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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is your home like a show home? If so, where is all your stuff?

137 replies

WorkerBee123 · 23/09/2025 18:55

So I would say I’m pretty tidy-I like it when there are no dishes on the side and the laundry is done, for example. But I live in a decent sized Victorian house with loads of books, plants and art etc (don’t mean to sound wanky). Recently went to someone’s house which was of the ‘executive home’ style-huge and virtually empty except for huge gorgeous sofas, massive island and a giant plant. I loved it! The bedroom was equipped with brand new empty drawers and bedside tables. My spare room is lovely, but there’s a full linen cupboard, drawers full of my stuff and camping gear under the bed. Even their garden was open and clear. Loved it-not my style but loved. Than I recently saw an ig post where the poster said she liked her house to look like no one lives there and that’s pretty much exactly the vibe this one had. Like I said, no judgement. I loved it. Could never achieve it in a million years. If you do, particularly if you live in an old house, how do you do it??

OP posts:
notedbiscuits · 24/09/2025 07:27

I think the book thing comes from my DM, who spent 32/34 years working in libraries from public to university. Can take a person out of a library but can’t take the library out of a person. DM’s friends who worked in libraries have the same problem. I have a 6.5ft Billy bookcase with books. Parents have an entire wall (minus door) of smallest bedroom with bookcases- built in. Plus a 4 shelf bookcase in the conservatory.

notedbiscuits · 24/09/2025 07:22

It’s like those people who spend thousands on a show off kitchen where they do very little in way of cooking and bare cupboards. They have very little out on the worktops.

TappyGilmore · 24/09/2025 07:10

My daughter’s room is like that. She doesn’t have any stuff - she just chucks it all away. I do think it’s easier now that everything is digital. When I was her age I had a room full of books, CDs, photos, etc.

The rest of the house is not. I have been quite attached to my stuff in the past. I am getting better at decluttering and at just not buying stuff. But there’s still a lot of stuff to go!

RedRiverShore5 · 24/09/2025 07:02

Unfortunately the cure for our stuff problems would be to get rid of DH

WinterFrogs · 24/09/2025 07:00

Interesting people who are confident in their personalities don't feel the need to display evidence of them on their walls

Thank you for this @latetothefisting

QuizzlyBears · 23/09/2025 23:18

My house is 2500 sq ft and it is just me there most of the time as my partner works away, no children and no pets. Neither of us like clutter or ‘stuff’ and both appreciate a calm, scandì vibe to the decor. My house is tidy 99% of the time and the surfaces etc are clear aside from the odd plant/candle/coffee table book. I have a cleaner however, and feel like I am always doing something in the house to keep on top of things!! I am a ruthless declutterer and my only indulgence in the sense of stuff is clothes, but I have a bedroom converted into a walk in closet with clever storage built in. Storage is key, as well as less things overall.

Notmymarmosets · 23/09/2025 22:53

I really like a simple life and so hate 'stuff'.
I have empty surfaces because I don't want to spend longer cleaning than I have to. I have few plants as I don't want to nurture them. No books as I have electronic or audio. No music as I stream it. No DVDs.
My house is the background not the feature. My real life is not on show in my house. I don't want to be distracted from what I am doing today by looking after possessions. My memories are solid without momentos. So I don't buy, and chuck, donate or sell. Also rent or hire if possible, so no stowed camping stuff, carpet vacs, or just in case things.

cupfinalchaos · 23/09/2025 22:43

Ours is like a show home apart from dh’s study. He’s a hoarder so I just shove his crap in there and shut the door!

latetothefisting · 23/09/2025 22:33

Also most of the time it's not the books, plants, emotional knick-knaks, etc. that make a house look cluttered. It's the junk. It's very possible to have a house that is very clean and tidy AND showcases the owners' personality/ies.

latetothefisting · 23/09/2025 22:30

yeah I think the minimalist homes = boring personalities is too easy a generalisation tbh.

It's like people who wear lots of band tees or put stickers on their car, to display their personality, or the oft-seen bragging about having 'books stacked three deep' on here to show how literary they are.

I have a degree in lit plus masters and read several books a week, if I kept them all I'd have neither the money nor space to buy new ones. If one of the 'three deep' MNetters came to my house they'd probably dismiss me as one of the plebs with a 'tv bigger than my bookshelf' (because I don't have a bookshelf!) - so what? My friends know I like reading and I get the benefit, that's enough for me.

Lots of people who have lived in multiple countries, don't have lots of stuff because storing/transporting it all every time they move is expensive and stressful.

Interesting people who are confident in their personalities don't feel the need to display evidence of them on their walls.

(obviously lots of people display stuff because they like looking at it, that's clearly fine, I'm talking about the 'oh they've got a modern, clean home, they must be very boring, not someone I, an eclectic intellectual bohemian, would have anything in common with'-ers).

NotABiscuitInSight · 23/09/2025 21:59

WinterFrogs · 23/09/2025 20:33

The soulless house comments interest me, because I have a lot of projects and hobbies but some happen outside - walking, volunteering with rescued horses, currently getting to grips with reclaiming some overgrown land. At home I like nothing better than sitting and reading, or learning new skills online. So I am at my happiest when my home is a relaxing and fairly minimalist space ( constant work in progress but 'stuff' does nothing for me really) I read on kindle or buy books then pass them on, so my home doesn't really reflect much about my interests.

Anyway @WorkerBee123 I imagine the trick is to have storage so that essentials like the ironing board and vacuum cleaner can be stowed away, and not have too much of anything else

Same. I don't collect, my stuff is transient.

I buy a second hand book, read it and donate it back. If I eber want to read it again, I can repurchase it.

I'm minimalist because it's relaxing to enjoy space, nice smells, clean bathrooms, kitchens, floors...and it's so much easier to keep clean.

My biggest peeve is having to do do one job to do another. Like going to make a meal and having to wash cutlery first or unstack the dishwasher. I'm a big believer in systems. Eat and tidy. Hoover and bathrooms on Thursdays so the house is relaxing all weekend. Easy to clean bathrooms when there is only a plant, one shampoo, conditioner and soap on show to move.

gmgnts · 23/09/2025 21:10

My aesthetic is anti-minimalist clutter. I love it, but it would be nice to be a bit tidier!

mary poppins cleaning GIF
TattooStan · 23/09/2025 20:36

Our house doesn't look like the one you've described, but it's very tidy and we don't have any clutter on any sides, or anything stored underneath beds and so on.

I declutter relentlessly. I try not to buy much, but somehow stuff just accumulates, so I'm always filling a bag to take to charity or the tip.

We also just have a lot of space - 4 double bedrooms between 2 of us - so no one room needs a huge amount in it.

WinterFrogs · 23/09/2025 20:33

The soulless house comments interest me, because I have a lot of projects and hobbies but some happen outside - walking, volunteering with rescued horses, currently getting to grips with reclaiming some overgrown land. At home I like nothing better than sitting and reading, or learning new skills online. So I am at my happiest when my home is a relaxing and fairly minimalist space ( constant work in progress but 'stuff' does nothing for me really) I read on kindle or buy books then pass them on, so my home doesn't really reflect much about my interests.

Anyway @WorkerBee123 I imagine the trick is to have storage so that essentials like the ironing board and vacuum cleaner can be stowed away, and not have too much of anything else

Plastictreees · 23/09/2025 20:09

Good storage and regular cleaning / tidying!

MonkeyTennis34 · 23/09/2025 19:58

The “show home” look is soulless, austere and devoid of life and love IMO.
I like my home to have a bit of heart.

Dymaxion · 23/09/2025 19:57

If the show you mean is Shameless, then yes !

Muffinmam · 23/09/2025 19:51

My house isn’t a show home. But my sister in law bought a display home that was filled with display furniture and other than paying for extremely expensive landscaping and redecorating her child’s room she left it exactly as it came. Even the generic photographic prints stayed on the walls. It would have been the first thing I would have changed.

She later moved and bought a brand new house and has decorated it and it looks like no one lives there. It’s not pleasant to be in her house. There’s furniture but it just feels so empty. She’s constantly worried about people messing up the space and it’s really uncomfortable being in it. She made my child sit on an old chair at the dining table completely away from all of their cousins at the kitchen island because the kitchen island had new chairs. It was really sad.

There’s no books or art or anything that reveals any personality. Just white walls and modern furniture.

In respect to where she stores her stuff - there is a lot of in built storage. So much that she doesn’t use it all.

Nestingbirds · 23/09/2025 19:48

I have always been comfortable with the Scandinavian style and simplicity. I use and buy only natural products, and whilst the walls are covered in art and gentle lighting warms the room, candles and an open fire, there is very little on the surfaces. Apart from candles, plants and the odd well chosen statue or sculpture.

Anything that requires storing - or ski wear and sports equipment have their own cupboards, and are organised. I find it deeply relaxing. That’s why I spend my time ensuring it stays that way. It’s very easy once organised to stay on top of it. Seasonal spring cleans.

RobinTheCavewoman · 23/09/2025 19:48

I read lots but by kindle.
I had artwork but it went mouldy in storage.
I had candles but they trigger the DC asthma.
I do have plants everywhere.
I am lucky to have a garage that is treated like a massive cupboard (tent, stationery, board games, bodyboard, piano)

MyElatedUmberFinch · 23/09/2025 19:45

On bookcases, in drawers and cupboards.

Bippybop · 23/09/2025 19:41

I have what i call an empty look.
I hate clutter and crap im not using.
Kitchen= just a kettle on show small f/f, cooker washer dryer kitchen storage cupboard 4 shelves in there only use 2 bog roll and washing pods.
Bedroom 1 shelf, king bed ,hanging rail for clothes.
Living room 3 stylish chairs, coffee table small corner desk pc and printer pot plant 6 books pen pot.
Funky nets in all windows.
3 cupboards and 2 drawers used in the kitchen rest are empty 4 plate cups etc.
2 pots 1 pan 1 wok.
Bedding i only have 2 sets 1 on 1 off.
Bathroom 3 shelves in the corner with only what i use on it not very much.
Spare room a king bed & side table empty hanging rail.
Every room painted white dark wood flooring.
And mop and bucket & brush.
10 outfits 4 sets of pjs 4 pairs of shoes about 40 pairs of knickers about 15 pairs of socks.
Back pack. laptop, phone ,4 chargers and keys.
Shoe box of photos in the loft.
2 tower fans.
The end.

jonthebatiste · 23/09/2025 19:35

We're not executive style (!), plenty of art, plants and books. But it's always clean, tidy and ready for guests because I abhor "stuff". It costs money, takes time to buy/store/keep clean/tidy away/dispose of, fills landfill. We just don't buy things we don't need, and we make sure that whatever we do buy will have a home. I have zero interest wasting my time on "stuff". I'd rather be on MN Grin

BellaBallerina2 · 23/09/2025 19:26

I would not say my house is an executive style house at all. I have art on the walls, books in bookcases so maybe I don’t qualify, but people always comment that my house is very tidy and uncluttered (not clean 😅). I simply love throwing things out. I can probably count on one hand things I am sentimentally attached to. I love a full bin!

LadydeBathe · 23/09/2025 19:25

Lots of storage is the answer. And regular decluttering. I often have a huge purge when my husband goes away for work as he has hoarding tendencies.

We live in a really old house but ‘cottage charm’ is anathema to me. The kitchen in particular has absolutely no clutter or ‘stuff’ on work surfaces. The only things that are displayed are for aesthetic purposes. There are always fresh lemons and limes in a big bowl. There’s usually a bunch of flowers (almost always white) and a candle burning. So, it might look a bit posed, but it’s very much a working kitchen that’s cooked in every single day - it’s just there is a place for everything to be concealed when not in use.