My shithole house contioned /how do I fix this pic included

[Shithole101]

Ok so I have Been trying to sort out my shithole house. Thanks to lots of support ,encouragement, understanding from people on here im finally winning.

Anyway I put this unit up on my own and messed it up . I left half an inch gap up the top. Which has caused the rest to he out of place . I can't take it down and redo it. Any ideas how I could cover it some how?

Also I was thinking about putting a couple of plants on the unit. I had a look but alot of them seem to need to be near a window,

Another ideas to cheer things up a bit would be good 🙂

Look up low-light plants. Sansevieria will live anywhere. I've even forgotten to water mine for months and it's still going strong after 4 years. Ikea do some really nice fake ferns which would look great.

Get the ones with a timer, then you don’t have to do anything.

They would not get used so no point in a timer

What do you mean the lights would not get used..?

@Shithole101 you can change your username now as it no longer applies! It did give me a giggle though!

Someone suggested lights around the units. Like the led strip ones that you stick on. I would not use them as I always have my main lights on. Then someone suggested a timer . And I said there's no point for something I won't use .

Someone sauggested up thread that you take the offending door off altogether .

I agree - take the two doors off. Some books, a fake plant etc up there would bring in some nice warmth.

I have been following you op - you are hard on yourself. I know you are up against it - you have so much going on but seriously - well done to you.

Ok I missed that you always have your main lights on. We never have ours on..

It will apply tomorrow 💩 . Its definitely alot better though. There are some grubby bits like I Need to wipe the skirting boards down. And the doors. I need to sort out my downstairs toilet stuff in there that should not be. But yeah I think it can pass within the bracket if normal. Once the toilet is sorted 👌

Thank you. I'm feeling quite positive today. Younger kids are at their dad's. Teen ds has left me alone all day. He has his music on but I don't care . Just been doing small bits here and there. It does not feel so overwhelming now. I just need to stay there

Ah yeah I like it to be bright

Well done OP for getting it all sorted. I know you said you always use the big light but I'd highly recommend a lamp and the lights as recommended by a PP.
My house is dusty and often untidy, it looks so much better when the lamp and fairy lights are on, you don't notice the imperfections as much 😁

🤣. Dull lighting depressing me. Sounds bad but at one point I refused to have lights shades. I know its ugly to have a bare light hanging down . But I hated that light shades caused a shadow around the room

If you did the frame idea then you would have to open the middle cupboard to get to the ones on either side, or you could attach them to the frame and make it one longer door along the top anyway but it'd need to be pretty solid then.

Instead of LED strip lights, consider LED spot lights above the telly a bit like this picture. You can get battery operated ones from Amazon that you stick on and will give the illusion they are built-in.

I won't use the lights.

Is it an ikea besta combination? You could move them around and change the doors. Move the two end units together, to the left. Then put the two lower units to the right. And get rid of the top units. And then change the doors. The least expensive doors are £5-£15 and come in various different colours.

* whoops, I meant move the three middle units to the right and get rid of the three top units!

I want it to stay like that . I only bought ot a few months ago. I'm still paying for it . So I don't want to pay out more

First impressions:

• soften with small hanging plants along the top; fake or otherwise (string of hearts is fast growing and impossible to kill)
• you need softer lighting. I know you like your main light on but if you had four table lamps dotted around the room I swear you'd get used to it and it would look much nicer it's so stark with the overhead light.

-the cream is a bit dated, how about some of that pretend tile wall sticker/vinyl paper?

www.dunelm.com/product/shell-blue-self-adhesive-backsplash-tiles-1000168333

• a small light or two inside the squares of the shelves would soften it all up, pretty mirrored picture frames, arty nick-nacks.

The vinyl paper/tile effect stuff would be being the TV, I mean.

• a Roman blind for the window

Basically textiles, different levels of lighting and objet d'art would soften and modernise.

It's not cream. Its probably the light/camera making it loon like that. I'm not changing it. Also the lights I'm not changing . I do not want soft lights. I like main lights because it feels depressing for me to have dim lights/lamps etc

Ok, we'll, I'd try the other tips if you want the stark lighting to stay. Maybe try some warm white lightbulbs?

Trunking for the tv wires is also an idea?

I only use the main light too. I find lamps prissy and irritating. But you could have decorative lights in addition to the proper light rather than instead of. So you still use them to disguise the gap but you don't lose the proper light.

I think that's what was being suggested. Can't quite picture it myself mind you.