With expert advice on decluttering, redecorating, and creating new memories, here’s how to turn heartbreak into a home refresh that feels like a fresh start

The joy of having a space to call home is the opportunity to make it your own, to imbue it with memories of cosy Sunday mornings and romantic dinner dates. But after a breakup, the place you used to love can become painfully tied to what you’ve lost.

Instead of seeing living alone as an unhappy ending, think of it as the start of a new chapter. Redecorating your space after a breakup is a chance for creative freedom and can be a useful distraction from heartbreak – one that’s much more effective than a botched box-dye.

Katie L’Aimable, the owner of professional organising company dot., suggests using this newfound creative freedom to kickstart your healing journey and make the space your own. “The first thing we would focus on is how – like we’re told to do emotionally when you’ve had a breakup – [to] find yourself again,” she says. “Shake up the space, move furniture, create different zones to make it something new.” 

This reimagined layout should be built around the life you want to have moving forward. L’Aimable says: “When we live with somebody, it’s about collaboration and compromise. But when a space becomes your own, you have the freedom to make all of those choices yourself.

“Maybe you didn’t agree on the colour of the sofa, so you think, ‘I’m going to invest in a few nice throws and change it up to what I wanted in the first place.’” When your ex moves out, take this as an opportunity to address any design concessions you had to make.

For a practical step towards making your home your own, L’Aimable suggests making a written plan or a mood board. “What’s no longer serving you? Is there anything that doesn’t bring you joy? Will removing things from your physical space help create space mentally?” 

Part of this involves clearing away any objects likely to prompt unhappy memories. Poppy Duffree, founder of Organised Interiors, suggests collecting all of an ex’s belongings together so there are no nasty surprises around the corner. 

“Take all those items – gifts you’ve been given, photographs, or tickets to events you went to together – [and] put them all in one place, like a memory box.” This way, Duffree explains, you are free to move on to the next stage of your life without physical reminders holding you back. 

Without this physical and emotional clutter, Laura Price of The Home Organisation says it’s time to think about bringing in more pieces that add joy to your life. “You can add aesthetic details, like pretty jars in your kitchen cupboards, that make you happy [so] every time you open that cupboard door, or the door to your room, you get a little dopamine boost.”

Cleaning up your space makes room for new memories, too. Duffree says: “Introducing new people into your space, hosting friends [and] having family over [builds] memories in that space that aren’t about you and the partner who’s moved out.”

Creating new memories while reeling from heartbreak can feel impossible, so craft an interior layout that makes hosting simple. “If you have friends that want to pop in, or you want to have family over for a meal, focus on that side of the home when you’re reorganising so that [hosting becomes] something enjoyable for you.”

So, open up Pinterest, grab a pen (and maybe a glass of wine), and settle down to design a home – and life – that’s totally yours. I don’t know about you, but the future’s feeling a little brighter already.