Debra Worthington
Making a new happy home for newly divorced dads can be challenging, especially if you are raising your children while having joint custody.
Starting over and creating a new home for your children may spark the need to hire an interior designer, a popular trend according to a New York Times article about more divorced men hiring decorators to create their new home’s environment.
Interior designers help you decide on how much space you will need in a new home and if the layout works for your lifestyle. Interior designers work with you to create the type of living space to live comfortably and entertain as well as to relate to your children.
Your children are a priority and they need to feel safe and secure while knowing they have a place for their clothes, books, toys, and a place to do homework at your new home so everyone can begin to make new memories.
Grown children may come home from college during the holidays or long weekends and they too need to feel that even though their parents are divorced, they still feel at home with Dad at his new home!
Making a new house a home is essential to healing, and having your space designed with proper furniture, fabrics, and finishes will give you the sense of home. You may have specific needs for TVs, office, workout space, bar space and an easy to clean and easy to cook in kitchen. All of these requests can be met with the interior designer.
Some lose not only their home, but most possessions to their ex and start over needing everything down to the pots and pans. Even if you are staying in the home you may want to give it your own style by working with a designer.
The designer will interview you allowing you to go through your lifestyle habits, wants, and needs. For instance you may say you would like to entertain, watch sports with your buddies, and play games with your children. This and more will be revealed at your program interview.
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In addition, at some point you may start dating again. You should want your home to be worthy of a comfortable space for a woman to come over. You need nice accessories—not just beer mugs to drink from and a coffee table to eat on in front of the TV!
The right space, lighting, and layout will definitely help your healing process. Furniture purchases need to be wise and quality driven.
Perhaps you might need a new bed, sofa, rug, drapery, dining table/chairs or accessories – all of which can be navigated by the designer. Whether you need paint colors or new countertops in the bath or kitchen, your designer will make it happen.
Artwork or photos framed and hung with thought, nice dishes, glasses, towels, and sheets are all the little things that make a house a home. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You may have some items you can reuse, but your designer hunts flea markets and uses other sources to make it worth your while.
Many divorced dads are very busy and the interior designer will take the load off and work quickly to bring it all together to get you set up and “feeling at home” again sooner!
Divorce is hard enough but knowing you can rest your head in a warm and inviting home specifically designed for you will ease the transition.
Debra Worthington is Principal of Worthington Interior Design, which is based in Boston.