7 Simple Ways to Make Your Home More Enjoyable After 60
After 60, I think we begin to look at our homes a little differently.
When we were younger, a house was often about raising children, getting everyone where they needed to go, keeping up with repairs, paying the mortgage, and somehow finding enough time to mow the lawn.
Then one day you realize something has changed.
The kids have their own lives. Work isn’t controlling every hour of the day. And you’re spending more time at home than you once did.
My wife and I have discovered that we actually enjoy staying home more than we used to.
And I don’t think that means we’re getting old.
I think it means we’ve finally reached the point where we can enjoy what we spent so many years building.
Here are seven simple ways I think we can make home even more enjoyable after 60.
1. Create One Place That’s Just for You
You don’t need to remodel an entire room.
Sometimes all you need is one comfortable chair, a small table and good lighting.
It might be where you read in the morning, have your coffee, work on a hobby or simply sit quietly for a while.
I have a home office, and I’ve come to appreciate having a place that’s mine.
It’s where I work on Reinvent After 60, research ideas, write articles and sometimes just sit and think.
Everyone should have a little space like that.
It doesn’t have to be fancy.
It just needs to feel like your place.
I’ve written more about why having your own space can matter in A Home Office: Your Special Place.
2. Build a Small Wine or Coffee Bar
This is one idea I’ve been thinking about lately.
Why not take an unused corner of the kitchen, dining room, basement or family room and turn it into a small wine or coffee bar?
It doesn’t have to look like something from a magazine.
A small cabinet, a few glasses, some shelves and perhaps a wine refrigerator or coffee maker could completely change an unused space.
Imagine having another couple over on a Friday evening.
Instead of spending $100 or more going out for dinner and drinks, you open a bottle of wine, put out some cheese and crackers, make something good for dinner and spend the evening talking.
At our age, that can be a pretty good night.
And probably a lot more relaxing.
3. Make Your Porch, Patio or Deck Somewhere You Actually Want to Sit
One of the simplest pleasures in life is sitting outside when the weather is nice.
But a lot of us have outdoor spaces we hardly use.
Maybe the chairs aren’t comfortable. Maybe there’s nowhere to put a drink. Maybe the lighting isn’t very good.
Those are easy things to change.
A comfortable chair, small table, outdoor lighting and a few plants can turn an ordinary porch or patio into one of your favorite places.
I’ve written before about how much my wife and I enjoy simple evenings at home.
Sometimes your date night doesn’t have to begin when you leave the house.
It can begin on the front porch.
4. Bring Back a Hobby You’ve Forgotten About
This is something I think more seniors should consider.
What did you enjoy doing years ago that life got too busy for?
Woodworking?
Gardening?
Model trains?
Painting?
Cooking?
Music?
Photography?
There was probably something.
I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and doing projects around the house. I’ve also spent time with model railroading, which is the kind of hobby you can keep improving and changing forever.
Retirement gives us something we didn’t have enough of when we were younger:
time.
Instead of filling every free hour watching television or looking at a phone, why not bring an old interest back to life?
Better yet, create a space in your home specifically for it.
5. Make Your Home Comfortable Instead of Impressive
This may be one of the biggest changes in how I think today.
I’m less interested in whether something impresses somebody else.
I care whether we enjoy it.
I’d rather have a comfortable chair we use every night than an expensive chair nobody wants to sit in.
I’d rather have a family room where people put their feet up than a perfect room nobody uses.
And I’d rather have friends over for a casual dinner than worry about whether everything in the house looks perfect.
After 60, maybe we’ve earned the right to stop trying to impress everybody.
Make your home work for the way you actually live.
6. Improve the Little Things You Use Every Day
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars remodeling your home.
Look at the things you touch and use every day.
Maybe it’s time for:
- a better reading lamp
- a more comfortable mattress or pillow
- a good coffee maker
- better kitchen knives
- a comfortable outdoor chair
- a television that’s easier to use
- better speakers for music
- a small electric fireplace
- improved lighting in a dark room
One good purchase that you enjoy every day can be worth far more than several things you rarely use.
That’s also something I want to explore more on Reinvent After 60.
What products actually make life better after 60—and which ones aren’t worth our money?
I think that’s a much more useful question than simply looking for things to buy.
7. Invite People Into Your Home
This may be the most important one.
A beautiful home doesn’t mean much if we don’t enjoy it.
Invite another couple over.
Have your children or grandchildren for dinner.
Watch a game together.
Sit around the kitchen table.
Have coffee on the porch.
Open that bottle of wine you’ve been saving.
Some of the best evenings my wife and I have had didn’t involve reservations, expensive tickets or elaborate plans.
They happened at home.
And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized those ordinary evenings aren’t really ordinary at all.
They’re part of what makes life good.
I’ve also shared some of the small things I’ve discovered that can make everyday life better in 7 Simple Things That Make Life More Enjoyable After 60.
Your Home Should Change as Your Life Changes
We spend decades making our homes work for our families.
Maybe this stage of life is when we finally get to make them work for us.
That doesn’t require a major renovation.
It might begin with one chair.
One corner.
One hobby.
One dinner with friends.
Or even that little wine bar you’ve always thought would be nice.
The point isn’t to spend more money.
It’s to get more enjoyment from the life and home you already have.
At 79, I’m becoming more convinced that enjoying life after 60 isn’t about constantly searching for the next big thing.
Sometimes it’s about looking around at what you’ve already built and asking:
How can I enjoy this more?
That’s a question I plan to explore much more on Reinvent After 60.
Because reinvention doesn’t always mean starting over.
Sometimes it simply means making more of what you already have.