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

Where are you looking to see these sterile grey boxes? What home accounts are you looking at? If you are using rightmove it’s not really a fair comparison to a curated home account.

My house is eclectically decorated, but I can use my coffee table and walk around without tripping over lampshades...

Great, and clearly there's plenty of people who don't like it. Besides, as much as you might think it looks nice, do you really think it's a practical way to live? How much free time do you need to dust all those books, mop around baskets of junk, tip over pictures on the floor? Since when is dumping lampshades on the floor decorating? All that stuff everywhere, but no time to tidy the wires behind the sofa...

I like it but it’s a very specific kind of style, and would be owned by a specific type of person.

You do know it isn’t either or don’t you?

Look at the tat everywhere.

There is junk and clutter everywhere! Things on the floor and stuffed down the side of chairs. She probably gets away with it because it’s a large period house, put that look in a 3 bed semi and it’s the stuff of nightmares, I find that house quite depressing.

That's mega cluttered. There's not a usable surface in the house! Stuff all over the floor doesn't become "decor" just because you've got a massive posh house.

Because it's cluttered and a lot of it is junk! I simply couldn't live in a place like that. Like those random books on the window ledge - going to constantly be in the way, collect dust, fall over, etc. Just no! And baskets of junk on the floor. Urgh!

I remember it! Also referred to as ‘twiggy shit’

Does anyone remember the 'twigs and pebbly shit' threads on here? Makes me smile every time I plug in my fairy light twigs in a vase
Taste is subjective really isn't it.

Yep! I’m with you @Simonjt. I hate clutter. It causes sensory overload and just makes the place look untidy.

I didn’t say you couldn’t. I purchased a large home as I needed one. However if you read my comment, it said that the large ones I saw online when searching for my own, had less personality than smaller. I was talking from experience in response to the OP

I didn’t choose a smaller house - I have a 5 bedroom house. I said that when searching for my home, the smaller homes seemed to me to have more character.

Nail on the head.

It's easier to "personalise" a blank canvas, whether plain walls or a beige/grey sofa, or empty surfaces. Much easier to paint a magnolia wall with a bright colour, easier to "liven up" a bland sofa with bright cushions or a throw, easier to put a lot of ornaments on an empty sideboard or window ledge, if you want to.

It's the opposite with a "personalised" house. You'd need 2 or 3 coats of magnolia, light grey or white to cover a dark blue wall. You can't "neutralise" a brightly coloured sofa or carpet etc.

Basically, that's why people "neutralise" a house ready for selling. It creates a blank canvas for the buyer. The seller may like dark blue walls, but even if a buyer likes bright colours, they're unlikely to want dark blue - they may want orange, and it's a hell of a lot easier to paint a magnolia wall orange than a dark blue one!

My home isn't great and very bog standard. I rent, so am less bothered by it and don't put much effort in. Maybe if I owned it would be different.

Money and time is a factor. Having young kids too as it's futile trying to keep a perfect home.

The only people I know who really care about this subject have WAY too much time on their hands and are bankrolled by their partners. I hate perfectly minimal homes, but also perfectly messy/boho homes too.

Why does a home need soul anyway? It's somewhere to eat, shit, sleep and hang out. Didn't realise my home needed soul. Shall I get Luther Vandross round?

But a clean canvas is easy to change. You can repaint and fill the rooms with lots of "stuff". It isn't as if you have to repaint a green ceiling with several coats of white as I once did when we moved house.

I am not a fan of grey, but it is livable with until it gets redecorated. I mean grey is the new magnolia isn't it?

My house looks like a lunatic decorated it but it’s mine and I like it I like my bits of tat and dusty books. When we were looking to move there were houses that were so grey that I questioned if the pics were black and white it looked lovely and clean but it’s not who I am

To think a lot of homes are “soulless” and all people care about is size?
I very rarely come across such homes, the majority of the ones I see (in RL and online) tend to be very boring with no personality whatsoever and people mainly seem to be focussed on buying the biggest possible places with their money and then upgrading/extending etc rather than enjoying what they have and make it “theirs”
Wow lots of greige homes owners in here.
I just see a lot of houses looking exactly the same with grey everything and no other signs of the owners’ life or history or personality,

@Spicegirl1234 And you wonder why people who don't share a similar taste to you feel defensive?

Why couldn't you have said you don't really care for unclutterd homes with few pieces of extra decor?

Instead, you insult people who prefer spacious, unbusy, calm and uncluttered homes by calling them soulless, boring and lacking in personality.

And yes, many people don't want to live in a tiny, cluttered house. Your "cosy" is my claustrophobic.

My house is somewhere between your "clutter" and a house devoid of "personaiity" BTW.

@IsThisCluttered

I love beautiful fabrics - cushions & throws & rugs etc

I have none of those. Hate them. Hate all the faffing around with them. Just more "stuff" to move, fold, fluff up, straighten, etc.

One of the first things I do in holiday lets is gather all the cushions and throws and put them in a corner out of the way. Rugs I tend to just ignore and don't bother putting them straight when they move, or if they move too much, I roll up and put in a corner somewhere.

Just can't be arsed with messing with things like that. I regard it as just more things to look after, re-arrange, etc.

My biggest hate is throws on sofas - just why? They always move around, get uncomfortably folded under you, need to be shaken down, flattened and re-arranged every time you sit on it. No thanks. Too much faff for no benefit.

Agree, I think the sensory perception variety in people is fascinating.
I love large items of bright colour - so bright sofa /fridge/ pictures on walls/ bed sheets etc

So would also hate a grey/white/beige etc house

But lots of clutter (to me, treasure to others) (niknaks, ornaments piled of junk) makes me want to scream.