Everyone does things at their own pace. We once owned a weekend house that we bought furnished. It was aso very wall papered. It took many years to start to replace, paint etc. and some of the things were never touched by the time we sold it. When we bought our primary home, I stripped all the wall paper, painted everything white and refinshed the wood floors. We are here 18 years and the house has evolved many times through decorating, painting and renovating. It is good to live in a house for a while if you are not sure of color scheme ans style. You are probably over whelmed right now. Things will settle down, and all of a sudden things will bother you and you will get the incentive to start making changes. Start looking through decorating maazines and tear out inspiration pictures. This could give you a direction to go in. Some people are so good at decorating. Look at My3dogs house on this forum. Me? It takes me a while, I have found that I am best when I actually see something rather than create it through a vision. We literally copied my master bath from the display. But, I still love it years later. I picked out fabric for chairs from a swatch which turned out to be a mistake, but I have grown to like them. See where you fit in to all of this. Try to relax and enjoy your new home. You'll get there.

When we bought this house a year and a half ago, I was working an insane schedule, so when we hosted our first big party five months after moving in, we weren't even completely unpacked! Our house didn't need any major renovations, but it did need lots of smaller repairs and upgrades. The little time off we both had was spend doing repairs, and basic housekeeping.

My work situation changed, and I didn't work outside the home for several months. I would get up early, have breakfast, shower and dress, and get to work on the house and yard. Even after doing that for several months, it felt like I just wasn't getting a lot of traction, even though on paper, a lot was getting done.

Thankfully, I'm working again, so my routine has been adjusted, but there's still progress. I have one room that is still filled with boxes, another room that's basically unpacked and organized, but still needs a lot of work. Some rooms I'm going back to and changing some things around. Other rooms are mostly done, but need accessories, furniture, and such.

What I've found very helpful is to use a 3-ring binder to organize all of this. Each room has it's own section. At the front of the section is a to-do list. I also start a shopping list for the hardware store, furniture, etc. There's a page with measurements- walls, windows, doors, etc. I use those clear plastic page protectors to keep any photos, paint chips, fabric swatches, etc.

We also have a master to-do list, that includes things like "new roof" and any other big repairs. This helps us to prioritize what needs to be done when, and helps us budget and plan the costlier things.

We had always been renters, so I had no idea that all of this would take so much time and energy! In any previous apartments or houses, it was just a matter of unpacking and getting on with it. Our house is also bigger than anywhere we've ever lived, so it wasn't a matter of just rearranging the furniture we had.

So, to answer your questions, after a year and a half, it does feel like home now, although the list is still long. It's becoming decorated to my taste, but we're not nearly done. One piece of advice that I would offer is to pick a room that you'll see and use every day, like the kitchen or master bedroom, and do that first. Rather than doing bits and pieces all around the house, it's very helpful, psychologically, to have a room that's finished and yours.

I waited a long time to get to our bedroom, and it really started to bother me. I'd get in bed at the end of a long day of working on everything else, and just lay there and think "yuck." I had been focusing on all of the public areas of the house, but at the end of the day, the bedroom was the thorn in my side.

I would also suggest to NOT watch any decorating or makeover TV shows. Those shows have huge teams of people doing the work, and massive budgets, so it's easy to feel completely inadequate when they do a whole room makeover in a weekend, and you're struggling to just get the closet organized. You have to be realistic about your time and budget, so don't beat yourself up if you can't do the same.

Things will settle down, and all of a sudden things will bother you and you will get the incentive to start making changes. Start looking through decorating maazines and tear out inspiration pictures. This could give you a direction to go in.

Yep, and yep. Also, shop (not buy, but shop) on line. It's a lot more productive than running all over town. And always, always, check Craigslist first.

Note, we've been in this house 10 yrs and I still have a list a mile long, but it does feel like home and not the PO's house. Hang in there, it took a lot longer than 2 mos. for me to feel at home here.

Cut yourself a break. It's the holidays very hard to get settled into a house when you are trying to do the Norman Rockwell thing and unpack. You 've just bought a house which is emotionally as draining as losing a spouse or going thru a divorce. You don't get over those two things in a month or two you won't get over the shock of buying and moving any faster.
It takes 10 years to make a place a home. The first year you are truly just learning how to live in the space you have. You learn how the house works. How things look in the different light in the different rooms. You learn if the kitchen layout is right for you and then somewhere in there you get an idea. And then it starts. Some wall paper comes down, you clean off a wall or a ceiling and the color just doesn't grab you so you head off to the paint store.
Sometimes it's a rug will bother you and you pull it up and the next thing you know your sanding or laying a new floor.Give it time it will happen and when it does enjoy the process. Take your time. Make a plan. Allow yourself some dream time. Collect ideas, colors,patterns and put them together so when you do get the urge you have a jumping off point. In the mean time try to remove as many of the boxes as you can. Give yourself permission to make it home and put things where they work for you. Not where the PO might have had them but where they work for you.

2 months isn't really a long time, in my opinion.

Maybe you're the type, tho, who doesn't like to linger over the decision process? For instance, could you walk into a paint store, pick out a few paint chips, take them home, tape them on the wall and just KNOW what you want (and not regret that choice after the painters leave)?

2 months in to some of my moves, and I still had boxes that weren't unpacked! So give yourselves some slack; the entire moving process (not just the packing, but that whole list of utility/mail changeovers/etc.) is stressful when you're also working/cooking/doing normal laundry/perhaps taking care of pets.

Here's one thing you might try: Your husband and you could figure out the most exasperating thing or issue in the hous right now. For your husband, if it's an organization issue, what specifically is frustrating him--is it not having one place for his wallet/keys/cell/chargers? Is it that his work clothes aren't organized properly and it takes him a while to find that one tie that matches that pink shirt? Then try to work out a solution to that one problem. It could be a small desk near the entry for his stuff; and it doesn't have to stay there forever, it's just a "bridge" to get you over this hump.

For you, maybe it's seeing that wallpaper border. If taking it off now (before you choose paint colors) won't leave an awful bare mess, then devote a weekend to the work.

Just two steps now, one for your husband, one for you, will give you that psychological boost you need.

(And I hate to say it, but a "normal routine" will probably be way down the line. Every little decorating job will poke its nose into your daily life, every little run to Home Depot -- 3 times in one day? Yeah, I've had to do it -- interferes with trying to get to "normal," so try to relax.)

For each person it's different. I'm the type that has a plan long before I move in and have an easy time executing it as I've been thinking and researching for months but that's my hang up lol.
I would suggest that you tackle one room and complete it to make you feel at home. Perhaps the one you use the most to relax would be a good choice. Start with the painting, a weekend is a good time and then proceed from there. My husband and I just finished redoing our bedroom. It took about a month of work but we're retired so we have the time. It may take you longer but set a time each day to put in an hour or two on it and soon it will be completed. Then take a break for a few weeks and enjoy your room and start all over again. Good luck with your new home.

I second the idea of keeping binders to organize. I have one for home improvements in which I keep every receipt and cards/referrals for workmen/companies.

Ours was a fixer house when we bought it fourteen years ago. We finally have the public areas and most of the rest looking pretty good. Of course, we were already in our late 40s when we bought, so we found that it has taken much longer to do everything than we planned (all those little aches and pains-ugh).

Have fun and take your time!

Rome wasn't built in a day! It all takes time and money! 2 months is not a great deal of time to really settle in. Maybe you can start with your dining room. You can really be all over the map with it if you look at decorating the whole house at once. My niece bought a beautiful home a few years ago and everyone who walked in had a different opinion of what could be done to each room. STOP! I'm sure that she was overwhelmed! So I said to her " let's look at completing one room at a time" and that is what they started to do. Still not finished but what is finished is lovely. I wonder if you ever do finish as I know with my own home that some things have certainly changed over time. Bathroom renos, knock wall out, paint colours, furnishings, it is always changing. I think the days are gone, for the most part, when people hang on to their furniture for 30 years. It seems to be more of a disposable society today (get the look for less )and sometimes with all of this off shore stuff, the quality is just not there like it was. Anyway. give it more time. You will make it your place! I find that half the fun, for me, is the hunt for what I want. So take a deep breath-- you'll get there!

It is totally normal! I moved to my house on a street in my town I'd wanted to live on for 12 years. I was so excited that I was finally going to have the house I always wanted. After moving, I felt like I was living in the PO's house and I was very unhappy. I couldn't believe it! How could I be unhappy? I'd always wanted to live on this street. Everyone told me I was crazy and I should be happy. I thought I'd made the biggest mistake leaving my cute townhouse that I loved and was totally me. Anyway, it really took about 6 months before I finally started to feel like it was home. It just takes a while to get used to the house and to start to make memories and have it feel like you. I didn't do much decorating in those 6 months either -- no $$ left for much after purchasing. We did have the entire house painted white before moving in just to freshen things up and make them clean and I couldn't pick colors for a big house all at once under the stress of the purchase and the move. It was just living in the house and getting used to it that made it finally start to feel good. 13 years later and the to do list is still huge! But, it is my house. You will get there.

I'm in about the same boat as franks mom, having been here just over a year and a quarter or so. I literally bought a hotel full of everything...so if you feel like a hotel with wall paper boarders just think how this feels lol.

We have a room full of boxes...actually a room, cottage and water tower to be specific. The yard is a disaster as we are having the cistern dug and I still haven't gone through the po's stuff entirely. It takes time, but I do understand the hotel feeling. It will be a long time coming I think before I wonder what time check out is :p

I'm glad others have said "10 years" because that was my first thought; and our experience.

Personally, you will be more pleased with the results of your decorating if you live in the home for a year or so. Sure, organize those closets, remove some wallpaper. Maybe even paint a room. But, having restored old homes, purchased new and moved cross-country, I know it takes awhile to get settled, then make a plan.

Select a room where you will spend the most time. Once it is decorated and furnished to your taste, you will have a "theme" for other rooms. Your guests will enjoy a bit of you and imagine what changes are in your future. And most importantly, you will appreciate everything more.

Good luck.

Honestly it started to feel like home almost right away but probably only because we were surrounded by 'our stuff'. The PO took everything and left us w/ the bare bones of the house.

In regards to that I would have to say that if it's not 'jiving' w/ you and it's the PO then ditch it fast.

And I totally agree w/ what Franksmom said: stay away from decorating shows etc. until you have an idea as to where/ what you would like to try to achieve style wise and then (and only then) go back and reference those places to answer questions, etc. pertaining to YOU specifically.

We're 11yrs in our house and this past year is the first year that I have been 'getting it' for me. This past year was also the first year that I almost totally 'tuned out' to all decorating media including magazines and catalogs. I'd say that even w/in the past 6mo I've spent far less time here on GW than I ever have in the past. I've often been so influenced by the beautiful homes (REAL homes) of the posters here that I would get walaid (in the best of ways mind you!). Suddenly I would turn around, look at my latest room and go 'Ooops! What was I thinking? Perfect for so and so but not for me'.

If money grew on trees I have no doubt that I would finally be able to put our entire home together w/in a mere matter of weeks and be fantastically thrilled but I first had to 'Tune out' to be able to 'Tune in'.

Good luck and enjoy this wonderful adventure!

Glad you and your DH still have your sense of humor! Very important on a move.

We've bought many houses and can say that how fast the house was decorated/reno'd depended on many things. How bad it was, how busy we were, how burned out by the move we were, how much DIY we chose to do, how long we planned to live there, time of year, other stuff going on in our lives, etc. etc. There really is no 'normal' in this.

I've always had to remove the PO's wallpaper ASAP as I couldn't live with that. So once that's done painting naturally followed.

It sounds as if you need to do some planning re: storage. Perhaps install closet systems or dedicate one area to "miscellaneous" for awhile until you decide where everything will go.

Try not to be too hard on yourselves, just do a little at a time, and if you can afford to pay someone to do a few jobs it will be easier. Perhaps decorate one area such as your mantel so you have something nice (and finished) to look at. Use what you have from your previous home and live with it awhile before buying anything new to avoid costly mistakes. I think you'll be surprised how fast things will be done once you start.

Until the night before the buyer closed on the sale in my first property. This time I may be done a few months before I sell.

I also recommend not doing anything major right away: you don't know exactly how you are going to "live" in this house yet.

My first "projects" were always organizing closets and bathroom & kitchen storage. It seems like I buy from people who have no clue how to set up closets, bsmts and laundry rooms.
I also usually get a new shower curtain asap.

Just the whole packing, moving, getting a mortgage, change of address and possibly selling part of moving takes a while to get over (emotionally and financially). You then move in and then try to unpack to make life normal. It can be a while before you are ready to tackle big stuff, or the adrenalin will take you onwards for a bit.

We moved into this house all set to get it fixed up asap. We had the architect here the morning after closing. One thing led to another and the work is finally getting done, just 4 years behind schedule, lol. A lot of what we wanted to do was tied in to the good sized reno we are undertaking, so it made no sense to do things that would be disturbed by the reno/extension. We thought we'd tackle the reno the first year, but budget concerns (like having one, lol) interfered with our plan.

I still have many things in boxes and never unpacked or put up any pictures, knick nacks or anything decorative. It felt like our house but not our home for the past few years. Now, I am excited to get my colors on the walls, my lighting, and basically make the house look nothing like it did with the p.o.. I can unpack things I have not seen in 4+ years or that I bought along the way and put aside so that will be new and exciting for me ;)

A big thing I did was 2 years ago I painted the siding in front. We had cedar planking in the front in a "natural" stained color and it basically looked like someone pooped on the front of our house. There was white vinyl siding on the sides and back and white painted brick below, but the first thing anyone would notice is our yucky brown wood on the exterior. I decided that it could be years before we re-sided the front because the reno was on hold indefinitely, so I figured I'd paint it myself until we could do the work. I figured I'd paint it something fun and not a color one could get in siding, so we went with lavender (a trusting husband that time). It transformed the look instantly into charming and nice from yucky. It looks clean and crisp instead of worn and dirty. Once I was no longer disgusted driving up to the house, that helped a lot. In fact, we are doing the big project now and are not re-siding the house because it looks very nice as it is, IMHO. It took many coats of primer and paint, but the cost was less than $100, plus my labor. It also is not like any other house in our development. It is a mellow color, but still different.
Before: town picture and few years before we bought. The siding looked worse by the time we moved in.

I think if you start by organizing, that will make life run smoother and then you tackle other projects. I'd take down the border in the kitchen and prime the walls. Even if you live with white primer for a while, it will be your white primer and not the p.o.'s and you will have cracked the ice and will have something to build on.
We set up and painted our bsmt playroom and sons' room first because those areas were not part of the larger reno and we wanted them to feel at home first. It was nice to have 2 rooms with color on the walls. The p.o.'s had whitewashed the house in all actual white and it had no personality. I think they did it to sell and it was done poorly over bad sheetrock, so I have left it alone for the most part figuring that once the work was all done, I could finally paint knowing it would not get messed up. I had been tempted to do our living room and yet they ripped up 3 long panels on one wall for electrical work, so I am glad I had not wasted the time. I had tackled the hallway and painted it a pale yellow, but that got messed up as well. At least the parts we are keeping now have smoother sheetrock due to all the many layers of spackle, primer and paint. I did the parts I knew would be torn apart less carefully, but it looked nice for over a year, so that counts for something, lol.

Each house has its own to do list and you may adjust yours as you go. I think the problem comes when you try to do it all too fast and you make hurried decisions. As previous posters here have all said, let it marinate in your head a while, live with things to see what works and what doesn't and give yourself a break. Everything takes me longer to do than I expect yet I am always pleased I did it once it is done. No one does things as carefully as when we do our own house. I am proud of my parts of it and excited to get back to working on it again this year. You will get there, but it will take time.
I am headed to IKEA now to order my master bedroom closet organizers and buy 2 cabinets for our bathroom. I am happy to cross anything off the to do list, so this is a good thing ;)

My last house reached it's highest potential the day the real estate photographer came to shoot the listing photos. Well, I suppose if we'd stayed, we would have redone the two back bathrooms eventually. And I think things would have continued to evolve over time. But, that was a six-year process.

I have been in this house for a little over two years and we built/designed everything in it. So, there is no PO stuff to get rid of thankfully. But still, it is a work in progress. There are a couple spaces I have only just organized in the last few months.

I also find that I have changed my mind about major storage issues several times since being here....things like where the extra bedding goes, where the small appliances live (outside the kitchen), where I keep my travel gear, etc. It is a process that comes with time.

Most of my house is still (Ellen Kennon full spectrum) Builder Beige. I am slowly painting as the rooms evolve. Window treatments are being changed out from make-do to permanent as I am inspired, need them or can afford.

On the subject of money, my financial situation is quite different than it was a few years ago and as such I am progressing at a more measured pace than ever before. (Rushing to spend money to decorate is never a good idea IMO, no matter what your balance sheet looks like.) I have a kid headed for college and travel is more important to me than decor. New living room furniture will have to wait....maybe forever! :-)

As for getting a routine, nothing has helped me more than Flylady. I am not orthodox about her techniques, but I have found her philosophy quite useful. I first got into keeping my place really clean when we were listing to sell the old house. It has carried over and I find it a pleasant change. I highly recommend you take peek if you are looking for a sense of order.

It took me about 6 months to have it start feeling like home instead of a hotel or a stranger's house.

We painted some rooms when we moved in but that was it. The house was very neutral - no weird borders, etc. So it wasn't a huge deal.

It is our first home so I too was overwhelmed with all the work involved...cleaning, organizing, simply getting our stuff out into the house and out of boxes.

Give it some time though and you'll get around to it.

It's tough to find time to get to everything when you work full-time.

Thirteen years and counting...

I also agree about taking your time with the decor. We tackled the infrastructure issues first...fixed leaky faucets and pipes, addressed some drainage issues, organized all of the tools in the garage, that kind of thing. Looking back, my original "to do" list is much different than it is now.

Everyone commented about how our wood wainscoting was "dated" and that we should paint it. After living with it, it's totally grown on me, so now what's on the list is clean, touch-up, and polish the wainscoting. Some of my original ideas for the house would have turned out to be a disaster if I had actually had the time and money to do them when we first moved in.

I did organize the bathrooms and kitchens right away, but let the decor sort of evolve. And it's still evolving, and I imagine it will as long as we live here.

I decorate with almost nothing bought new from the store, so it's not as fast as just flipping through a catalogue and ordering something. Some days I wish it were, but I just don't live in that kind of house.

I consider myself very organized, and I think 2 months was about right before I got my & daughter's most basic daily routines and flow figured out.

My closets here are the smallest I've ever had, so getting my clothing storage established took a year, and now 3 years later, I'm still tweaking and making it a better system. I'm sure the tweaking will go on for a while.

Took a solid month before I had my morning bathroom supplies in places I liked and could remember where I put them.

I think I painted my first room 6 months in, but it was brown paneling and I refused to look at it. Rest of the house was acceptable to live in.

2 years in I did my first real room projects...the bathroom, and I made a library. Both were fairly small projects.

Then, I was tired and laid around for 9 months while admiring the finished products and planning my next one.

Almost at the 3 year mark now and just started my kitchen.

There will come a point when you are ready. Your motivation will kick in. Lots of basic needs have to be right with the world before you can start ripping, displacing, and reinventing.