These Are the 10 Decorating Tasks You Should Do First When Moving into a New Home (2025)

It’s a cruel truth that you can’t make your new home perfect all at once. Pace yourself—you’ve got years of cozying up in this home ahead of you—and focus on these high-payoff move-in tasks to swiftly create beauty, comfort, and function throughout.

1. Prioritize Windows

Get at least basic window coverings up first for security, privacy, and a good night’s sleep, says Heather Jackson of In Place, who provides interior design and unpacking services in the San Francisco Bay Area. “You don't have to have your curtains chosen and delivered, but make accommodations for something temporary. There are even paper ones that I use regularly,” she says. Temporary window treatments can cost less than $10 apiece and stick to your window frame or wall, so they don’t require tools. Put up your more permanent picks once you work through the home, room by room, to finalize decor.

2. Refresh the Bathrooms

“It's the smallest space in the home, so it's a nice way to feel like you accomplished something,” says Christy McDonald of Hudson Valley’s Miss Clear Clutter, providing unpacking and design services. She suggests a fresh toilet seat, shower curtain, and hand towels, at minimum, and perhaps a showerhead, too. Put a little extra effort into high-impact decor in the powder room or whichever bathroom visitors will use.

3. Create a Welcoming Entrance

One of your first purchases should be a doormat, says Jackson, who often gifts them to her clients. “It's a very easy, small way to freshen the space and welcome people to your new place; give them a nice first encounter,” she says. Ensure the outdoor lighting is sufficient and welcoming, too, and consider a planter. Similarly freshen the inside of whichever entrance those who live here use most often with hooks for coats and bags, a landing spot for things like mail and mugs, and a basket for shoes.

4. Paint or Wallpaper Walls

Ideally, you’ll break out the paint or wallpaper before you bring in furniture, so there’s nothing to move, protect, or work around. Newly covered walls also make a home feel instantly fresh and personal. Try not to overthink initial color or pattern choices. It's better to live with your first choice than with white walls or, worse yet, something existing that bugs you, until you can prioritize the task down the road.

5. Purge as You Go

“Even my most organized clients who’ve purged as they packed do it again during move-in,” Jackson says. It’s usually an easier time to pare down, she says, as you’re probably less rushed and in the midst of considering your new home’s bright, shiny possibility. Group like items and pause before putting things away, looking at everything with fresh eyes. “Decide on your favorites that can stay and what might not get to,” she says, keeping the goal of a soothing, decluttered, and efficient space top of mind.

6. Add Mood Lighting

Lighting is key for both function and ambience. Jackson advocates installing dimmer switches throughout. “It makes lighting flexible, making everyone and everything look their best at all times of the day,” she says. Installing them is a fine project for careful and confident DIYers. (If that’s not you, call a handyperson or electrician.) And think in terms of lighting layers, looking for opportunities to add accent and task lighting throughout.

7. Use the Right Size Rugs

Rugs instantly warm and ground a space, but getting them right is a double whammy. They’re hard to move around and easy to size incorrectly. To help with both issues, use painters tape to outline where they’ll be before unrolling. Living room furniture should sit on the rug (not just bump up to it), and you need two extra feet of rug under a dining room table for chair-scooching purposes. And don’t forget underlays for comfort and to prevent slippage, including fresh ones for any rugs moved from your previous space.

8. Pause for Art

“There are definitely pieces that you see and are like, ‘Oh, I know this is going here.’ But for the most part, people like to live in the space and get comfortable, and then start hanging,” McDonald says. She recommends setting pieces within view on the floor in the rooms you envision them hanging. Let life unfold for a few weeks, moving favorite art so it’s within view in the places where you tend to linger. Set time on the calendar about a month after move-in to start hanging.

9. Rethink Placement and Use

Resist the urge to place items in roughly the same place you had them in your former space. “People happiest with their design at the end of the day aren't just saying, ‘Okay, this is how my couch and two chairs were arranged in my family room in the last house,’” Jackson says. “They look at the new space and ask, ‘What’s going to work best for function, comfort and enjoyment here?’” This goes for everything, including furniture, artwork, and organizing helpers.

10. Nurture Plants

“Adding plants throughout the home creates a warm, cozy environment,” McDonald says. Set them on sills, stands, and shelves wherever natural light streams in. Move them around as needed until you discover where they thrive. Her favorite tip: Mounting a glass shelf across a window over the kitchen sink for plants or herbs. “It’s such a small thing, but it makes a big difference.”