When to Keep Things the Same, When to Make a Change

When you’re asking yourself if you should make a change, you’re answering your own question.  When a space doesn’t seem comfortable anymore, it isn’t.

A place can seem less comfortable for a variety of reasons, some grounded in how exactly the space is used (not enough bedrooms for all residents, no space large enough for a table for all family members to share, you have taken up painting and there’s no place to set up your easel, for instance), and others that are more conceptual (you’ve become more concerned about the environment and your home really isn’t very green, for example).  When friends, your community, move away, this can also be a good time for you to relocate and to start anew if you don’t feel you mesh with new residents.

Beware, however, of making significant changes if you’re particularly stressed about something that’s relatively short-term (you’re ill but will probably recover, for example).  When we’re very tense, being in a familiar space can be a powerful feel-better balm.

Still wavering about whether to make a change or not?  Think about the three core, design-related drives that each of us has—we’ve talked about them before, here, for example.  We are driven to do whatever we’re doing well, to have some control over our life experiences, and to bond with people we choose.  Is the design of your home and the things in it helping you reach all three of these goals?  If not, you need to make some changes and you can use our index to find the articles that will let you know the specific sorts of home modifications are needed in your case.

When the environments you use don’t help you achieve your life objectives, your life is lousy—your home should evolve when it doesn’t support your quest to do whatever you’re up to well (whether that’s writing a technical report or a novel, learning to play the accordion, or creating positive memories with your kids), live how you choose to (with the blinds up or down, etc.), and establishing and maintaining psychological bonds with the others you choose.