To think a lot of homes are “soulless” and all people care about is size?

@BunnyLake there is nothing wrong with that

Full of shit and clutter everywhere is horrid, reminds me of my childhood home, basic is so much better, couldn’t live like that again.

I love maximalist spaces filled with colour, interesting things and works in progress like arts and crafts. Not everybody does obviously. Like the OP I do find minimalist style homes deadly dull but I don't have to live in them so that is OK.

Where you see soul I see clutter. Clutter stresses me out. I can relax in a house without clutter. That's where I feel at home.

Horses for courses.

I wish I’d bought a bigger house rather than a house which felt ‘right’. I have no space to organise and now need to radically declutter, which means getting rid of many of the things I have carefully collected over the years and love.

The two points of your argument seem completely unconnected.

I hate clutter. It’s not relaxing at all. But everything in our home is personal - prints, art and photos from trips we’ve taken or places we’ve visited. You wouldn’t know that if you don’t know me though.

I’m with you Op. and I live in a country where it’s far worse. They only like big, modern and beige 😟

I don’t have imagination or confidence when it comes to interiors because I can never make up my mind what style I want in a home, so it’s pretty basic (normal furniture, a few pictures, a few plants) it doesn’t tell any kind of story. When I was growing up no one was treating their home as a style statement, that started in the 80s with the makeover shows.

Everyone I know just has a normal house not in any particular style.

I know what you mean OP, so many houses you see appear to be lifted directly out of the pages of an Ikea or Next magazine. Grey, more grey, bit of crushed velvet. No personality, tell you nothing about the people who live here.

Our house is a bit more eclectic, we do have stuff from Ikea and Next but it's mixed in with charity shop finds/artwork, older furniture, upcycled things. We like it and i'm not an "influencer" so that's all that matters. Size is different though.

I'm with you on this Op. I work with someone who has a home without a single photograph of anyone, plenty of popular/trendy ornaments and throw cushions placed perfectly but nothing that could tell you it was their house. There is a wrought iron "live laugh love" sign on their staircase so it's a start I guess, sort of.

I feel sorry for whoever has to clear out my house when I die. I do have stuff, not clutter but stuff I don't think anyone else would want. We're all different.

I couldn't live in neutrals just as others would hate all my colours.

I hate what I would call clutter in my house I think it’s just individual taste - I see beautiful homes with lots of interesting things and that’s amazing for them but with small kids I really value space, easy to clean and I try to clear out pretty frequently. I also have the kids paintings up everywhere and have left up some fancy things that I don’t want broken that I’m sure ruins the aesthetic. But it makes us happy and all the people we invite to our house are polite and tell us it’s lovely 🤣

Well mine is full of crap, but it does look homely. I think I'd like to be more minimalist but I have pets and a 6 yo 😂😂

Gid the last thing I want my home to do is 'keep my eyes busy'. My home is my sanctuary from the hell outside. It has things in it, of course but not bursting at the seems. Do you have a poor memory OP? I was present for my life, therefore I remember a very good chunk of it, I don't particularly need things strewn about to jog my memory. I love it when I visit any home where the person has been able to make it look the way they most like, what I like in a space is irrelevant to a space that isn't mine. Your taste is no better than anyone elses. Maybe don't be so uppity?

I wonder if the horror of "dust" is part of the whole "anti-bac" must wash towels after every use, shower three times a day thing we see on here a lot. That "clutter" is a sign of a undisciplined mind or life. I also think as a pp said that the Pinterest type thing encourages seasonal changes, so the B&M, Range, Dunelm type shops have "autumn" stuff out now and we're all.supposed to spend ££ on the same candlesticks and throws and glass dishes we already have but in orange. And then again in gold or silver in winter and then in pastels come March.

Because it’s incredibly judgey, he or she is judging other folks homes, and deciding they don’t meet her personal taste. I certainly don’t go into my friends or families houses and do this. If you do, then you do yoh, but I’m astounded people actually behave like this. And if you read the posts most folks are talking about their own homes, not judging other people’s like the op

and as usual people like the op don’t want to post images because they don’t want others to judge like they are.

I have a friend who has a spacious house that is light and airy. All her walls are white. However, she is very artistic and uses the blank canvas to offset paintings (she paints) and the odd ornament carefully placed here and there. In this case less is more because the ornaments and paintings really stand out and draw the eye.

If it was full of the kind of clutter the OP describes it would just look like clutter jumbled together.

I honestly think there is far too much judging (on here and in rl) of the homes people live in.

They are safe (hopefully), secure (hopefully) and comfortable (hopefully). That is all that is needed and the rest is just amusing ourselves to waste time because there are no bears to hide from. And sometimes, it's judging someone else as wanting so we feel a bit better about ourselves.

And dust.

I expect that most people would find my furnishings old fashioned.

When we moved to the county we live in now 27 years ago we bought some pine bookshelves, coffee table and Wi-Fi unit.

We still have them as there is nothing wrong with them and we can't afford to replace them. I don't view furniture as a fashion accessory, but as something practical. I would love some light oak furniture but it seems like an unnecessry expense to replace something that still works perfectly well for us.

Having dusty clutter everywhere surely doesnt indicate a home with a soul, it just means people have put literally everything they have ever bought on display.

By that rationale, hoarders must have the most soul of everyone I guess?

I think there's a difference too between having knick knacks and bit and pieces you've gradually amassed over time that have meaning and doing a sweep of The Range for Buddha statues and twee signage to create a particular look. In the end, as pp have said it's totally up to the individual and you do you.

Haha yes!

With the owner saying. My home isn't tidy but it's clean. No if it's not tidy it can't be clean

@Frasers ,

Why are you astounded?

It is a perfectly reasonable and polite OP about the difference between a house and a home and interesting to discuss.

That is the whole point of a discussion forum, to discuss things!

And judging by the number of posts, including yours, it is a worthwhile conversation.