Reconfiguring Your Living Space

Your home not only meets basic needs but also is your unique space and refuge from the ever-changing world. However, there are points in life when you must embrace change in order for your home to continue to meet your needs. Priorities shift. Families expand and contract. Resources change. Health and aging issues come to the fore. The pandemic, with its major disruption of the rhythms and routines of daily living, is one of those times when changes have had to made in living space. Homes have become places of work. Kitchens have become classrooms. Backyards, driveways and sidewalks have become sports centers. Regardless of the reason, everyone enters a season when it is time to engage the process of reconfiguring their living space.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to reconfiguring living space. However, there are common concepts which can lead to the best solution for you and your unique situation.

EVALUATE: Ask the following question: What is my most pressing need? Accessibility? Efficiency? Privacy? Safety? Additional Space? Your answer to this question will serve an overall guide to the process.
ENVISION: What would it look/feel like and how would it function if I added a room divider? Reoriented the furniture in the family room? Moved the master bedroom downstairs? Made the master bath handicapped accessible?
REALISTICALLY REVIEW YOUR RESOURCES: What is your budget? How much money, time, and energy can you bring to the project? Are you open to seeking help from a professional organizer/transition specialist?
REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE: When it comes to living efficiently and safely, less is always more. Rooms crowded with possessions means less room for flexibility and you. Little used but much-loved items can be stored but much of what you no longer use can be gifted, donated or sold through estate sales and consignment shops.
RE-ORGANIZE: This is a key concept, especially if your goals include efficiency, safety and accessibility. Having what you need when and where you need it is a huge time saver, especially these days when new protocols have been added. For example, a set place for keys, purse, sanitizers, masks and gloves can make coming and going less stressful. Organization is also key when setting up a home office or an area for children to engage in school work. Ideally, there should be a designated space set apart for these activities with supplies and power sources close at hand.
Times of transition can be stressful and challenging. But they can also be wonderful opportunities to reorient and move forward in new and exciting ways. And, you need not face reconfiguring your living space alone. A Senior Move Manager® offers a wide variety of services to help you reconfigure your living space — whether you’re trying to establish a home office, age-in-place or downsize and move into a new home.

AUTHOR:  The owner of Chesapeake Transitions, Marilyn Leek is a Certified Senior Move Manager® who has been providing support and guidance for Maryland seniors and their families for over a decade.