You’ve done it —all those late-night study sessions and early-morning carpools paid off! The kids are finally out of the house, so now is a terrific time to renovate your home without your rambunctious teens and young adults taking center stage. Consider these ten best home improvement ideas for empty nesters.
1Expand Your Master Suite
After years of divvying up bedrooms with the kids, you deserve a master bedroom and now’s the time to make that happen. Expand your master suite to include not only your bed but a customized walk-in closet, a master bathroom, and maybe even a relaxation nook.
2Create a Guest Suite
Use your spare room to create a guest suite for those often unexpected overnight guests that you get on the holidays and long weekends. Maybe this includes a small kitchenette with a wine fridge or a simple open-concept style studio with a bedroom set and double sinks.
3Opt for Open Concept Living Space
Rethink how you’ll use your space and enjoy your newfound freedom. Maybe you no longer need that closed-off dining room where you hosted family dinners and instead opt to knock out a wall and expand the breakfast nook. Open-concept living spaces are ideal for empty nesters as you keep all of the main rooms on one level, making it easier to adapt to in older age.
4Upgrade Your Furniture
Now that you don’t have to worry about kids spilling on your couches, you can finally update your furniture to the 21st century! Invest in materials and pieces that bring you joy. If you’ve had your eye on an all-white living room sectional but were worried about spills, now’s the time to make that gutsy purchase. Without having to worry about performance fabrics or shoes on the coffee table, the world of furniture really opens up and you can explore high-end barstools and solid wood tables.
5Design a Dream Office
Chances are you have a spare bedroom now that the kids are gone, so what better time to create your dream home office than now? Having a dedicated space where you can tune out and be productive is key to a balanced work-life balance. And now with so many jobs going remote, an at-home office has become a daily essential. Take up space and design your dream home office complete with a spacious desk and cozy office chair.
6Add a Home Gym or Hobby Room
Turn your basement into an entertainment space or build a home theater with a full surround sound system. Many empty nesters choose to return to their roots by taking up hobbies they didn’t have time for when their kids were living at home. This looks different for everybody and where one creative mind might prefer a craft room another active person might consider building a workout room. If your basement is more of a storage space, think about turning your kid’s old room into the at-home gym.
7Redo the Existing Bathroom
Now that you don’t have to worry about kid’s dripping their towels all over the floor or messy bathtimes, think about renovating your bathrooms. Consider upgrading light fixtures and hardware, or maybe switch out that old clawfoot tub for a walk-in shower. And with a little extra income, now you can finally purchase those heated floors you’ve had your eye on!
8Invest in New Appliances
Don’t forget to invest in new appliances and upgrade your kitchen! This gathering place has seen many a family dinner and after-school snack over the years, so chances are you have a few flaws you’d like to repair. Replace the scratched kitchen table, update the hardware on your kitchen drawers, give your cupboards a fresh coat of paint, and install new light fixtures. You can even take your kitchen to the next level by replacing the pocked laminate countertop with granite, installing a new tile backsplash, and updating it to a smart fridge.
9Recycle and Renovate
Of course, creating an empty nesters space doesn’t need to turn into a whole home renovation. If you aren’t ready to commit to an entire house overhaul, save money by recycling and renovating your existing home design. This can be as simple as rearranging the furniture in your living room and reupholstering your dining room chairs to add more storage space in the laundry room.
10Design a Cozy Guest Room
The truth is, no matter how excited you might be to have your space to yourself, you want the kids to come home sometimes! Increase those chances by turning their old childhood rooms into cozy, grown-up guest rooms.
McCall’s Carpet One
Ready to begin your empty nester renovation? Let the professionals at Carpet One Floor & Home walk you through the stages of project planning and find more flooring inspiration on the blog.
