I went to a strangers house last night ...

[blinkofaneye90]

It was a friend of a friend type of thing who was hosting a beauty event. OMG her house was amazing. Probably valued around £2m, it was immaculate. Enough space to have not any clutter, a walk in shoes & coats cupboard, minimalistic, absolutely everything matching, all decor finished to a high spec. It was like a magazine show home. We have a fairly decent modern house, new kitchen installed last year, but it made me want to come home and rip out my new kitchen and everything else in my house and start again. Whereas I cant do that, I have cleared the very little clutter we had hanging around and this weekend will be doing a huge clean just to make everything smell/look/feel fresh. Will treat myself to some flowers too. The owner of the house was also immaculate. Slim, lovely manicured nails, softly spoken. I looked at myself - a little overweight, wearing a bobbled top with leggings and a tatty old pair of trainers (which I wouldn't usually ever wear, I put the wrong pair on by mistake).

I want to bin off work today and crack on with the house. And then go and buy myself the same lovely smelling Neom diffuser this house had, but it's £45 and I cannot ever justify that cost for a diffuser.

I put two odd ankle boots on this morning. I got a clue as I tried to zip up the one without a zip. I was puzzled.

Not everyone with a nice clean house is going to have one of those conditions lol

hi MarnieMarnie , I’m not quite sure whether you mean it’s a bit sad as in unhappy, or sad as in a bit pathetic. I originally thought the latter but perhaps that says more about me than you 🤭.

I think it’s a matter of perspective, obviously, however have you read any of OP’s following comments?

I think if you did you’d probably either stop feeling sad for her or stop being derisive towards her (perhaps that’s too strong a word but hopefully you know what I mean). Did nobody’s pencil case at school, car, garden, inside of handbag ever make you feel slightly peeved at how near/tidy/organised theirs was and give h a kick up the bum to get on top of things?

As for mud and wine floors … each to their own. Me personally? I find that unacceptable as garden mud contains high levels of toxins, such as lead and bacteria which can in fact have detrimental effects on the skin and I suppose it depends on what age your daughter is as to the impact muddy flooring would have on her, i.e. is she crawling in it? But for all of you, dirty carpets aren’t great for your health, especially your respiratory systems. Just a bit of food for thought.

I wore my boots on the wrong feet the other week

I don’t really agree with the show home, not homely or warm type comments. As much as I posted about my neighbours 4m beautiful home, and another that made me gape, they are comfy and homey to those who live in them, who don’t see them as show homes. It’s just their home.

i think some people perceive anything larger or more beautiful than ours as a show home. But it is someone’s home. They just have different taste, or what we perceive as nicer stuff.

I was coming on to say exactly the same thing!

It's so sneery and unpleasant and says way more about those posters than it does the woman in the OP.

I do find MN in general is a bit funny about people who enjoy having a nice, clean, organised home though. There was a thread a while ago about a woman who liked spending one day a week blitzing her home as it helped her relax - she got so much kickback it was ridiculous!

While a 2 million pound mansion might be the obvious dream house, I think it’s worth remembering that there are many ways of having a lovely home.

When I think of friends and family with the nicest homes, they don’t really correlate with size or luxury, and are certainly not perfect. They’ve got warmth, character and beautiful things which hold memories and reflect the lives of the inhabitants. My cousin does this in a little mill cottage with dried orange peel on the Christmas tree, several bassoons on display and spaniels adorning the sofas. Whereas BIL and SIL do it in a Cotswold farmhouse with a DeVol kitchen and Tracey Emins on the walls (also spaniels, maybe spaniels make a home?)

There is so much more to having a lovely home than size or immaculate decor.

What is a "beauty event"?
I have visions of a posh, 60s Avon party.

Agreed! Was expecting a juicy tale from the title and left feeling disappointed 🤣

Me too. Disappointed by OP - she went to some posh house, where the host was a Desperate Housewife type, by the sound it

I bought the Neom diffuser a few years ago and it’s just meh. It’s white so shows every spec of dust, and the oils are really expensive. I do like the timer function though.

the thing I notice most in homes is people’s art, it feels like a little insight into their soul. Unless it says Live Laugh Love, in which case their soul is dead 🤣

Has to be an MLM for sure

I sort of want to know what diffuser it was 😂

In the study 😉

She may have an immaculate house and may look immaculate and slim but she might not be happy?

spending the weekend cleaning and buying posh things won’t give you her house or life style.

There will always be someone with a nicer / bigger / cleaner house than me and quite possibly I might have a nicer / bigger / cleaner house than someone else. It's nice to be inspired to make your own home a little bit better but don't lose sight of what you already have.

Greeted by 16 paws more than made up for not having a bright pink sofa in my dining room!!
I know which l'd rather have. The ones with the waggy tails!

Was she happy?

I live in a reasonably large house and would echo what a previous poster said - the difference this makes to tidiness is immense - having somewhere to put your stuff makes such a difference!

Years ago, before I retrained and was absolutely skint all the time, I lived in tiny spaces. As a result I am extremely tidy but DH and DCs are most definitely not - having places they can store all their shit is what keeps us all getting along just fine.

Don't feel bad OP. Having a nice home and looking fab doesn't mean she is any better than you any more than it must mean she's a snooty cow. Her circumstances are just different that's all. Anyone who judges the worth of a person by their house or glamour is a fool!

I don't know why everyone keeps saying this.

Why would having a nice house and a good figure automatically mean she's unhappy?

I'm sure she's happy in her house but I would find it joyless. Each to their own but if that's what you want it is attainable.

I am honestly not being envious when I say her house sounds a bit naff. Everything matching?! 😬Did she also have some of those big dining chairs with weird trap door handles on the back? 😂

I really thought this post would end differently ....

Instagram perfect houses are boring and soulless

Sometimes it’s good to have a kick up the arse like this. Whilst it’s true that comparison is the thief of joy, if it means you’ve tidied up, sorted some clutter and chucked out the bobbly leggings that can only be a good thing.