5 Reasons to Redecorate After You Retire

A home is a place you make memories with your family, spouse, and yourself. In retirement, you will likely spend a lot of time inside your home. The way your home looks can impact the atmosphere and the mood for you and your guests. Having home décor is important, as its effects vary from productivity to anxiety levels.

Interior designers recommend you should redecorate your home every three to four years. Although redecorating requires a bit of work, it can be rewarding for several different reasons. Here are the five reasons to redecorate after you retire.

1. Increases home value

Investing in a home is one of the most significant investments many make. According to AARP, 90% of seniors live in their current homes for five to ten years. Therefore, if you ever want to sell your home in retirement, you will want to stay up to date with your home’s interior and exterior.

Now, you do not have to do a complete home renovation to increase your home’s value. You can simply paint the cabinets, update light fixtures, and even redo your landscaping. It may seem like these options will not add any value to your home, but you will be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

2. Keeps you moving

When you retire, you will find that you will have an abundance of free time on your hands. You will want to keep moving to keep your mind and body sharp. A way to do this is by redecorating your home.

When redecorating, your brain will be active as you try to focus while planning out your home’s aesthetic and bring it to life. Your body will also be active when you go out and shop, move things in and out of your home, and do the act of redecorating. Staying active is a vital part of retirement. Having an active mind and body promotes healthy brain cell growth, as well as improves cognitive function.

3. Add some nature

An easy way to redecorate is by adding some nature to your home. Studies show that indoor plants have multiple benefits, such as an improvement in productivity and concentration.

Plants bring natural beauty inside homes, and it can be an affordable way to spice things up. People are generally happier whenever they are surrounded by nature, so if you redecorate your home with greenery, your guests can leave feeling better than they came in.

It is beneficial to be surrounded by plants for their beauty and help improve self-esteem, memory loss, and depression. There are many low-maintenance plants you can consider decorating your home with, such as snake plants, aloe vera, peace lily, and English ivy.

4. Lifestyle changes

As mentioned above, interior designers recommend redecorating your home every three to four years. If you moved into your house twenty years ago and haven’t changed a thing, your aesthetic and interests have likely changed. If you are tired of seeing the same bird clock hanging in your kitchen, there is no reason to keep it around.

If you have been longing to start entirely over regarding changing out your home furniture, décor, and even your patio set, retirement is the time to make those changes.

Redecorating is not only for pleasing the eye but also for making modifications to the spaces in your home. For example, if all your children have moved out, consider redecorating their rooms into a gym or an art studio. Since your home is where you will spend out your retirement, you should make use of every room there is.

5. Reorganize your belongings

When you are redecorating your home in retirement, you can also use this as a time to reorganize your home and belongings. Often times we throw things up in our closet or place items in spaces that become cluttered. You can take advantage of this time to purge through your belongings and categorize them into what you should keep or throw out.

Go through your belongings and ask yourself, “Have I worn this recently? When was the last time I used this? Will I need this in the future?” If all your answers lead towards you should donate it or throw it out, you should do so. You can also look into organization baskets; there are even books on how to organize your home!

Final point

Redecorating your home after you retire does not have to be something you dread or stressful. You can do it at your leisure, and maybe even recruit family or friends to help you during the process. Start by making a mood board of how you envision the home you want to live in. You could even take a stroll down the aisles at Hobby Lobby and see if anything matches your aesthetic and interests. You may leave with your basket filled to the top!