Moving into military housing often means facing stark white walls, standardized blinds, and floor plans that lack cozy character. Moving into a home that you are renting off base may be even harder, because depending on where you move to, the rental market can be slim pickings, leaving you in a home that may not quite be your style, but also with a lack of freedom to do much about it. Rather than waiting for a permanent address to settle down, bringing warmth and personal intention into your temporary space creates instant comfort. Small, thoughtful styling choices, rooted in function for your family, can turn your new home into a peaceful sanctuary.
Function Comes First
One of the most important things when moving our family into a new space is how it works and flows. There is not much more difficult than having finally found the right spot for everything, finally figuring out how a space will best serve your family, only to turn around and have to do it again a few years later. Where does the sunscreen get stored and why is it such a vastly different spot than in our last home? We were in our last home for 6 years. Mind-boggling for the military, right? The number of times I thought to myself (or cursed out loud) that I didn't know where a certain item went in our new home this summer was ridiculous and so frustrating. I'm all for a beautiful, calm home. But if it doesn't serve you, it doesn't matter. So put things where they'll serve you. Need hooks for back packs in the kitchen because that's where the kids drop stuff when they come in anyways, that's where you are when you remember to check Friday folders, and that's an easy way to pack lunches? Do it. Make your own cozy out of function. We have a weird mudroom/entryway from the side house and the garage. It has a shower in it that the owners needed from when her husband was sick. It's not ideal, but being renters I can't do anything about it. Right in front of the shower has become our sports drop. Football pads and helmet, soccer bags, etc all have found a home there. Is it pretty and tidy and perfect? Nope. But it works. We know where cleats are usually and it makes for good conversation starters when guests come in that way. Plus walking by it on the way to do laundry always makes me smile with pride at the things my kids do.
And one more thing. If PCSing is new to you, here is my first piece of advice. Unpack the kitchen first. Just do it. You can move dishes to another cupboard later if it makes more sense, give yourself that grace and permission. But, the center of the home is the kitchen and I promise things will not function smoothly quickly if you have a beautiful living room created but you're still climbing over boxes to find the mixing bowls.
Making a Space Homey
Once you've given yourself that permission to accept that function must come first, know that I'm a firm believer in being able to do that in a home but still making it hit your vibe. I love a cozy home. I love neutrals with some funky splashes of color, especially in small spaces like bathrooms or laundry rooms. I love warm textures to soften up blank corners such as a big basket to put all the comfy couch blankets in that my husband thinks we have too many of. How is that even possible? I love photos and mixing in family heirlooms to remind me of my roots. I love a room for the TV where the kids hang out sometimes and a room where I have my favorite chair to work from while the sunlight pours through the windows. And I LOVE plants. I am a strong believer that nothing softens up a room like a plant. Now here's the thing. I don't have a green thumb. I don't love to water things and so I usually don't. How dumb. But I have a few live houseplants that have come to accept that from me, survive on their own with a bit of water each month, and somehow didn't quit on me during the PCS drive west this summer. However, I have a ton of plants. And 95% of them are fake and I'm not ashamed of it. They break up the photos and books on my built-ins. They fill an empty corner by the fireplace or they break up too much wood or white on the mantle. They're everywhere. I adore them. And if a room is missing something it's probably a plant.
One thing I want to encourage you to do, even though it may feel wrong for so many reasons, is to hang stuff on the walls. Blow up your last family photo and put it above the fireplace. Put the kids school pictures down the hallway and all that cute Hobby Lobby decor that jumps in your cart every time you're there. Hang. It. Up. Nothing says "I don't want to be here" or "this is temporary" than leaving your walls blank. One thing we mil spouses are good at doing is creating a home, however long we may be there for, and smiling through it even if it's not where we desire to be.
Give Yourself Grace
I'll be the first to admit that we still have a basement full of boxes. A lot are totes of holiday decorations I need to pull the butcher paper off of and organize on the shelves in the storage space. Some are toys my kids clearly don't miss. I have intentions of making a play space for them downstairs but lets be honest. No one wants to hang in the creepy, unfinished basement with the spiders, no matter how many throw rugs I put on the cold concrete floor. The rest of the boxes? Great question. I genuinely wonder if we'd miss any of it if I just tossed it all and never looked back. Because truthfully, we've been here 4 months and the only thing I genuinely miss and haven't found yet is my glue gun. So, I guess what I'm saying is give yourself grace. Get your home functioning, make it your vibe, and leave the basement to itself if that's what you want to do. Ha!