3 Solid Reasons Why an Empty Nester Should Redecorate
It is true that life experiences often string themselves together to help define the persons we become. No area in life is this more clearly seen than when children move from home, leaving their parents empty nesters. After putting their lives on a long pause, parents come face to face with a new, and hopefully refined version of themselves.
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As I write this, I recall with a smile a humorous commercial from IKEA called "Dream Kitchen". In it, an empty nesting couple beam with excitement as they show off their newly remodeled kitchen to their son who is visiting from college. Halfway through the tour, the son suddenly realizes that something is missing and asks, "Where's my room?" His Dad then reveals a tiny sliver of what used to be a full-sized bedroom with a twin bed squeezed (just to fit) inside. "We took just a little portion for the kitchen" he says. Ha! It cracks me up every time.
How refreshing to see what is often viewed a sad life-changing event, presented in a lighthearted way. With this in mind, I've come up with 3 solid reasons why an empty nester should consider redecorating.
Reasons to Celebrate Your New Empty Nest
1. You Can Now Downsize
This is certainly not a step to be taken lightly. After all, a load of memories have been created in your now half-occupied home. And no doubt lots of furnishings will need to be purged to make downsizing possible.
Even still, many empty nesters come to the realization that they simply no longer need to maintain such a large living space. Redecorating can bring everything you've been neglecting up to snuff so that you can get top dollar for the sale of your home. You can then use the earnings to try your hand at other things like learning another language, or visiting a land previously unknown to you to broaden your cultural experience(s). Or, you can simply take time to admire the beautiful natural surroundings in your own country, wherever that may be. Yep, downsizing affords empty nesters an opportunity to do things they've rightfully placed on the back burner in order to shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising another human being.
2. We (the Kids) Have Sent Your House to the Dogs
Yes, all of those cabinet doors that we destroyed by constantly flinging them open and slamming them shut with reckless abandonment can now be replaced without fear of additional ruin. For the record Mom and Dad, I only watched... and maybe giggled a little... when the others suspended our then 2-yr old brother from the broom closet door to entertain him. BUT I immediately stopped it as soon as I saw the hinges come off.
This might also be a good time to remove the carpet, shredded to pieces years ago, due to roller skating in the house. LOL! And all the holes in the walls that we left behind from hanging awards, photos, posters and school jerseys can now be patched for good. These too are great reasons to redecorate.
3. You Deserve It
Raising a child, is in my opinion, one of the hardest and most underrated jobs out there (Perhaps this is the reason my husband and I have not yet "applied"). Have you given this job your best effort? If yes, be proud. Whether you decide to downsize or stay put, redecorating an empty nest can lift one's spirits and beckon new beginnings with a warm smile. After all, your family is will still be there to enjoy it with you, albeit in a different way. Why not celebrate it's growth? Whether old or new, in this place or that one, memories will always be created right?
“Redecorating an empty nest can lift one’s spirits and beckon new beginnings with a warm smile.”
I still recall with fondness how my siblings and I, filled with appreciation for all the sacrifices made, surprised our parents with a full living, dining and den room makeover. I'll tell you more about that in a later post.
In the meantime, take a look at a current project that I'm working on for an empty nesting couple. They have successfully purged their old and worn out furnishings and are looking to make a few updates. Below is the goal for the space:
The room above contains a jaw-dropping $21,000 in furnishings. However, regular readers of this blog KNOW I don't roll like that. So in a future post, I'll show you the final execution of the space and what this room really cost to redecorate. Stay tuned...
For now, please let me know in the comment section:
- Are you an empty nester or do you have empty nester parents?
- Do you think empty nesters should try to redecorate portions of their home?
- If you could redecorate any room in an empty nesters home, which one would you choose?
