Seventy-six million American citizens are known as “the Boomers” those of us born between mid-1940's and the mid 1960's. This large middle-aged population dramatically influences home design geared toward convenience and comfort. Location options are expanding, from pared-down simplification to over-the-top fanciness. There are extensive choices for you to create a home for yourself, your way.

Comfort means different things to different people. It may connote a clean, well-maintained, safe and secure home. It may imply spaciousness, storage options, rooms for recreation and relaxing, extra bedrooms for visiting friends and family. The layout, furnishings, choice of colors and décor express individual style and your personal ambiance that you wish to create.

Your sense of comfort may extend to knowing that those who live with or visit you will find comfort, ease, convenience and enjoyment in the surroundings you create.

Take stock of your home by taking a visual tour of each room. Identify tasks and projects room by room. Think about the following questions before tackling projects:

In which room(s) do I spend significant time? Start with one room. Ask these questions:

-What would I rearrange? Replace? Repair?
-Where would I start to make changes, if any?
-What look and feel do I want to create here?
-What can I afford to spend?

Advertisement
-What do I like about the area?
-What do I dislike about the area?
-What stuff must go?
-Is the room conducive to conversation, TV watching, reading, playing games?
-What colors would I like to see in this room?

Once you've identified areas of need, you're on your way to achieving the improvements you desire. Scan the items from this master list above that merit your attention and make notes where appropriate. Don't get upset if your list is too long. That's why we asked the question “Where do you spend significant time?” Begin the process there.

Good luck and have some fun, too!

Joyce Cohen has been a leading figure in the field of career development and life planning for the past 25 years. She consults with organizations of all sizes and leads seminars on career management, mentoring, learning organizations, creative aging, retirement planning, growth and renewal, and other topics related to successful life planning.

Joyce can be reached at joyce@u-wisdom.com and will answer questions as space permits.

The opinions expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of connpost.com. Comments for Post: cdauber@ctpost.com