refrigerator magnet. Small, cheap and potentially gaudy but they add something unique and you can pick them up nearly anywhere you go.