Moving in to a new place is exciting. You imagine how your quality of life might improve. You imagine what you might put where, and you imagine all the cool new stuff you need to buy for the place. You painstakingly choose the right furniture, the right sofa, the right fridge. The first day is hard because of all the heavy lifting and you're probably building something impossible from IKEA. Things are a mess, but as you gradually clear it away the place starts to take shape.
You throw the obligatory move in party. Then, the next day you clear away the empty beer bottles and you get back to work. Suddenly nothing is different from before. You have a different view, and maybe your wallpaper's a different color. And you have a different bathroom. But you're still doing the same work. You're still sleeping the same hours, you're still eating the same things, you're still relaxing and having friends over and reading books and watching TV.
I get the same excitement when I start with a fresh slate on a new project. There are an infinite variations that your new thing can turn into. It's amazing. And just like move-in day, those first steps you take are extremely hard. A lot of work. But you also get that incredible high of creating something new, realizing something that wasn't real only days before. But just like moving in, the excitement wears off. Suddenly you need to do all the stuff that you knew you'd have to do eventually. And just like everyone says, this is the most important part. This is when you make something special, when you're trudging along, fighting with pure grit. You dont know exactly what you're looking for, but you'll know it when you see it.
You can fill your place with designer furniture and cool gadgets and appliances, but it's the little things that make it feel like home. That plant. Those books. Those silly gifts you've received over the years. That poster you found in the book shop. That picture you took last summer. Wait for the stuff that comes after. It'll be worth it.