As I’m painting my daughter’s new house before move-in day, just weeks after painting my own new digs and moving in, I am pondering how people set up their houses. I downsized to less than half the square footage and Hannah is spreading out after moving from a dorm room to a 5-room house she’ll be sharing with just one other person. Needless to say, they feel as if they’ve hit the jackpot. I’m still feeling a bit disoriented and trying to find a flow. My girls are home so infrequently, the space is more than efficient for me and my two dogs, but I’m still working out what goes where.

My friend, Scott, also sold his larger house and has moved to a smaller space. I’m thinking men don’t ponder and second-guess themselves as much as women do. Before he moved in, he told me in detail where everything was going to go and what space would be for what. I’m a bit envious that he had it all planned out.

But as Hannah and I wandered around her empty little house, we discussed so many possibilities, we started to have to take notes on what we thought was best. Once her furniture is moved in, though, I’m sure she’ll change it around a hundred times. Like mother, like daughter.

Do you rearrange your furniture? Is it once and you’re done after you moved in, or do you switch things up every once in a while?