To not bother redecorating until DCs are a bit older?

[Thebewilderbeest]

We moved into our house last June, we plan to live here for a long time. The decor has been done as a 'blank canvas'. Cheap magnolia paint on walls and bland carpets throughout. We have 4DC - 8,7,2 and 1, and we got 2 kittens last October. We have painted the kids rooms, and the living room, but already it's getting ruined. Scuff marks on walls, paint peeled off by blu-tack, 1 year old tearing off the carefully applied nursery wall stickers. The cats have also done a number on some of the walls by sharpening their claws, and have done their best to destroy the sofa.

Would it be completely lazy to just give up? I can't see the point in wasting any more time and money until the family matures a bit. As long as it's clean does it really matter how it looks?

Honestly, how much do you judge a person by their home?

[Thebewilderbeest]

To clarify, the 'blank canvas' was done before we moved in. We have decorated said rooms to our own taste.

[SouperSal]

We've lived here for 10 years. Have painted some rooms (not living room) and have same cream carpets etc (now utterly wrecked after 5.5 years of DD). I'm not in a rush to replace as I'd rather DD be free to paint and glue and glitter than have to stop her because I've spent £££s on the floor. Might scoosh some paint around once I've finished decluttering.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy your kids.

[readingrainbow]

I wouldn't judge anyone, because that is the usual state of my home. Having said that, I'm starting to realise that when my home is clean, well maintained and kept tidy, I feel happier. I've fallen into the fallacy of buying cheap and tatty so I'm no "wasting" money on my nice things that the DC will ruin; instead I should have been training them to take care of what we have by my example. We are moving into our first house soon and I intend to keep the décor freshened on a yearly - ish basis and encourage everyone to look after our things better.

I'm hoping the changes stick!

[tiredbuthappyworkingmum]

We moved in to our current house when our DDS were 1&3 and had ribena spilt on the cream carpets almost straight away. 11 years on, we are having all carpets replaced. I did feel embarrassed at the state of the house when people visited but not too much. It is a very relaxed house - dogs on furniture, no 'dinner parties' etc. As long as house is not actually dirty, I don't think there is a problem.

[NapQueen]

Our bedroom is done out nice as it is the least used by the kids. DS shares with us. Dd's room is nice because she isn't allowed to wreck it.

The living room houses the dining table and all the toy storage (some in dd's room) so looks the most tired. However we have resigned ourselves to a nice painted grey wall behind the sofa with artwork and then the rest of the room is white. It gets scuffed, marked, and in the case of dd's most rebellious moment, adorned with a marker pen drawing. We repaint once every 6 months or so. That's it. I could let it go to wrack and ruin, but similarly once it goes oast a certain point there's no saving it.

[emmalimesmom]

we decorated the dcs bedroom when we first moved in dcs were 1 and 4 i didnt decorate it again till the youngest was 10
when they was younger they would pick the wallpaper off the wall while lying in bed , drinks got spilt, wee accidents and scribbling on the wall. as much as i told them off i decided it was a battle i didnt want to fight so i left them to it.
decorated when they was older when they appreciated a nice bedroom .
choose your battles thats my advice

[CurlyBlueberry]

This is our plan also. That's why we haven't replaced the sofa with meconium stains... (although in fairness the stains are down the back - sofa used to be in the middle of the room and is now up against a wall!)

[PastaLaFeasta]

We've not bothered changing most carpets because they'd only get dirty again. When the kids are very young or if they are less compliant (potential ADHD in our case) it doesn't matter how much you 'train' them not to they will still do stupid things. The kids recently decorated their bedroom walls and wardrobe with crayons. Just as I'm contemplating starting to redecorate as DC1 one is old enough for a bunk bed.

We've sometimes spent more to get something more practical, eg leather sofas and wipe clean paint. I'd like to replace the carpets with heavy duty wood or laminate which is more expensive but easier to clean.

[mellysam]

I don't judge people by their home at all, you live there do what you want. You don't need to justify your decision to anyone else

[mellysam]

Actually an amendment to my previous post, I probably would judge if someones house looked like those ones on the channel 4 programmes 'Britain's dirtiest homes' and suchlike

[Thebewilderbeest]

Thank you all. mellysam I agree, but some people do judge and while I really wish I didn't care what people think, I still do.

[Thebewilderbeest]

And yes I probably would judge in that case too. I grew up in a bit of a shit tip and was a bit neglected so probably over sensitive if I'm honest. Do not want any of my DC to be 'that' kid like I was.

[VenusRising]

The trick to having guests thebewilderbeast, is to fill them up with wine, and cake, so they don't judge your home as anything except where they always have a blast.

repeat as prescribed.

[Thebewilderbeest]

That's a very good point venus! Although most our guests come during the day and often with small children, but and could still be up to the job!

[heron98]

My abiding memories of childhood are being screeched at by my dad to "take your shoes off" as soon as I got home from school, or to "not touch the walls".

I do think a house should be a home. Provided it's clean and tidy, a few marks here and there are not the end of the world.

DP and I have just bought our first house. The previous owners had two young children and the paint work is very grubby. My mum is going on and on at us to repaint but we really can't be bothered, it's not doing any harm and we have 8 bicycles in the house so the walls are not going to stay nice!

[SaucyJack]

YANBU at all to your original question, but IME I actually think that brighter/deeper paints and patterned wallpaper hide a lot more for a lot longer than white/magnolia throughout which really needs to be pristine to look good.

I recently re-did the lounge in quite a rich mossy green (with retro orange accessories if anyone cares) and people are far too distracted by whether they like the colour or not to notice the handprints or the wonky bits round the skirting board.

[WreckingBallsInsideMyHead]

Yanbu at all

When i was a kid it was one room of the house done a year maximum! And only the downstairs got "done" everywhere else just got another layer of paint on the wood chip! Then me and my sister had new cheap carpets and our chosen colours of paint on our walls once each in our teens.

I agree that white/cream walls are the hardest to keep looking smart.

One friend of mine has a "magic" water resistant carpet! It was very expensive but spilt liquids just sit on top of it, they don't soak in, so it's easy to clean (I've seen it in action).

[tinyterrors]

We have young children so only decorate when I can't stand it anymore. We tend to stick to washable paint in the kitchen/Hall/bathroom/kids rooms and three walls of the loving room with one feature wall with either bright paint or wallpaper (not everyone's taste, I know). Our room is a child free zone on the whole so we have more expensive wallpaper in there because it stays decent so doesn't need redecorate as much.

That way it's pretty easy to clean mucky handprints and some pen, but even so after a few years it starts to get beyond repair so we redecorate. We last decorated every room about four years ago and it's at the point that the kitchen and living room need a fresh coat of paint and the kids rooms are looking a mess. I don't spend huge amounts on decorating though, probably about £20 per room for paint, and I won't spend loads until the kids are old enough that I don't have to worry about them trashing it within a few months.

[mellysam]

thebewild in all honesty your house sounds so normal. We moved into our 'family home for life' a year and a half ago. The previous owners had painted a mixture of magnolia and some non-offensive colours which we don't particularly like, but they are perfectly satisfactory and we haven't got around to re-doing yet. The only room we have decorated is the office, which in the summer will become the nursery for our twins I am currently growing
The only room we want to do before the babies arrive is the living room, the rest can wait until the kiddies are older.
The curtains in our living room are flat king size sheets hung up over the curtain pole, and have been since we moved in, we figured there was no point spending a fortune on fancy curtains until we decorated.
Our friends and family think its funny, and if anyone came into my house and had an issue with it they would either a) probably keep it themselves more often than not, b) get the explanation as per the above

[DownUnderBound]

Buy magic erasers from the poundshop! That and black carpets is how I survive it haha

[BornFreeButinEUchains]

I am in two minds about this.

I know someone whose house is so bare, think no carpets, bare wood stairs ( ie carpet ripped up, paint sides scruffy but bare wood in middle), not a single picture on the walls, two shelves with books and thats about it. It almost looks deprived.

The owner is adamant that she wont decorate yet while the dc are little as they will trash it.

I find this odd, because its so bare, the dc are growing up now and my house had a big impact on me growing up. Its been like that for about 5 years. Some decent paint, rugs, and pictures wouldnt hurt and a lick of paint on the stair case to make it look like its supposed to have no carpet etc.

However my house is fully decorated with the additional works of direct wall art by the DC. In this case, I am leaving it, and will not replace sofas, or re decorate until they are a little older.

[Galdos]

Apart from the kitchen (roof leak) and the 10 year old loft extension, I haven't redecorated internally since D1 (15) was born. I touch up occasionally things like scuffed woodwork, but I see no point in hiring in decorators or spending two days myself doing any of the rooms. My bedroom is pretty OK, 10 years on, but the kids aren't allowed up there. I see no point in redecorating until the destructiveness has faded more. And no, teaching them not to destroy stuff in the first place didn't - doesn't - work well enough. D1 is there, but D2 and S (12) have a couple more years to go, possibly 10 or more years for S ...

My SIL lives in an immaculate house, and I thought her kids (twin Ds) were freaks, but on closer observation she spends most of her time cleaning and repairing. I'd rather read a book than obsess about a few carpet stains and drawings on the wall.

[Thebewilderbeest]

Well all these messages have helped me decide that I can just leave it until they are all bigger, thank you . Mellysam congrats! How exciting, although I'd be terrified at the idea of two newborns to cope with!

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

God Op I could have written your post. Our upstairs is awful, still bland and bare from when the previous owners magnolia'd every room before they left. The dds draw, paint or stick stickers on every surface that stays still and I just can't see the point in paying money for decoration that they will spoil.

Mind you I dread anyone going up there. Sometimes we have friends over with small siblings and if one escapes upstairs the parent will go to retrieve it and I'm cringing at what they will think. Doesn't help that we're a bit cluttered at the moment and the landing has plastic storage boxes dotted all over it.

One of my best friends has a house that is absolutely immaculate. Her husband is very particular, their only child is like him and everything is gorgeous and perfect and tidy. Even the garden is lovely. I am always a bit envious.