Anyone else regret big ticket items in their home?

[Mum8929]

DH and I bought some new couches recently and really regret our decision to get recliners. These sofas were quite expensive and can’t return, we also regret some blinds we got and wish we’d opted for shutters in our lounge. I guess I just wonder if it’s normal to have these regrets and if anyone else feels they have regretted some big items they bought for their house?

I love our house as it is now but we bought it as a new build 8 years ago and I feel like i made decisions in a rush with the interiors. Immediately hated the shiny white kitchen, the kitchen floor looked awful with it, regretted the bathroom tiles etc. We ended up replacing the kitchen a couple of years ago, then floor...lived to accept bathroom. I'd love to replace carpets now too but we'll keep them until the bitter end I think!

I'm also feeling better at all the money I've saved having second-hand stuff! My sofa is very comfy and was £30, someone bought it and wanted a corner set so sold it on. Was probably fairly cheap to start with, I don't care if it gets marks on it and I can get another 'new to me' one soon.

I can't seem to get out of the stingy mentality when it comes to furniture, or clothes for that matter, I live in Vinted stuff as well.

I'm not even doing it to be virtuous, I have money, I just have the mentality of how can a sofa be £££ better? I do envy people with posh homes though, mine is more of the shabby chic vibe!

Recliner leather sofas. Great quality but they were never the same as those we tried in the shop. Far firmer. What do you do though, when it's a 12 week wait and to order, and theres nothing specifically wrong with the construction?

I do think things that are hard to predict are carpets (what looks ok in a small square doesn't always look the same over a whole room and you can't tell how they will wear) and tiles (one tile vs lots of tiles).

Hate our new bathroom. It looks cold. Paint peeling, shower is shit. Sink is shit.

Have the chairs got pads on the bottom of the legs?

What's wrong with your recliners please folk? I am on the cusp of buying!

Why not?

Everyone’s got something they hate. I loathe my crappy washing machine which I bought after a lot of research. Also over the years have bought a rubbish mattress, a cheap crappy carpet that looked awful after 18 months and numerous ill-thought out items like reading lamps etc. It’s fine….replace it when/if you can afford, and otherwise curse it soundly each time you use it and move on.

Yes. My previous sofas. Had a big tax refund and my head fell off. 5K for 2 sofas and a footstool from Sofa Workshop. Not even leather or reclining. Too low. Hated them every day for years.

Vowed to return to DFS when I replaced them. Which I did.

See also a stupidly expensive mattress (nearly 3K) which I can't turn without help as it's so heavy. Felt perfect in the shop to lie on but that might have been cos we'd just got back from a caravan holiday! When it arrived and 2 blokes were struggling to get it up the stairs I realised I'd not thought of the weight of all the wool/poncy stuff /unicorn shavings its made of. It's not even all that comfy and has developed a ridge in the middle despite turning it as per instructions. 3 more years til I can justify replacing it...

I’m the opposite. We replace our sofas every 5 years max, so don’t spend more than around 2k on each one. We have sold one pair, and two other pairs are still going strong in relatives’ houses.

My in laws have had the same Ercol sofas for 20+ years. I would be soooo bored of them by now.

My entire kitchen which was chosen on the basis that we would be selling the house. Bad bad mistake

Another with expensive mattress regret . I’m usually the major researcher but was distracted at the time that we decided to replace by other things going on in the family. My DH does the mattress turning so I nodded along when he talked about the new style no turn, tried out a few to agree the firmness level then we bought it. Lovely at first, but in 3 years has developed body shaped dents that end to end rotating doesn’t help, not does the expensive mattress topper. Too late I read up on the problems with these.

Sofa. Almost £5k. Thankfully my regret was short lived as it had so many faults that they agreed to refund. I’ve just bought a second hand sofa, due to be delivered this week. Cost a tenth of the price but until I fall in love with another sofa again it will definitely do.

Sofas. DH was particularly influenced by his mother that we had to have leather sofas. I’ve always hated them and they are just not as comfy as fabric. I still don’t understand the appeal.

Another sofa regret here. Our old ones were so comfy but shredded by the cat. Bought new leather ones 20 months ago... hate them..there is nothing wrong with them, they just aren't us..
6 weeks ago DH and me looked at each other and admitted we both hated them.

Handily DD1 desperately needed new ones as she is newly divorced and furniture-less! So she's having them and our soft velvet DFS ones arrive next week! Expensive as mistakes go but at least they will be put to good use!

Oh and the kitchen lino, replaced by insurance after a massive leak. It's 'grained' so impossible to clean and looks grim no matter what we do!

@Doyouthinktheyknow Have you tried a mattress topper. Compared to the cost of a mattress, they're really cheap & an effective way to change the feel of a mattress!!

You need a good mattress topper. (Apologies, after posting I see someone else suggested this before me - and I can't see an option to delete my reply.)

Yes, twice

Last year a 65-inch QLED tv, it was too big for the bedroom but we are stuck with it as its too small for the sitting room

An expensive integrated sound system throughout the house that we rarely use as the Alex smark speakers around the house easier to use

Hate our sofas too. They were meant to be grey but they are definitely brown.

we’ve had them six years and they have survived a toddler. Why oh why can’t they just give up so we can justify new ones.

Sofa. Black, leather, huge, hideous. However it has survived several cats’ claws and DC weeing or being sick on it a few times; as both DC and cats have grown out of a tendency to destroy things, I might get a decent neutral soft fabric one in the next few years…

@MattDamon and @Chewbecca we have recliners and absolutely love them! Everyone who visits loves them too. They’re so comfy. They just need a fair amount of space to recline.

Our Peter Guild sofas are probably older than yours (bought secondhand on Ebay years ago), but they're good quality with a solid wood frame. We had them reupholstered and recovered. They're so comfortable and we'd never get rid of them. The cost of renovation very much depends on the material you choose, but it's usually cheaper than buying a suite of the same quality.

So many regrets.
Dining table & chairs (esp the chairs)
Expensive Tv unit & matching nest of tables.
Sunroom..Cost a bomb & looks gorgeous but nobody uses it.
Blinds..hate them.
Pellet stove..awful thing. Getting rid hopefully soon.

Can't you refinish? We have similar terracotta tiles throughout and they were getting horribly beaten up between three pre-schoolers and my bad habit of dragging furniture around.

We bought some refinishing stuff off amazon, gave them a good clean and then put on with a paint roller. It dries overnight and completely rejuvenates them, including resealing scuffs. Miraculous stuff and doesn't seem particularly toxic unlike a lot of floor stuff.