Many conventional room makeover tips can cause a neurodivergent brain to crash. Here’s how to transform a space without overwhelm in order to reach your goal of creating a simple home.
The story.
“Okay, okay, we’ll leave the tall bookcases where they are.” I didn’t bother trying to keep the irritation from my voice. My seventeen-year-old son had dug in his heels about not moving said bookcases, especially the one right at the entrance of his bedroom.
He’d turned out to be right. But he could have been right in a more diplomatic way, at least allowing me to experiment without so much argument.
“But I know we need to move the loveseat from here to there,” I went on to my husband, pointing.
Over the years, I’d grown to despise our small earth-sheltered house. Only recently had I realized it was because the furniture arrangement was all wrong.
After about ten minutes of work, my husband and son had moved the loveseat, a couple of chairs, and the short bookcases. My son tried the new path from his room to the front door and declared it better than before.
I spent the next few days working on redecorating the bookcases, and when I was finished, a miracle occurred.
All of a sudden, I loved our little house.
A simple home refresh sometimes isn’t that simple.
For neurodivergent women, especially those of us over the age of forty-five and therefore dealing with more intense mood swings and energy drains than ever, what should be an easy room makeover ends up feeling like scaling Mt. Everest.
Backward.
Without any ropes or harnesses.
In stilettos.
It doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re looking at a room and thinking, “Something just isn’t quite right… but there’s no way I can do what needs to be done,” let me assure you: yes, you can.
And at least a few of the following room makeover tips will prove it to you.
Room makeover tip #1: Plan a neurodivergent-friendly design.
This means taking into account your sensory sensitivities.
It means ensuring the space will feel like a sanctuary to you when you’re finished.
It means the space being aesthetically pleasing.
It means ensuring that no one in your household will be forced to remember, every time they leave a room, that there is a large piece of furniture they need to avoid bumping into as they enter the next room.
Room makeover tip for neurodivergent women #2: Try one thing at a time.
If you have ADHD, you’re going to be tempted to try to rearrange everything all at once.
In many cases, that’s a bad idea. You’ll end up with a hodgepodge of furniture and clutter everywhere, then your hyperfocus energy will all evaporate before you have a chance to put it all back.
Move one chair or sofa. Slide the bed over. Redecorate one shelf.
Start small, and build from there. Taking your time means:
- you won’t make a big mess you can’t clean up, and
- you’ll be able to better see which changes need to be made.
Room makeover tip #3: Try to go low-budget.
The purpose of this blog is to help you reduce stress and find fulfillment by living a simpler life. A big part of that, as I’ll repeat repeatedly, is living somewhat frugally.
So as you figure out how you want to change a space, ask yourself if you can do it without making any new purchases. Is there a little-used piece of furniture in another room that will do? Décor in a storage box you’ve forgotten about?
This video by Caroline Winkler might inspire you to do a no-buy makeover.
Room makeover tip #4: Ask for other people’s input.
Especially if family or roommates are sharing your space, get their opinions. They may not care what you do. They may be like my son and automatically see that one particular change isn’t going to work.
If you’re stuck, having a couple other people study the space can bring to light solutions none of you would have thought of on your own.
Room makeover tip for neurodivergent women #5: keep it simple.
Even if you do a neurodivergent-friendly home refresh, you could make things more complicated than necessary, because you’re going off the styles you see in magazines or online.
You don’t have to be minimalist. But if you only use one sofa, have just one sofa. If you never use a chair in the bedroom, don’t put a chair in your bedroom.
And so on.
Room makeover tip #6: Have fun.
A simple room makeover shouldn’t feel like eating nails. If it does, you may not be following the above tips.
Stop. Breathe. Assess. Change whatever you need to change, especially if it’s your attitude or perspective.
When – and only when – the prospect of finishing the project feels more like skipping down a beach than trudging through cement, go back to it. You’ll be a lot more likely to end up with a result you not only can live with, but thoroughly enjoy for years to come.
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Done any simple home refreshes lately? Tell us about it in the comments!
