My house gets me down

[Muppet7410]

We've lived in our house for 5 years. It's a traditional bay fronted, large 3 bed semi. We have 2 young children, 2 hairy pets and work full time so time available to do diy is limited.

Our house is liveable but so drab which gets me down. Kitchen and bathroom are fine (when clean and tidy which is rare), the bedrooms have each been decorated since moving in so I'm happy with them.

However my hall is a beige disgrace and not at all welcoming, we haven't done anything to it aside from hang a mirror above a small console table.

My lounge is grim too, again we haven't done anything to it. I've tried tarting it up with cushions (I've chosen dark blue, cream and gold cushions and accessories) but it just doesn't feel like home. I don't think the playpen and plastic toy shite helps much.

My dining room is cluttered with clothes airers and dog beds.

I just want a warm, welcoming family home but I don't know how to get there. Any advice appreciated.

[MikeUniformMike]

Clutter is inevitable when you have small children. The best you can do is to tidy it each evening.
I'd start on the hall. Think of how you would like it and tackle it first so that it is bright and welcoming.
A few coats of paint and it will be done.

[Rupster]

Can you post some pictures so we can get a better idea of the rooms at the moment?

[GarethSouthgatesWaistcoat]

Pinterest is great for inspiration. What flooring do you have in the hall? If it's seen better days perhaps you can look towards putting down something hardwearing - engineered wood perhaps - that will cope with kids and pets.

Pics of your living room, hall, dining room will help!

Correct storage helps massively. Can you have an IKEA Kallax in you living room/ dining room (possibly both rooms) and keep all the toys in the fabric cubes that go with it? One on its side could double as a sideboard or TV stand and is accessible for little people. Or stand vertically (important - fix to the wall) and have toy cubes at the bottom and lamps/books/ornaments in the top sections?

I like to try and get furniture to double up as storage. Drawers and cupboards hide a multitude of sins!

Maybe the sofa/TV layout in your lounge isn't quite optimal. Moving things around and giving the walls a new coat of paint (even one wall for now) can work wonders.

Not sure about the drying washing - is a tumble dryer an option? Can it go in a cupboard or bathroom if there's no room in the kitchen? I like the idea of those ceiling pulley racks and also over-bath airers but I suppose both get in the way with a busy household!

Do you have two dogs? Any cats? Can the dog beds be tucked out of view a bit or replaced if past their best? I'm not a dog owner so not sure of the best suggestion there. I've seen people tuck fleecy throws over the sofa seat cushions for the pets but I suppose that leads to more washing too.

I'm not very good at DIY so I tend to save up and do one room at a time. While I'm saving up I declutter. That way once I've paid a professional to do it I have a manageable amount of 'stuff' to go back in. Often I manage to sell things I no longer need which makes the decorator bill a bit less painful!

I think a lot of it is routines and having the energy to tidy up and put stuff back where it belongs every evening. Precisely what you don't want to do when you're exhausted.
I've heard of systems where each member of the household has a coloured trug/bucket thing and every evening all the stuff that doesn't belong downstairs is put into each trug and gets put away in the right place upstairs. Probably not very effective when the kids are tiny though!

[cakeandchampagne]

Maybe start by painting your hall a color you really like?

[Muppet7410]

Thanks for the inspiration. I think the hall may be a good place to start so when I set foot through the door it feels good rather than depressing.

I have one dog and one cat. The dog can make a mess of the walls (he's a German shepherd so slobbery and hairy!) would a dark bold colour work on the bottom of wall with White above the dado rail?

[MikeUniformMike]

Use washable paint in the area below the dado rail.
I usually say paint everywhere pure white, but for some reason I see your hall in a light bright yellow, OP.
Go with the white above, you can easily paint over it should you change your mind.
It's a good idea to redecorate everwhere white if you are unsure so that you can see how the room looks at different times of the day and different times of the year.

[Nettleskeins]

In the lounge it helps to start with a focal point. Is there a fireplace "area" even if there isn't a fire? Then try and gather the furniture so it relates to the focal point. Very traditional layouts are that for a reason, they work. I have a room that has no fireplace (my second lounge/study) and it has been really hard to get it to feel right. In the end I've used a cabinet as the focal point and opened up that area above it (no clutter or books) with a picture and clear surface with just one or two nice focal points on it (vase of flowers, vase, pot plant not loads of little items) Telly is to the side not in the centre of the room.

My tried and tested over the years to make a room look welcoming is:
Big woollen blanket on the sofa (doesn't show dirt, nice texture, can be any colour you like, I like red or rich blue) An ikea kelim rug on the floor (mine cost 175 a few years ago) Pick out colour from rug to use as pops in the room, but keep it low key and simplify colour scheme if you have a pattern anywhere like rug. Nice pictures on walls, can be framed posters. Line up pictures - right size right shape (either long or horizontal) Light colours on walls if you have wooden furniture anywhere. I like Timeless on walls in most rooms (except hall)
Beige needs to be coordinated with something gutsier imo in the decor there is nothing wrong with it intrinsically tho.

[Nettleskeins]

Dark blue and cream and gold sounds a bit formal and depressing and will inevitably clash with toys and plastic things...I find elegant country works better with children and dogs than urban sophistication. My colour schemes have always been, white(offwhite) mid wood, russet/pinky coral, red, pale blue/navy and touches of sage. I had a stage with golden sienna hues (Golden velvet chair and cushions) but I've ditched that in favour of my coral, russet, pale blue and sea green sitting room. (chairs rug and sofa) Just off White walls and curtains. Rich dark pictures on walls, wooden floor.

[cakeandchampagne]

You might want to Google some images & get some ideas. Consider the amount of light that area gets. It seems washable paint would make any colour work.
Lucky you! A German shepherd! They are great dogs!

[JoJoSM2]

Sounds like a very big contrast if you do a bold colour on the bottom and white on top. Are you into such statement walls?

Washable paint sounds like a good idea. I’d just think of a colour scheme you’d like to stick to it throughout the house for a nicer flow.

[MaitreKarlsson]

Watching with interest as I'm in a similar position. Great tips on here