If you have a lovely home that works for you what is your secret?

[Felldownabackdonhole]

We are moving from a flat to a house and I want to make it feel like a lovely home. There are a few problems with our flat that we went have in the new house, like no garden or outside space so storing scooters and things in the flat.

I don’t have enough storage for the kids toys and it feels a bit cluttered even if it is tidy.

If you have a lovely home (and small children) what do you do to make it nice?

Avoid kids’ toys that come with a million tiny pieces unless they are really worth it.

Ruthless throwing away/donations/recycling.

Storage.

Training young kids to tidy.

I love my home. I smile every time I turn into the driveway. I’ve made every room one that I love to be in. Similarly to everyone else:

• neutral colour palette, and it is similar from room to room, so the house flows well. I have white/cream/teal/blue, so the house is variations of this. Some rooms are almost all white with just some small blue accents, others are far bluer, with all types of blues - navy, teal, aqua and white etc but they all have the similar colour scheme just interpreted differently
• as above, spend time thinking about each room, and what it has to achieve practically, and then how you can do that and still make it beautiful. Eg, storage to hide the ‘stuff’ ?(Like shoes and coats, or linen cupboards etc) or make the ‘stuff’ the feature (like a built in library to display books, lego artwork on display, piano as a room feature, not awkwardly in a corner).
• flowers, plants, light and lots of air. Natural, clean smells, like soap or fresh air
• big feature things that mean something to you, so you smile when you see them - eg piano as above, or an artwork a friend or parent etc painted, or a picture wall with memories that make you happy, or a big vase full of dried hydrangeas you picked from your mother’s house last year. The comfy chair your Dad always fell asleep in, reupholstered to be statement chair at your place.
• ruthless decluttering. Everything must be used and have a home. If not, you make a home for it by throwing something else out, or getting more storage.
• decluttered homes are easier to tidy, and tidy homes always look inviting and feel peaceful. You aren’t looking at a thousand jobs that need to be done
• every weekend I pick one room and declutter it, even though each room is fine, but just to stay on top of it. Doing this regularly and before any room ever really needs it, means you are always on top of it.
• once you have a room both functional and looking beautiful, you’ll find yourself jealously guarding it to keep it free of clutter and neat! In time the whole house is like this, meaning cleaning is an easy job.

We live on a boat, it’s quite cluttered I guess. I’d say it’s more maximalist but everything has its own place. It’s very colourful too. I love it but I don’t think it’d be everyone’s cup of tea

Do not have more stuff than you can store.

This.

I think it’s all about the type of items left out on display. Toys and day to day items left around = feels messy and cluttered. Nothing left out = feels sparse and unwelcoming. Day to day items in cupboards, and some choice decorative items left out = feels stylish and homely.

Sometimes it’s also a question of volume. E.g. I have a decorative coat rack, for visitors’ coats and max one per person in the house. All the rest of the coats live in a cupboard. A couple of coats on the rack make the house look lived in, but if all the coats were out it would look cluttered.

@frumpety

I want to move into nzeire's house , it sounds lovely

Me too!

We will have a garage where we can put the scooters and the buggy in when we move to the new house. That will make a big difference.

I don’t have the right kind of storage for the toys. They also have lots of rubbish toys like things that have come out of kinder eggs. I like the idea of a permanent junk bag.

I will buy lots of Reed diffusers and candles because they make the house smell nice.

I got sucked into reed diffusers for a while, but have decided most of them are pretty rubbish and don't last very well. Can anybody change my mind?

Imo too much storage means you have too much stuff. You want the right amount of storage for specific things but no more.

Keeping things together helps us. Eg ALL paperwork in study, none in kitchen drawers / bedside table. Do this for everything and your house will stay organised.

I don’t feel calm in mess, dirt or clutter, it’s hugely aggravating to me. I do love interesting decor though - antiques, vintage rugs, original features, brilliant art.

I am very lucky and love our home. It's a rambling old draughty house but it's wonderful and full of character. Things we like are lovely essential oils almost constantly diffusing. Warm colours for carpets etc we aren't into trendy minimalist style! I would say our house has definitely got the lived in look! We have lots of books on display and well used, lots of wicker baskets around for toys and books. Lots of throws and blankets and cushions around. Lamps rather than overhead lights.

For scooters etc could you get one of those lockable outdoor boxes for outside your door?

Also plants in most rooms and always open the windows for fresh air each morning 🙂

Also we have a boot room which is a lifesaver and houses washing machine, tumble dryer, wellies walking boots all outdoor things can you tell we are an outdoorsy family plus any wet washing that isn't tumble dried goes in there too with a dehumidifier running

@TaraR2020

Think about each space: 1) what do you need it to do 2) what would you like it to do

Answering no1 will tell you what items you need in there, how to arrange rooms so functionally they make your life easier

Answering no2 will help you focus on the comfort level

So, if you want a hallway to be tidy because it's your entrance to the home (=no2) but know that your routines mean its always going to be where you leave coats and shoes, and put on coats and shoes (=no1) then you will be looking for storage for shoes and coats so there's isn't a mess, but it will need to be discreet do you have room to put shoes on / dump shopping bags as your struggling through the door. In which case I'd look for a storage bench you can sit on.

This. I put a lot of effort into this.

The problem with the current flat is it is all open plan which is nice in theory but there is nowhere to hide your washing. The new house will be a lot better in that way. I can shut the door and have one tidy room (I know washing isn’t mess but it looks cluttered).

I know I need to get rid of stuff before we move. I think it is too easy for the dc to get their toys out so they do.

One of the things I like in my current flat is that we have lots of cushions and sofa throws so it is really cosy.

Storage. We lack it, not enough space in the loft, and i mean it. Its only 1m high. Crawling only. No storage cupboards neither but i have up cycled a wardrobe and put shelves in. Great for towels etc

Its good in a way as i can avoid cluttering.

I keep it clean and tidy,