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Lara Bezich

About Lara Bezich

Founder, Muvo

Posts by Lara Bezich:

The Need for Nomadic Furniture in Times of Crisis

The Case for Nomadic Furniture in Times of Crisis

The Case for Nomadic Furniture in Times of Crisis

Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

Furniture is, by nature, a localized object. It costs money to move weight across long distances, and the math rarely works out in the furniture's favor. A sofa that cost $800 might cost $400 to move across the country when you factor in space, weight, and gas. That's why so many people freely give away large pieces or sell them for pennies on the dollar at the end of a lease, just to avoid the trouble. Part of what you pay for when you buy furniture is the delivery and the placement — operating under the assumption that you'll stay put long enough to make it worthwhile.

Furniture's relationship to place goes beyond logistics. Historically, different materials evolved in response to local climates. Dense hardwoods thrived in temperate forests. Woven reeds and lightweight bamboo suited humid coastal regions. A fine piece of furniture built in the moisture-rich air of the American South can crack and split when moved to the Southwest, because the wood contracts in the dry desert air. The piece carries its origin in its grain.

Furniture is inherently not nomadic. It belongs to a place and is an expression of that area's geography, culture, and climate.

Nomadic Furniture Is a Contradictory Concept, But We Need It

There's a tension embedded in modern life that didn't exist for most of human history. On one hand, we carry a deep, almost biological need for rootedness: for a place that is ours, arranged the way we like, surrounded by the things that make daily life comfortable and convenient. We want to feel at home, even when home is temporary. But the conditions of modern life — mobile careers, short-term leases, and rising costs — make it increasingly difficult to justify permanence in our furniture choices.

Nomadic furniture is a design response to that tension. It expresses a contradictory desire: to have everything needed for a functional, comfortable life without being burdened or bound to one place by static, heavy, expensive objects.

In a world where jobs are precarious, housing markets are volatile, and the average person moves more than a dozen times in their lifetime, being able to pick up and go without financial penalty is a real survival skill. The freedom to move quickly is, for some people, the freedom to survive.

DIY as Crisis Design

People's interest in DIY tends to spike during economic downturns, and the reason is simple: when incomes fall and budgets tighten, people build what they can't afford to buy.

This has been true across generations. During the Great Depression, families repurposed shipping crates and salvaged lumber into functional household objects. During the stagflation of the 1970s, a counterculture DIY movement flourished, producing hand-built furniture, woodworking magazines, and entire ecosystems of self-sufficiency. The 2008 financial crisis brought another wave — Etsy launched in 2005, and maker culture exploded in the years that followed. The pattern is consistent: economic instability drives people toward the satisfaction and practicality of making things themselves.

DIY, in this sense, is a form of crisis design — born not from comfort and abundance but from constraint and necessity. And constraints, as any designer will tell you, often produce the most interesting solutions.

Where DIY Meets Nomadic

Here's where the two ideas converge: the skills required to build DIY furniture are precisely the skills that make furniture nomadic.

When you build a piece of furniture yourself, you understand its joinery, its fasteners, and its sequence of assembly. That means you can also take it apart. You know which bolts to remove, which panels separate first, how the whole thing breaks down into components that fit into a car or ship flat in a box. Your knowledge transforms the furniture from a static object into something closer to a utility — portable, repeatable, and adaptable.

Flat-pack ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture took a step in this direction, making furniture easier to ship and assemble once. But it was never designed for multiple moves. The particleboard degrades. The cam locks strip out. The second assembly is worse than the first, and by the third move, it's essentially toxic firewood.

Real nomadic furniture is designed with the full lifecycle and many moves in mind. It's built from materials that hold up to repeated assembly and disassembly — not just the first build. It packs flat without losing structural integrity. And ideally it's modular, so the same components that form a bed frame in one apartment can become a desk or shelving system in the next. Nomadic furniture adapts to whatever space you're in, rather than forcing the space to adapt to it.

Nomadic Furniture for a Rootless Age

Nomadic furniture is a response to a moment in history when owning lots of things feels more like a liability than a sign of success. When the housing market is uncertain, when the next job might be in a different city, when the rising cost of living may force a move, nomadic furniture alleviates the pain of transition and makes starting over somewhere new a lot easier.

The goal for Gen Z and many Millennials isn't to accumulate possessions the way that previous generations did, leaving behind a trail of abandoned furniture at every doorstep and hauling around boxes of accumulated junk. The goal now is to move fluidly through life while retaining mobility, optionality, and simplicity.

What Nomadic Furniture Looks Like Today

The idea of nomadic furniture has existed for generations, but the execution is finally catching up.

Muvo is a modular furniture system designed from the ground up for people who move frequently, or who simply don't want to be held hostage by their stuff. Muvo Boxes assemble into a bed frame, a desk, a shelving unit, a closet organizer, or a gear wall, depending on what your space calls for. No tools. No hardware. No particleboard.

When it's time to go, Muvo Box turns into moving boxes for your move. Then when you arrive somewhere new, you build what you need. The furniture holds up to repeated moves and heavy duty use.

If you're furnishing a space that you're not sure you'll stay in, or are tired of the cycle of buying cheap furniture and leaving it behind, see what Muvo Box can do.

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The 5 life stages of adulthood Muvo

The 5 Life Stages of Adulthood (And the Furniture Mistake Most People Make)

The 5 Life Stages of Adulthood

(And the Furniture Mistake Most People Make)

Most people buy furniture for a life they don’t have yet. It’s one of the most common — and expensive — financial mistakes of early adulthood. And almost nobody talks about it.

There are five life stages of adulthood, each defined by a different living situation, a different amount of stuff, and a different set of risks. Understanding which stage you’re in — and what traps come with it — can save you thousands of dollars, months of stress, and years of forward momentum.

This is the philosophy behind Muvo: your home is not just where you live. It’s a measurable reflection of your priorities and your trajectory. Design it wrong and it holds you back. Design it right and it propels you forward.

Why the Ownership Instinct Works Against You Early in Life

The desire to own property is deeply rooted in human nature. Across cultures and throughout history, control over land, shelter, and resources has meant safety, continuity, and survival. Ownership signals permanence. It creates a sense of territory, identity, and protection.

This instinct isn’t wrong. It’s ancient and biologically ingrained.

The problem is that early in adulthood, this instinct can work against you. It leads people to pursue ownership — of furniture, of stuff, of space — before they have the income, the stability, or the life stage to support it. The result is a physical footprint that grows faster than the life it’s supposed to serve.

Every stage of adulthood has a right-sized footprint. Here’s what each one looks like.

The 5 Life Stages

1 — Nomadic
2 — Dorm / Studio / Shared Apartment
3 — Apartment / Condo
4 — House
5 — Multiple Properties

Not everyone hits every stage — or wants to. Some paths are step-by-step; others are circular or fragmented. There’s nothing inherently good or bad about any one stage. Context is everything. But each stage comes with predictable realities worth understanding.

Stage 1: Nomadic

Backpacking. Van life. Seasonal work. Digital nomad life out of Airbnbs. Sometimes this stage is chosen with excitement. Other times it’s triggered by a job loss, a financial reset, or a bold decision to leave everything behind and start somewhere new.

The spectrum is wide: from a single backpack to a fully built-out Sprinter van with heat, water, and power. Any belongings you don’t bring with you must be stored elsewhere.

Risks to watch for:
This stage carries the highest level of uncertainty and safety risk. Safety concerns include theft, harassment, and unsafe environments. Backpackers are especially vulnerable in shared sleeping spaces. This lifestyle demands heightened situational awareness. Avoid bringing anything you’re emotionally attached to — it may get stolen. Keep irreplaceable items stored with trusted people. Maintain multiple backups of important digital files.

Space priorities:
Your space — whether a backpack or a vehicle — should support the basic functions of survival: sleeping, working, hygiene, and safety. Every item must earn its place. Layouts should prioritize rest, efficiency, and security. Cooking is minimal and focused on simple meals and food prep.

Right-sized footprint:
A 5’x10’ storage unit. 8–10 Muvo Boxes. Two pallets or less. At this stage, you could do a suitcase move or a small parcel move. Mobility is your greatest asset. Protect it.

Stage 2: Dorm / Studio / Shared Apartment

This is where most people start independent adulthood. Single-room living, often with shared kitchen and bathroom. Storage space is tight, which leads some people to rent storage units they can’t afford — for stuff they don’t really need.

Risks to watch for:
Bad roommates. Theft. Wasted money on storage. Pets acquired too early. (Pets significantly limit rental options and mobility and can hold you back from making the moves that matter.) The biggest financial risk at this stage is buying furniture like you’re already in Stage 4. Heavy stuff. Cheap stuff. Stuff that won’t survive one move, let alone five.

Space priorities:
Your space should support work or study, some socializing, sleep, and survival. Prioritize layouts and items that support your career or educational goals, keep your belongings safe from theft, and meet your basic needs for cooking, hygiene, and rest.

Right-sized footprint:
A 5’x10’ storage unit. 10–15 Muvo Boxes. Four pallets or less. By not over-investing in furniture at this stage, you preserve the ability to do a suitcase move or small parcel move when the right opportunity comes along. Choose secondhand and DIY over permanent purchases. Delayed gratification here is the difference between temporary independence and lasting stability.

Stage 3: Apartment / Condo

When the benefits of privacy and more space outweigh the increased cost — typically by your late 20s or early 30s — most people move into their own place. The extra space creates temptation to fill it with furniture bought on debt. Resist it. Debt seriously limits options and opportunities.

Risks to watch for:
Landlords can decide to renovate, raise rent, or sell with little notice. When you rent, stability is always borrowed. The most common mistake at this stage is buying furniture that won’t move well or won’t work in your next home. Another is accumulating single-use, season-specific items that eat storage space and complicate every future move. Prioritize classic, year-round, multi-functional pieces.

Space priorities:
You can now separate functions: cooking, dining, relaxing, working, hobbies, sleep. This is a powerful stage — if you resist lifestyle inflation. Just because you have a dining room doesn’t mean you need dishes for every season and glassware for every drink type. Less stuff to move means more mobility and more options.

Right-sized footprint:
A 10’x10’ storage unit. 15–20 Muvo Boxes. Up to 12 pallets. A 15’ U-Haul or a medium POD. You’ve graduated to the container move. Moving is now more expensive and more work. This is the stage where financial momentum is either built or reversed. If your footprint expands faster than your income or your mission, moving becomes friction instead of freedom.

Stage 4: House

Home ownership is often framed as peak stability — and it can be. You gain control, equity, and long-term security. The average age of a first-time home buyer in the US is now 40, an historic high, as ownership becomes increasingly out of reach without higher income or careful strategy.

Owning can bring a feeling of peace and security.y You build equity instead of your landlord’s wealth, you can change your environment to suit your tastes, and the stability can anchor your career and family. The downside is the risk, the maintenance burden, and the loss of flexibility. A mortgage makes your income stability critical. Any disruption puts your equity at risk.

Risks to watch for:
Unexpected repairs, rising insurance costs, property taxes, HOA fees, difficult neighbors, and poor resale value. Don’t underestimate the mental burden of a bad HOA or a problem neighbor — they aren’t just inconveniences. They’re quality-of-life threats that can turn into a nightmare.

Space priorities:
In addition to living functions, you now need space for maintenance items: tools, paint, home improvement supplies, gardening equipment, seasonal outdoor furniture. Makre sure your home has a garage, basement, or storage shed that can handle this.

Right-sized footprint:
A 10’x20’–40’ storage unit. 20–40 pallets. A 26’ U-Haul or a full truckload. Once you own a house, accumulation accelerates. Moving at this stage is a major logistical undertaking. Stability increases — but so does the cost of changing your mind.

Stage 5: Multiple Properties

Owning multiple properties is often viewed as winning the game. A primary residence plus a vacation home. Rental properties. Homes in different states or countries. At this stage, property is no longer just shelter. It’s strategy.

For some, multiple homes represent the ultimate freedom: seasonal living, geographic flexibility, diversified income. For others, it quietly becomes an administrative and financial burden that consumes time, energy, and cash flow.

Risks to watch for:
Overextension and complexity. You may feel anchored to your assets rather than freed by them. Managing maintenance, tenants, HOAs, taxes, insurance, and repairs across multiple properties can be exhausting. The greatest danger is becoming asset-rich but cash-poor — and feeling less free than you did in Stage 1.

Right-sized footprint:
Highly variable — and that’s the danger. Many people multiply their possessions across homes: duplicate kitchen items, duplicate tools, duplicate “just in case” items. There is no natural upper limit here. The most strategic people at this level consciously cap how much they own per home. Without limits, multiple houses can quietly own you. Simplicity becomes a strategic choice rather than a necessity. Moves at this stage often require multiple containers, full truckloads, and professional movers and property managers.

Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself — Or You Won’t Get Ahead

You don’t have to own a home to be happy. You don’t have to climb every rung. What matters is aligning your space with your current reality — not a future fantasy. Buying for a life you don’t have yet often delays your ability to reach it. Moving is a powerful strategy for gaining access to new job markets, opportunities, and lifestyles, but only if you can afford to use it.

Your living situation is not just a backdrop to your life. It’s a lever. We talk endlessly about budgeting and investing, but rarely about the physical footprint that quietly drives those financial outcomes. When you measure it, cap it, and scale it intentionally, you control more than your possessions. You control your trajectory.

Muvo was built for the Nomad Home — the stage where mobility is protected, missions are prioritized, and settling into a new space is easy, fast, and exciting. Because it should be.

Keep Moving.

Ready to right-size your life?
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Nomadic Furniture 101: How to Furnish Your Apartment With Your Next Move in Mind

Nomadic Furniture 101:

How to Furnish Your Apartment With Your Next Move in Mind

What Is Nomadic Furniture? (And Why It Matters If You Move Often)

Nomadic furniture is furniture chosen—or designed—with the intention of being easy to move. It prioritizes durability, modularity, lightness, and flexibility. Instead of asking, “Will this look good here?” nomadic furniture asks, “Will this still look good after I move—and will it work in my next space?”

The Real Cost of Moving: Money, Time, and Energy

If you’re like most Americans, you will move six times between the ages of 18 and 45. The most common reasons for moving are housing, family, and jobs. Even if you intend to stay in your current city long-term, chances are you’ll still move locally at least a few times.

The average cost of a local move is around $1,400, increasing to $3,400 for long-distance moves and $7,600 for cross-country moves. Multiply that by several moves, and the real cost adds up quickly. Even if you plan to save money by moving yourself, it’s worth acknowledging the value of your own labor—and the time you could be spending elsewhere.

In your 20s, especially, it’s important to invest your earnings in things that give you options and freedom later in life. It’s important to move strategically—efficiently, intentionally, and for the right reasons—or you risk spinning your wheels for years and looking back a decade later wondering where all the time went. It goes fast.

So let’s break down how you can save money, time, and labor by furnishing your home strategically—with your next move in mind.

8 Principles of Nomadic Furniture Selection

1. Acquire Furnishings in the Right Order

This one is huge. It’s in our nature to acquire everything we think we need to furnish a home—and the bigger the space, the more we feel compelled to fill it. But beyond the upfront cost of sourcing and delivering furniture, there’s also a future moving cost that gets multiplied by the number of times you relocate.

That dream couch and bedroom set could easily cost double the price over time once you factor in repeated moving expenses—assuming you want to keep it and bring it with you.

It’s natural to want a brand-new dining set, bedroom set, and living room set, but that approach isn’t sensible if you’re young and likely to move often. Instead, focus on investing in pieces that move well. Buy the rest secondhand, inexpensively, or use what your rental provides. Fill the gaps with multifunctional furniture, like Muvo Boxes.

Instead of asking, “What works here?” nomadic furniture asks, “What will work here and still make sense three moves from now?”

2. Choose Furniture That Survives Being Moved

A lot of inexpensive ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture is made from chipboard or particle board. While it may look fine initially, there’s a good chance it will break, loosen, or fall apart during a move. That means you’ll have to pay to replace it, fix it, or live with it being broken, and that will bring friction and stress into your life.

Instead, look for solid wood or metal pieces that are sturdy and, ideally, lightweight. Furniture that can handle being moved without degrading is a core principle of nomadic furniture. RTA furniture is more like disposable furniture. It is designed to be assembled once, it is not designed to be moved.

3. Prioritize High-Quality, Multi-Functional Pieces

The average American buys tons of stuff they don’t need—especially single-function items meant for a very specific use, holiday, or season. The rest of the year they sit unused, taking up space, and then require extra time and effort to pack or purge during a move.

It’s better to choose high-quality, multi-functional furnishings that you can use year-round. This means fewer things to own, fewer things to move, and more value from each piece.

4. Learn Basic Woodworking (It Changes Everything)

Learning to build your own nomad bed frame, nomad table, shelves, benches, bookcases, or desks from real wood will open your eyes to possibility and expand your creativity.

Although there is an upfront investment in tools and skills, you will save time and money in the long-run. Custom-built pieces can be tailored perfectly to your space, made from your favorite wood and finish, and often cost significantly less than pre-made options while being far superior in quality.

5. Choose Timeless, Classy Decorations

Instead of buying faux foliage wreaths, ceramic figurines, fabric pumpkins, quote placards, ornamental balls in bowls, faux Easter eggs, fake seashells, glass decals, themed soap dispensers, and other campy décor, choose real materials from nature.

Real botanicals in beautiful vases, fresh or dried foliage wreaths you make yourself, real pumpkins, painted eggs, and natural elements are easier to source, easier to let go of, and far more timeless. This approach dramatically reduces the amount of “decorations” you need to pack and move, while allowing you to invest in a small collection of high-quality vessels that are beautiful and timeless.

6. Avoid Heavy Stone and Marble Furniture

This one is almost too obvious, but it bears repeating. Stone and marble furniture is extremely heavy and impractical if you move often.

Smaller accent pieces—like trays, bowls, or side tables—are fine. But large items like dining tables, coffee tables, and consoles are best avoided. As gorgeous and on-trend as they are, they’re not a strategic choice for a nomadic lifestyle.

Save those investments for when you own a home and can invest in a stone or marble countertop or bathroom surround that can add lasting beauty, value, and equity.

7. Skip Custom Window Treatments as a Renter

If you’re a renter, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide window coverings for privacy. If the existing ones aren’t great, avoid investing in custom solutions that won’t transfer to your next space. Instead, make your own curtains or drapes, or buy basic drapes in standard sizes that will also work in your next home.

8. Use Fabric to Transform Furniture You Don’t Love

Whether it’s a scratched table, a stained sofa, or an outdated accent chair, you can turn landlord-provided or secondhand furniture into your own nomad sofa or dining setup with fabric.

The fabric doesn’t need to be tailored or perfect. Any large swath of fabric will do. A shower curtain can become a tablecloth. A duvet can become a curtain. A drape can cover an upholstered chair. What matters more is choosing natural fibers such as cotton, linen, wool, or silk over polyester, which is made from plastic. Natural materials are more elegant and beautiful.

Fabric is a fun and easy way to bring in new colors, textures, and patterns for the changing seasons. Furnishing your home as a nomad isn’t about deprivation or living with less beauty. It’s about choosing functional beauty that moves with you.

A Home That Moves With You

Nomadic furniture respects your time, your labor, and most importantly, your future. It acknowledges that change isn’t a failure of planning—it’s often the plan itself. When your furniture is chosen with intention, each move becomes lighter, faster, and less emotionally draining.

You don’t need to know exactly where you’ll live next year. You just need to design your space so it doesn’t trap you where you are now.

Furnish for flexibility. Invest in what moves well. Let everything else be temporary.
Future you will thank you.

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what to pack first when moving

What to Pack First When Moving

What to Pack First When Moving

➡️ Skip straight to list.

If you’ve ever stood in the middle of your house staring into space, overwhelmed by what to pack first when moving, don’t worry—I’ve got you. This is a well-honed Order of Operations for packing up a home, refined over dozens of moves.

When people ask “what should I pack first when moving?” the real challenge isn’t choosing a single item—it’s knowing the right order of item categories. With a simple packing sequence, the stress drops and progress is easy. Whether you’re moving apartments or figuring out what to pack first when moving house, this sequence will save you time, energy, and unnecessary stress.

Before You Start Packing, Set Aside These 3 Things

There are three categories of things you should set aside before you even begin to pack so they don’t get lost in the shuffle of moving. They are:

1️⃣ Toiletries, Go Bag, and Music

Include basic hygiene essentials for teeth and hair. Pack a Go bag with:
🔸A change of clothes and footwear
🔸Essential electronics + chargers
🔸Notebook, pen, and office supplies (if needed)
🔸A towel (so you can shower on the other side of your move)
🔸Toilet paper (yep)
Also add snacks and a portable speaker or headphones because packing is easier with energy and good music.

2️⃣ Cleaning Supplies

Unless you’ve hired a cleaner, keep your cleaning kit accessible for your Move-out Clean (and maybe your Move-in Clean too):
🔸Broom, mop, trash bags
🔸Paper towels, sponges, scrub brushes
🔸Cleaning sprays and scrubs
You’ll need these right up until the final walkthrough.

3️⃣ Packing Supplies

The best moving boxes are Muvo Boxes, which stack without the need for lids, move easily with built in handles, and help you organize and store your stuff after the move. But if you need cardboard boxes immediately, you can grab free ones from grocery or liquor stores.
Other essentials:
🔸Clear recycling bags (For clothes and bedding)
🔸Mattress bags
🔸Bubble wrap or packing paper for fragile items
🔸Scotch tape for securing wrapped items
🔸Packing tape if you are using disposable boxes (Not needed with Muvo Boxes)
I always label boxes with Post-it Notes and Sharpies instead of writing directly on the boxes. They’re more visible and easy to reposition to another side of the box.

Your Answer to “What Should I Pack First When Moving?”

There is a best order for packing—and here it is. Follow this sequence and you’ll avoid the classic moving mistakes.

1. Fragile Items (Pack First)

Most fragile first:🔸Glasses🔸Dishes🔸Vases🔸Figurines🔸Ornaments

The reason to pack fragile items first is because you’re calmer, more patient, and less likely to rush your packing, which will prevent things from getting damaged. Pack breakable items into small boxes because they’re usually heavy. Line the sides of boxes with bubble wrap (unnecessary with Muvo Boxes). Sandwich plates and bowls between sheets and wrap cups individually, securing each with tape.

Less fragile next:🔸Art🔸Lamps and Lampshades🔸Decorative Items🔸Holiday Decorations🔸Candles and Holders
Pack lampshades loosely and separately from bases. Wrap fragile bases with bubble wrap.

2. Paper Goods + Office Supplies

🔸Files, Books, Photos🔸Board Games🔸Journals and Notebooks🔸Magazines and Newspapers🔸Office + Craft Supplies

These items come next because they pack quickly and create momentum. Use small boxes to keep the weight manageable.

3. Hobbies

Depending on your life:🔸 Tools and hardware🔸 Sports Gear🔸 Camping, Fishing, or Hunting gear🔸 Home Improvement Supplies

If these are already organized, you’ll fly through this step. If not, take time to donate what you don’t use. Set aside coolers now—you’ll need them later.

4. Non-Perishable Pantry Items

🔸Dry Goods🔸Canned Food🔸Spices🔸Oils🔸Jars🔸Nuts, Seeds, Dried Fruits

Emptying food first makes the kitchen easier to pack later. Start with heavy items like cans, jars, and flour. Use gallon-size bags to contain crumbs and consolidate loose packages. Use small boxes to keep weight manageable. Toss expired food and donate unopened cans when possible.

5. Shoes, Accessories, and Luggage

🔸Sneakers🔸Boots🔸Dress Shoes🔸Belts🔸Purses and Bags

Fill any luggage you own with these items and clear out closets of everything except clothing.

6. Hanging Clothing

Save time by keeping any clothes on hangers that already is. Poke a hole in the bottom of a clear recycling bag and slide 3-5 hangers through per bag to contain and protect your clothes during the move.

7. Remaining Clothes + Soft Goods

Fold remaining clothes into stacks and place them in the clear bags. Tie the tops into knots to keep the bags compact. Bag towels, bedding, and pillows as well. You don’t need labels because everything is visible.

8. Kitchen Stuff

🔸Pots and Pans🔸Kitchen Appliances🔸Big Bowls + Trays🔸Food Storage Containers + Wraps🔸Utensils and Tools🔸Misc. Kitchen Gear

This is one of the last categories for a reason. A working kitchen keeps life normal while you pack everything else. Use towels and linens to cushion items, Nest smaller items into larger ones. Use kitchen linens in between things to prevent scratches. Roll knives into kitchen towels and slide them into gaps.

9. Bathroom Stuff

🔸Bathroom Products🔸Small Appliances

Save these until the very end of your move so your hygiene routine stays undisturbed. This is a quick category, usually just one or two boxes.

10. Perishables (Pack Last)

🔸Bathroom Products🔸Small Appliances

The very last category to pack is your fridge and freezer. Load up your coolers and make them the first thing you unpack at your new home.

This is Packing 101: the order—and the method—for packing right

If you’ve ever wondered what to pack first when moving house, this is it. Follow this order and you’ll feel calmer during a time that’s naturally stressful. At Muvo, we’re here to support you during times of change and transition, giving you a sense of stability and foundation when everything else is in flux.

What to Pack First When Moving (Printable Checklist)

Get this checklist as a printable one-page PDF download. 👇🏻

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Nomadic Interior Design

Why Nomads Need Nomadic Interior Design

Why Nomads Need Nomadic Interior Design

The Power of Systems When Your Life Is Always in Motion

Habits are the result of systems, not goals. As James Clear writes in Atomic Habits, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." This is true not only for how we manage our time, but also for how we organize our space.

A challenge of nomadic life is that moving disrupts your routines and environment. You have to find new places for things to go, establish new routines to start and end your day, and form new habits that conform to the new space. Habits aren’t only in your head–they live in your environment. That’s why nomadic interior design is essential for nomads. It provides a consistent framework and foundation that moves with you so that your life can stay stable even when your location doesn’t.

Habits Fail When Systems Break

When moving frequently, the lack of stability can quietly harm our productivity and well-being. Most people try to fix themselves to “be more disciplined” instead of fixing the environment. This is where nomadic interior design comes in.

Instead of beating ourselves up, what if we designed our environment to make good behaviors easier by default? This is what James Clear means when he encourages us to focus on systems, not outcomes or goals. Motivation, as he points out, is unreliable.

This is especially true for nomads, who are often living out of boxes or suitcases, sharing spaces, and resetting their lives every year–or, in some cases, multiple times a year. Nomads don’t need more willpower and discipline. They need systems that move with them.

When Home is No Longer a Place

In 2026, home is no longer the fixed location that it once was in times past. Many Millenials and Gen-Zers cannot afford to own a home and are far more likely to rent­–and renters, by nature, move more often. This article isn’t about the societal implications of all that, it is just stating the reality that many people are living in today.

So when home is no longer a specific place, what is home?

I believe home is a feeling, and there are three core elements that give us the feeling of home: family, shelter, and environment. Family is different for different people. Shelter is the basics­–a roof over our head, warmth, and light. And environment is the infrastructure around us that supports our everyday activities and needs. This concept is at the heart of nomadic interior design.

How Good Design Reduces Friction and Reinforces Healthy Identity

Your home environment is where your things live and how efficiently you can access and utilize them. Is there friction between your intention and action, or do your movements flow naturally? A good home supports logistics that are smooth, intuitive, and easy.

Muvo makes setting up a functional home environment as a nomad straightforward and repeatable. It’s not just storage. It’s a consistent layout. It’s a familiar setup. It’s a way to recreate your space without having to reinvent it every time you move. Muvo gives structure to your environment that makes fallback behaviors and habits easier.

Good design makes good behavior the default.

Psychologically, Muvo reinforces an identity that says: I am organized, I am mobile–but grounded, and I can land anywhere and feel at home. This is empowering! When your systems are stable, your life feels more stable, even if you move a lot.

Muvo: The One Constant in an Unstable Housing Reality

We renters often face sudden lease terminations when landlords decide to renovate or raise the rent. We may have changes in roomates that we no longer want to deal with. We may be subletting a space for a short time. In an unstable housing reality, nomadic interior design isn’t about aesthetics­–it’s about resilience, consistency, and control over your environment.

When life is unstable and uncertain, it is harder to stick to good habits and focus on long-term goals. Distraction hits, and momentum slows or halts. Muvo provides an organized foundation and infrastructure for your temporary, rented home that doesn’t change every time your address does. When everything else is changing, Muvo can be the one thing that is constant.

You don’t need a permanent home. You need a system you can lean on.

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Why Moving is So Stressful (and What You Can Do About It)

Why Moving is So Stressful

(and What You Can Do About It)

Moving is like ripping a plant from its root system. It causes a stress response called transplant shock that causes the plant’s growth to slow down or even stop for a period while the plant adjusts to the changes in its environment. It’s the same for humans.

No matter how local or seemingly easy the move, it’s going to be more stressful than you think. You can count on that. I’ve moved more than anyone I know and consider myself an expert mover. But moving still throws me for a loop, one way or another, every single time.

The Top 5 Stressors in Life

According to a New York Post survey, 45% of Americans rate moving as more stressful than divorce (44%) or having kids. In a UK survey, 57% of Brits said moving was the most stressful event in life.

I disagree that moving is the most stressful thing in life. (I’m pretty sure many of those surveyed had just moved and it happened to be top of mind.) But it’s certainly up there on the list. There are many lists of life’s “top stressors” on the internet, and different ways of ranking them, but the following are consistently near the top of most lists. In no particular order, they are:

The 4 D’s:

1. Death (of a spouse or loved one)
2. Divorce (or separation)
3. Debilitation (major injury or illness)
4. Devastation (trauma, natural disasters, war, major loss of property, major violation of rights, job loss, miscarriage, grief, etc.)

And the M:

5. Moving

What many stressors have in common is that something is broken—be it a broken heart, a broken body, or a broken home.

Your Home is Your Foundation in Life

When you take a step back and look at the big picture, home is the foundation for so many important aspects of our lives. It provides safety and security. It gives us a place to prepare and eat our meals. It may be where we work and build our financial stability. It provides a space for order, routine, and connection.

When you don’t have a home, you don’t have a foundation from which to work, serve, grow, and deal with the 4 D’s (and other stressors in life). Your home is your foundation to fulfill your potential and God’s plan for your life. That’s why it’s so traumatic and devastating to lose a home, or even just move a home. Because it disrupts your very foundation. It pulls you from your roots.

Think about it. Moving disrupts your schedule, which can affect your finances. It affects your routine, which can affect your ability to maintain healthy habits. It affects your emotions, which can become dysregulated. It affects your connections, which can be lost. It disrupts your very stability. This is why moving is so very stressful and why moving needs to be taken seriously and done strategically.

Rebuilding the 4 Pillars of Home After a Move

There are four key pillars of home to rebuild as quickly as possible after you move:

  1. Safety and stability. Your home must be secure. Before you hang fairy lights, make sure that all the windows lock or have wooden dowels lodged in them. Make sure the smoke alarm has batteries. Get everyone their own key. Physical security will ease your anxiety.
  2. Order and cleanliness. Your home must be clean and organized. Negotiate hard for a professional pre-move cleaning. You do not want to be scrubbing someone else’s grime while your own life is still in boxes.
  3. Routine and healthy habits. Your home must support healthy routines in the bathroom, kitchen, and at bedtime. Prioritize those zones when unpacking and setting up. Buy some groceries for the kitchen so you can prepare your own meals again.
  4. Connection with family. Your home will feel more like home with a family in it, even if it’s only your roommates, plants, or pets. Create a cozy space for being together or calling loved ones. Meet the neighbors. Emotional connection will soothe your soul.

These are the key pillars that must be rebuilt after a move in order for your new space to feel like home. The longer it takes to check off these boxes, the longer you will be in limbo and not living your best life at full capacity.

The Hidden Cost of Serial Moving

Moving every year might keep things “interesting,” but roots take time to grow. Constant relocation may limit your growth and potential. Friendships and communities take time to develop, routines take time to level up, and career opportunities get paused while you’re at the DMV for the third time this year. Growth needs stillness. Too many transplants and even the hardiest plant stops thriving.

Keep in mind that sadness or depression, inner-turmoil, relationship problems, and high stress are par for the course when moving. So, choose and execute your moves strategically. Move when it’s really worth it: when the benefits will really outweigh the costs. If your lifestyle means you’re always on the move, it’s worth investing in Better Boxes to ease the stress of moving and easily and quickly rebuild order and functionality at your new home.

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How to Furnish a Short Term Rental

How to Furnish a Short-Term Rental: Do’s & Don’ts From Someone Who Moves WAY Too Much

5 Do’s & Don’ts of Short-Term Renting

(From Someone Who Moved WAY Too Much)

So, you’re thinking about a short-term rental? Maybe you’re in between moves, maybe you want to live somewhere cool for a while, or maybe (like me) you just accidentally ended up in a seasonal rental for three years. Oops.

My boyfriend and I moved into a winter rental on Lake Winnipesaukee back in 2022, and let me tell you—it was a glow-up from the overpriced summer rental we had before. That place? We called it The Dungeon because it was dark, cramped, and filled with way too much of the landlord’s stuff. But this new place? Four bedrooms. Right on the water. Million-dollar view. Same price as the dungeon.

The only catch? We had to move out every summer. (Because, well, the price jumps to $9K a WEEK in peak season. 😅)

Fast forward three years of moving in and out every Labor Day and Memorial Day, and I’ve learned a thing or two about making a short-term rental feel like home without wasting time or money. Here are my top do’s and don’ts for surviving and thriving in a temporary rental.

1. Don’t Buy a Ton of Furniture. Just… Don’t.

I get it—you want your space to feel like yours. But trust me, DO NOT go on a furniture shopping spree for a place you’re only in short term. It’s not worth the money or the moving-day back pain.

Instead? Use what’s already there. And for anything you do need, make sure it’s lightweight, easy to move, and preferably multipurpose—like Muvo Boxes. (Because hauling a full-size couch in and out every season? Hard pass. 😵‍💫)

2. Do Use Fabrics & Small Decor to Make It Cozy.

No, you don’t have to live in a totally soulless rental space. The trick? Soft stuff. Throw blankets, pillows, rugs, DIY curtains—these are easy to move, and they add big personality with zero commitment.

It’s the nomadic way to decorate. You can fold everything up and take it with you when you move.

Another game-changer? Lighting. Be liberal with lamps, but stick to smaller, easy-to-move ones like clip lights and mini table lamps. Swap in your own art, sprinkle in some plants, and boom— you’ve got a cozy home that’s still 100% move-out friendly.

3. Don’t Try to Fix Everything. (Seriously, Just Don’t.)

Not everything in a rental is gonna be perfect. That’s life. Maybe the cabinets are ugly. Maybe there’s a weird stain on the ceiling. Maybe the dishwasher smells mildly haunted. But fixing that stuff isn’t your job.

Things I have painfully learned to just accept:
🚫 Peeling paint on the bathroom cabinets
🚫 Banged-up walls in a boring shade of Millenial Grey 😑
🚫 Broken blinds
🚫 Loose cabinet shelf pegs that fall out if you breathe nearby them
🚫 Knobs that just keep spinning no matter how many times you tighten them

In a short-term rental, you’ve gotta pick your battles. I know it’s tempting to whip out the glue and spackle, but it’s not worth the security deposit drama.

Hide the ugly. Jimmy rig it. And if you can’t get a rent credit to fix it, don’t bother.

4. Do Move Around What You Can Change.

You can’t remodel the kitchen. But you can rearrange the furniture so it actually makes sense. You can swap out the weird decorations for your own. You can bring in some fun lighting.

I fully rearrange every space I move into because (A) it makes it feel like home, and (B) most landlords have no idea what good furniture placement (or decorating) looks like.

After documenting the original placement (and any existing damage!) of everything with pictures and videos, I pack up all the dusty fake plants, faded prints, and inspirational “Live Laugh Love” plaques and put them in storage where they belong.

5. Do Take Notes for Your Future Home.

One of the best things about short-term renting? It’s like a free trial for what you actually want in a home.

Keep track of what you love (big windows, open layouts, good storage) and what you absolutely hate (dark kitchens, no garbage disposal, slanted floors).

Future you will thank you.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Make It Cozy, Enjoy the Ride.

Short-term rentals can be chaotic, but they’re also a fun way to experience different places without being tied down.

The key? Don’t overcommit. Keep it lightweight. Make it cozy.

And if you’re moving a lot, check out Muvo Boxes—because your back will definitely appreciate it. 😉

 

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How to Organize Papers

The Ultimate Paper Organization Guide

The Ultimate Paper Organization Guide

Let’s be real—paper clutter is the worst. One minute, you’re just minding your business, and the next, you’ve got stacks of random documents, mail you don’t remember signing up for, and receipts from three years ago. But don’t worry—I got you. This is the ultimate guide to sorting, organizing, and (finally) taming the paper monster in your life.

The 3 Main Paper Categories You Need

Anything that lands on your desk (or your kitchen counter, your backpack, your car seat—wherever your paper tornado strikes) fits into one of these three categories:

  1. Records (a.k.a. the “Official Stuff”)

These are the big-league papers you actually need to keep. Think birth certificates, social security cards, insurance policies, tax returns, car titles—basically, anything that would make you panic if you lost it. Records also include things like signed legal agreements, leases, court documents, and anything resembling “evidence” that you need to keep “for the record.” Some records are forever (like your birth certificate—duh), and some have an expiration date (tax docs? Keep ‘em for seven years, then say goodbye).

  1. Archives (a.k.a. the “Memory Lane” Box)

This is the sentimental stuff: old journals, photos, love letters (or breakup notes—no judgment), travel souvenirs, childhood art that your mom swears is a masterpiece. Your archive is like a time capsule of your life, your own personal “historical preservation” of the memories that hold meaning and value to you.

  1. Files (a.k.a. the “Reference Library”)

Think of this as your personal knowledge hub—stuff you want to keep for reference that doesn’t quite belong in the archives. This includes class notes, work projects, how-to documentation, recipes, book outlines, specs, and articles. Files also cover active projects. Once something is finished, you can either archive it for future inspiration or toss it if it’s no longer useful. Some past projects might even be revived and repurposed later, so having a solid system makes life easier.

The Digital Equivalent

If you want your digital life to be as tidy as your physical one (assuming it gets tidy), use the same three categories in your cloud or digital file storage. That way, you can easily transition from paper to digital without losing your mind.

3 Game-Changing Strategies for Sorting Papers

  1. Use Time to Your Advantage

Not all decisions need to be made right now. Junk mail? Trash it instantly. That’s an easy decision. But some things—like sentimental stuff—are easier to sort after a little time passes. Future-you will thank you for not making hasty decisions.

  1. Set Expiration Dates

Label things with their toss-by date. Tax docs? Write “Trash in 2031” when you file your 2024 return. Client files? Keep for as long as they’re relevant. The key is to let time do the deciding for you.

  1. Match the Paper Type to the Right Storage

Your organization system should actually work for you, not make things worse. Here’s the paper flow logistics that I recommend, using the Better Boxes product line:

  • Receipts → Small Tray → Envelopes → Muvo Box “Records” Box
  • Mail → Trays → Files → File Box (Small Bin/Box) → Muvo Box “Records” Box
  • Business Cards → Sort Tray/Bin → Medium Tray
  • Stationery & Photos → Card Box → Medium or Large “Archive” Boxes
  • Documents (8.5” x 11”) → Trays → Files → File Boxes or Muvo Box “Files” Box

Final Tips (a.k.a. How to Not Lose Your Mind)

Broad vs. Narrow Sorting

When it comes to ordinary records (not the fancy border stuff), keep the categories broad—like by year, not by account or even by month. For example, just have one folder labeled “2025” and toss all your 2025 records in there. Records are for evidence, not reference, so the chances you’ll need to dig something back out are slim. And honestly? Going paperless for statements cuts down the bulk big time.

Label Smarter, Not Harder

Those little label makers? Cute, but unnecessary. A fine-tip Sharpie is all you need. Save the energy for more important things.

File Cabinets Are the Worst

If you’re even thinking about buying a file cabinet, stop. They’re heavy, ugly, and totally impractical if you move a lot. File boxes on a shelf are the way to go.

Buy Good Quality Folders

Trust me—cheap flimsy folders are the enemy. I bought a bulk pack of Smead Guide Height File Folders twenty years ago, and I’m still using them. Straight-line tabs > staggered tabs. Always. With straight-line tabs, all the file tabs are lined up in one clean row instead of playing hide-and-seek across left, right, and center. It makes scanning for what you need way faster and keeps your setup looking ✨aesthetic✨ instead of chaotic.

At the end of the day, your paper system should serve you, not the other way around. With the right setup, you can stay organized, stress less, and get back to doing literally anything more fun than sorting paper.

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The Ultimate Paper Organization Guide 2
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A Place for Paper in the Life of a Nomad: How to Keep What Matters

A Place for Paper in the Life of a Nomad

How to Keep What Matters

There’s nothing like flipping through your favorite magazine at the beach, tearing open a handwritten letter, or holding an old-school photo full of meaning and memories. No screen glare, no loading times – just vibes.

Let’s be real – no matter how many Pinterest boards, email chains, or cloud drives we stack up, digital just doesn’t hit the same. That’s why wedding invites still go out on fancy paper, notebooks are selling more than ever, (over 200 million per year in the US alone), and print is still a $77 billion dollar industry. Paper is still very much a thing.

It’s not about choosing between digital and physical. Each format contains its own unique qualities, pros, and cons. It’s about making both work for you, and designing a system that works for your life.

Your personal archive (aka all the files, memories, achievements, thoughts, and random stuff you decide to keep) is completely yours to curate. You get to decide how and how much to consume, sort, create, and collect. You get to decide what serves you in the present, what may serve you in the future, and what no longer serves you from the past.

It’s very easy to hit the save button on an Instagram post, the bookmark star on your browser, or the screenshot button on your phone. Our personal media collections tend to expand more than they contract. Saving things digitally will not affect our mobility, but can quickly get out of hand when it comes to physical paper. With paper we have to be more intentional and digitize when appropriate.

So, instead of mindlessly hoarding screenshots and stacks of paper, let’s talk about how to actually organize your life in a way that makes sense, provides value, and doesn’t limit your mobility and freedom.

That’s where a system comes in.

Designing a System for Archiving Your Life

Step one? Ask yourself why you’re keeping something. What is its purpose? Will it add value to your life? If the answer is yes, then keep it but make it accessible for how and when you will use it.

The best solution is a hybrid system that helps you stay organized without the chaos of clutter. Because let’s be real – adulting is hard enough without drowning in paper clutter and being physically burdened by stuff that doesn’t add value to your life.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the different storage formats:

Physical Storage Pros: Tangible, emotional, easy to read (no blue light headaches), no tech issues, and won’t get randomly deleted.

Physical Storage Cons: Bulky, takes up space, can get damaged, takes effort to move, and can become a lot to manage, especially if you move a lot.

Digital Storage Pros: Unlimited space, searchable, easy to back up, easy to share, and accessible from anywhere (assuming Wi-Fi cooperates).

Digital Storage Cons: Hard drives fail, cloud storage isn’t actually yours, and security risks.

Getting Your Life Together: Storage Solutions for Nomads

Digital Organization Solutions for Nomads

Digital storage is inherently nomadic, and there are many apps like Notion, Evernote, and Apple Notes to help you organize. What I’ve found most effective personally are old-school spreadsheets and file folders. I like that they are consistent, multi-functional, and reliable.

Scanning apps and tools can help with digitizing printed items, sketches, and notes, but there is a cost/benefit decision when you factor in the time it takes to use them. Sometimes, keeping things in paper format is more efficient time-wise.

Physical Organization Solutions for Nomads

Most storage and organization products are a mess – random sizes, flimsy materials, and lids that disapper into the void. That’s why I created Better Boxes – a system that has the same qualities as the best digital tools: consistency, multi-functionality, and reliability.

✔ Compatibility – All the parts work together cohesively. No weird mismatched lids and containers and playing tetris to make things fit. ✔ Consistency – No “discontinued product” disasters. What you buy now will match what you buy later. ✔ Quality – No more cracked plastic bins or flimsy cardboard and chipboard boxes prone to warping and delamination. They may look nice new, but it’s only a matter of time until they break or fall apart, usually at the worst possible time in the middle of a move. You can rely on the performance and durability of Better Boxes. They are built to last decades.

Whether you’re keeping tax documents, old journals, or sentimental stuff like concert tickets and birthday cards, Better Boxes help you stay organized, use your time efficiently, and make moves without the chaos. Because an organized life = a stress-free life. Let’s get it together. 🚀

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