Best house you have ever been in

[Ohhelpmetoo]

I am decluttering and was thinking about how I would really like my house to look .
I would like to recreate the atmosphere of a house where I once looked after a cat whilst the owners were away . They were a young couple with 2 children . The dad had left his job due to ill health and his partner was a Sahm. The dad was retraining and it was quite a remote rural area with only a post office and with few job opportunities. They admitted money was scarce .
Everything in the house was either homemade ,or upcycled . They grew most of their own food. The house was relaxing , and peaceful . Either side of the fireplace were cupboards made from vintage wardrobes .( in the days where people were throwing out things like that ) The children had a toy box made from the bottom part of the wardrobe .There were lots of plants and books .
I have been in many houses but never anywhere as relaxing as that house . But I can’t seem to achieve anything like the same in any home ive ever lived in . The kitchen had open units , homemade with bricks . It had lots of bright pottery , children’s artwork on the walls and the healthiest herbs I have ever seen on the windowsill . If I tried that style my house would just look a mess ! It was obviously not that they had lots of money , they were very creative tho . What makes a home so restful ?

That’s a great question. For me it’s flowers, sunlight, comfort in the way of cushions and cosy chairs, and art is important to me too.

My favourite house was a friend's parents' Victorian townhouse in North London. They were intellectual hippie types who bought it in the 60s and it had mismatched furniture, lots of kilims and throws and interesting art, lots of house plants everywhere. It got the morning sun on one side and the evening on the other and it was just so peaceful. I am definitely an old hippie at heart.

It might sound strange but I think the walls and ceiling need to be white and it's everything else that gives the colour and loveliness.

House plants for sure.

Lots of cushions and throws, things that don’t quite match but work.

Little niknaks - old jars with flowers in, candles, windowsills with shells and photos

@dubyalass

My favourite house was a friend's parents' Victorian townhouse in North London. They were intellectual hippie types who bought it in the 60s and it had mismatched furniture, lots of kilims and throws and interesting art, lots of house plants everywhere. It got the morning sun on one side and the evening on the other and it was just so peaceful. I am definitely an old hippie at heart.

You’ve written it better than I could, I completely agree. I have some friends from Brighton whose parents live in those townhouses with little terraced gardens.

It’s all so classy in a really hippy way. Lots of little jewellers ethnic rugs, a record player, everything just light and bright but mismatched in a really great way. Always wooden floors.

These folks had cream carpets but the basement kitchen (with French doors out to the garden) had those lovely quarry tiles. They had arty jobs and lots of intellectual friends. I was a uni student and in total awe, the irony being that they weren't much older than I am now but they seemed so grown up.

I like houses where everything is a bit mismatched and nothing seems to make sense, it makes it cosy and homely to me. Lots of strange prints on the wall, books everywhere, a radio, small TV, maybe some musical instruments dotted around, kitchen drawers like a game of pot luck- you never know what you’ll get . I don’t like houses that are too spic and span, my Mum’s house is like that and I always feel like I’m making a mess just by existing.

Most people agree on the mismatched , the homely , flowers , plants . And yet most “ house” programmes appear to advocate spending as much as possible . The results are often stunning but to me , the homes described so far appear to cost comparatively little but be very beautiful. Looking around my own home, the things I love most are the second hand items, the charity shop finds and the plants . Even if I could afford it I wouldn’t consider a “ make over” it has taken me years to look this shabby . Just working on the relaxing effect now .

When I was visiting a friend in Brisbane Australia she was house hunting.

We went to see some show homes in a new development and I just fell in love. Open plan, one level, terraces, separate snugs.

Something I'd never seen in the U.K.