Fun and Engaging DIY Projects for Empty Nesters

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – the kids are out of the house. After decades of raising your children, they have finally found their footing and are out of your home. While this is a very exciting time, it can also feel quite empty. Your once-full home is now empty, and the quietness can be overwhelming. You probably have empty bedrooms that are haphazardly decorated, with leftovers from your children’s belongings spread across the floor. Instead of getting caught up on what isn’t there anymore though, it is important to get excited about all the countless things you can do with your new space! Here are some ideas to help get you started.

A Spa

What could be more relaxing and worthwhile than a spa? Now that your children are out of the house, you can update one of your rooms to act as your very own at-home spa. This can be incredibly cheap to do, requiring only a few upgrades and the careful placement of furniture. Stick to a minimal design and using plenty of natural light. By using simple décor and lots of light, you can create a calming atmosphere for very little money. In fact, by focusing on simplicity, a lot of what you do will require taking things away instead of adding things. On top of this, decorate your spa room with real furniture in lighter colors, such as whites and light blues.

Add a Study

Now that you have the extra bedroom, you might want to consider converting one of them into a study or library. By adding a few bookshelves and a comfortable chair, you can easily make a quiet, relaxing study in your own home. Freshome suggests focusing on the appropriate seating arrangement. You should have enough room for at least a single chair, though a pair of matching, comfortable chairs is preferable. If you have lots of room, you might consider adding a chaise, which will allow you to both sit and lay down to read. Lighting is also important in an at-home study. Of course, you want the lighting to be bright enough so that you can read without straining your eyes. However, you want to avoid harsh lighting, which can hurt your eyes after reading for long periods. Soft lighting and natural light are especially important in a study.

Update Your Entire Home

Of course, you don’t just have to update your children’s old rooms. Your whole home is probably due for an update after your children move out. To reduce stress, you might want to update your entire home for a spa-like feel, especially if your environment doesn’t have an overall theme or current style. You can start by updating your paint to soothing colors, such as greens and grays. HuffPost recommends pastel-like colors in order to de-stress a space and make your home more relaxing overall. Decorating your home with natural accents like seashells and paintings of natural scenes. Plants can also be hugely effective at toning down a space and relaxing the atmosphere. You might also want to rearrange your furniture for a feng shui feel, which can help your home feel more open and less crowded.

Now that your children are out of the house, there are countless ways to update your home and reuse the spare bedrooms to create a quiet retreat. Lots of these projects are easy to do by yourself as you have time and require very little money to do correctly. With only the cost of paint and some new light bulbs, you can easily create a relaxing environment.

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