To be incredibly jealous of friends home?

Claim a room/space as your own if you can and go to town OP. Everyone should have a room they can express themselves in to give them joy

Enjoy your rented home, some people can only afford to live under a rock you know! 😀

One fun thing to think about might be a signature colour for accents and decor.

Do you particularly like a certain shade of blue, teal, pink, anything?

You could then use that as the basis for picking up decor items you like. A lampshade, a secondhand vase, a plant pot, a print including that shade for framing on the wall.

It means you're not starting from nowhere and it makes it fun to browse charity shops or trinkets on holiday to add to your collection. The items you end up with will match.

And your home will be the envy of people like me who rent and won’t be able to by for years!! Enjoy what you have.

Ahh, there will always be other people with the house you want, the job you want, the something-else you desperately want. If you had that thing, there'd be something else you wanted, unless you were a billionaire who really could fulfil every single lifestyle desire. You just have to learn to live with it and make the best of what you have.

I don’t know if it’s been suggested already but try ChatGPT - feed it some photos and tell it what you like and your budget

I visited someone at her home recently, the walls and furniture were very neutral (white, grey) but the room was lovely to be in because there was art on the walls and gorgeous colourful cushions on the sofa - they had different textures and colours, and just pulled the room together.

@NeverMindMee it sounds like you’ve not been a visual person and yet you must be, a bit, because if you really weren’t at all, your neutral decor (which sounds very pleasant and easy to live with) wouldn’t bother you at all.

I would just start trying things, don’t think about a whole room makeover at this stage, just start small with one picture or a shelf with a few pieces on it. Give yourself permission to play.

You could experiment for very little money, art galleries sell art prints online pretty cheaply, or you can do a lovely display on a pinboard with postcards and photos, they all add character to your space. Houseplants are great for that too.

A good tip to introduce colour is to match the colours in a picture that you like. If you have one main colour in a room, if you add something small in its complementary colour, that can make the main colour appear more vibrant.

I know what you mean. My house is boring and cluttered. I have no eye for interior design. I used to work for a lady whose house was amazing, she’d pick up bargains on marketplace or in charity shops and it would end up looking quirky but just right, if I tried that it would look like I need to sort stuff out to go to the tip.

I think there are practical reasons too. I sometimes think I’d like new, colourful sofas but then I think there’s no point, my current ones are the colour of muddy dogs which works well as I have plenty of pets at home. Or I think I’ll get a nice new carpet to replace the worn one, and then I think what’s the point, it will only get pissed on by the puppy, or smeared in mouse blood from the cats murdering things.

Why does your DH get to veto anything you'd like for the house? I am probably more like your friend in that I like colour, texture, pattern, my furniture is a mix of stuff some antique/thrifted a little IKEA here and there just whatever I like really. If you like neutral that's fine but if you see something that catches your eye your husband doesn't get to tell you no! He's not your father

This. I enjoy interior design and colour. I love scouring car boot sales and charity shops for things . This type of decorating takes time though. I find a put together/ catalogue look is not for me but others may cringe at me buying old wooden shoe lasts and jugs at car boot sales. If you like what she does then ask for ideas

Lamps and statement ceiling lights (or simply a nice lampshade) can make all the difference as can pillows / throws. It’s exciting finding out what you like and what suits your home.

You don’t need to do massive changes - start small.

Firstly, go to Pinterest and start finding designs or styles that you like and start bringing it into your life.

I would start with the kitchen I’ve got Mediterranean lemons and blue kitchen towels , a giant colourful fruit bowl and some lovely art on the wall. My kitchen feels warmer and soulful instantly.

Get in the charity / thrift shops and find some gems you love! It’s not too expensive. You really can find all sorts.
My house is very me but I have neutral tones, no out there colours or wallpaper but I decorate walls with interesting mirrors and art work. I have shelves with ornaments and trinkets I’ve collected.

I studied fashion design ages ago, do lots of arty projects and make cushions/curtains for our home, but I still struggle to feel content with how a room looks. So I can quite easily see how hard it is for someone who doesn't have an artistic leaning to start, let alone pull off a completely curated, beautifully designed home (you're definitely not boring @NeverMindMee - we just aren't all the same 💐)

I'm extremely lucky that my DH is also artistic (he worked as a designer for 20+ years) and - mostly! - likes the same stuff as me. We've never owned a new build, have always bought period houses that have been real projects, and have been collecting 'stuff' for years, so always have a head start when it comes to decorating and furnishing a new-to-us home.

But you have to start somewhere - for us, it was car boot sales/fleamarkets, then eBay. More recently, having downsized from a 400+ year old house to a Georgian cottage in a more populated area, we've rediscovered antique auctions and fairs. In fact, I've had to reign DH in as he comes back most weekends with more treasures (books, art, decorative bits 😉) that we no longer really have space for!

I usually decide on the colour scheme (no white or neutrals for us - but there's nothing wrong with those if they sing to you) for a room - inspiration taken from a rug or fabric and DH hasn't challenged my choices...yet! I tend to buy remnants of designer fabrics for cushions plus we have lots of antique Persian rugs and kilims. But our eclectic collection of art/objects comprise all colours/styles, so, theoretically at least it's a moveable feast and I regularly 'shop my home' by swapping stuff about.

For many years we collected Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts Movement furniture etc, but in the past few years (a result of downsizing drastically and having to offload tons), our tastes have evolved, which I've actually found really liberating!

Lamps, art, textiles, plants make a massive difference to a space and help inject character and personality. But my one abiding rule is to buy what you love - someone more knowledgeable than me once said if you buy stuff you love, however disparate, it should all work together 😁

I kind of get you but at the same time I wouldn't know how to make a house 'reflect' my personality. I rent and was utterly sick of magnolia, so thankfully my landlord lets me do what I like and my house is pretty colourful but does it reflect me? I feel like it just really reflects the colours I liked on the tins of paint at various times. I used to want one of those neat neutral houses where you can't tell someone lives there but even though my house feels chaotic at times I like that someone would walk in and know a family lives there. I don't think my home is lovely by any stretch but it is home. Maybe just a space you're comfortable in is the ultimate aim and what makes you comfortable is what reflects you.

Next time you need to get something for your house, instead of just buying what you would expect, buy something you explicitly like for it's own sake.

What’s your favourite colour @NeverMindMee? Maybe start with a picture with some of your favourite colours.

My house is fairly neutral. But I have quite colourful accessories. Including a large painting in blues and greens. Lots of kitchen accessories in blues, greens, and some yellow. Painted plates on the walls. Some colourful jugs in similar colours. It’s not matchy matchy as I’m not keen on that. I like a bit more eclectic. But not too much. And DH would tend to play it very safe.

Both my DIL are into thrifting. They pop into charity shops, warehouses and have found some wonderful pieces of character. From china, glass, through to furniture. Neither have a background in design but somehow it all gels together. An old jug filled with flowers. A small chair for a hallway or bedroom. It takes time and effort to pull together. There's some good accounts on Instagram for this.

You should rejoice in your pleasant-looking home, OP!

I have spent years reflecting my personality onto the homes I've lived in, and invariably stand back absolutely aghast at the results 🫣😖

Inexpensive art work can transform a house, bare walls are boring.
Teal works so well with chocolate brown and is so warm.
You need to look at your different colour sceams an look at colours that will add interest and contrast.
Screen shot what you like.
Take your time, don't rush into anything.
You can pick up some lovely inexpensive artwork in charity shops if you keep an eye out.

No one ‘needs’ more than one pair of shoes either or any nice food over and above what’s needed for subsistence or any art or music or hobbies or culture. We all choose to spend our money how we will.

Its the one cousin. Cos he's a money grabbing property hoarding arsehole. I hate it but whenever I say anything to anyone in the family they just think I'm bitterly jealous.

He actually used to be a slumlord and rented me a disgusting property illegally back in the day that had cockroaches, broken toilet, no taps in the bath, I had to pay for all the furniture etc.

And he wouldn't give me a tenancy agreement?! When I demanded one he responded by saying he was doubling the rent. He ended up installing three men into the flat to try and intimidate me out?!

I was too young to know he was ripping me off as I thought he was like a brother to me.

It is possible to be pissed off and bored with your own home, and still have compassion for people who have no home! Why do people always come up with this old chestnut EVERY single time on threads like this? 🙄

HOUSE! How much do I win?!

I agree.

OP - what did you do in your free time before having kids?

You’re describing yourself as having no personality, but I’m sure that’s not the case! It seems like you’re very lost and have lost yourself.

What music do you like? What’s your favourite colour? Do you like nature, the ocean, the beach, mountains, the night sky? Do you like animals? What’s your favourite place you’ve ever travelled to?

But you too can spend ages going to thrift shops and up cycling one of a kind items, hand selecting everything.
Start this weekend.

Why have your cousins (plural) got several homes? No-one needs more than one home.