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?

Really expensive made to measure liberty curtains in the master bedroom - it has a massive window. I hate them so much and I resent my mad inclination for the fabric daily. I can hear my Mother telling me that it was a stupid purchase whenever I open the blasted things.

@QueenofallIsee ebay them! I’ve paid a fortune on eBay for secondhand Liberty curtains. I LOVE Liberty curtains. Your mother is wrong! (No disrespect to your mum.) Why do you hate them?

Unrelated but currently researching mattresses! What brand was the good mattress please? I have back problems and ours is killing me

@reclaimmyboobs The fabric is too much for the size of the window and honestly, I chose poorly in terms of something that I would always like. They sort of scream at you 😂 and I’ve had to forgo lovely bedroom furnishing options as the damn curtains take over (first world problems I know).
They are wonderful quality so will never bloody die and I can’t afford decent replacements at the moment but I will for sure trade them in at some point!

@Papillon23 - have you considered getting your comfortable sofas reupholstered?

Laminate flooring in my London flat. Not worn well and so cold on the feet. Felt like a lot of money at the time.

Offsetting that, my most expensive item of furniture I do still love - a De Sede DS-151 Chaise Longue (image from Google).



Vispring: Our new mattress (actually two mattresses which fit side-by-side to make a king size) was delivered in December and we've not had a bad night since. We bought the Devonshire and paid about £3k; it would have been cheaper if we'd bought it as one mattress.

Also, Vispring offer the option to change the bed for a different tension if you find the bed you've chosen is too firm or soft. Their charge for this is £100, but the retailer we used included it as part of the deal.

Oh I love mine, I play music when I’m in the shower or putting make up on, and find the demister useful , as the mirrors are clear when I get out the shower.

my semi regret is the sofa, I love them, but I got the mink colour, which looked great in the show room, more golden, and looked rhe same outside when being delivered, but due to the lighting, look much darker inside. I was torn on going for olive green and wish I had.

Every Dyson vacuum cleaner I've ever had. They have all been vastly expensive, heavy, prone to getting blocked and need charging every five minutes. Obviously designed by a man who has never wielded a vacuum cleaner outside a laboratory. But I have learned my lesson and when my Dyson stick cleaner expires (they don't tend to last long) I will never have another.

Other way around. We bought a load of furniture when we moved house, because a lot of the old stuff didn’t work any more, or had always been intended to be temporary. I got a bit freaked out by the cost of everything and bought cheap faux leather dining chairs. Every time I see a real leather version somewhere I regret it, because they’re so lovely. I suppose that’s less painful to rectify though.

Not really, I regret I don't have space for a big chest freezer. I suppose We cheaped out on buying laminated kitchen worktops, so like particle board laminated with 3mm of real oak. If I could go back I would have gone with the solid oak worktops as I had wanted to at the time. However DH was in charge of the budget and was strict on sticking to it, while I sourced and chose the materials and did a lot of the work. Mostly everything worked out well but I'd get the better worktops if doing again.

There’s definitely a sofa thing going on. I like the actual huge corner sofa we bought and we sat on it but went with feather cushions which I hate and it’s too bloody low. It’s really messing up my knees. I have to get off it by rolling onto the floor if no one is here. I’m thinking of getting a pad to raise my bit. That’s going to look naice. 😬

When we redid the kitchen, we put a full sized oven, which is good, paired with a half size combi oven which cost more than the main oven. Never got on with the combi oven and just use it as a microwave, which would have cost a third of the price

Recliners for me too! We got two massive recliner sofas. This was when all of our 5 children were still living at home. Recliners were left up all the time and drove me mad. The sofa was gorgeous soft leather but never again. Was so happy when it became time to replace it and bought two normal couches - no more falling over!

Our fridge. In my defense, I didn't order the thing. I had ordered a different one, it came damaged, and they offered our current one as a replacement. The one I ordered; they didn't have any more of them. And we only had a few to choose from to start because of how small the space is where it goes. I hate it. You can't adjust the shelves at all, it has never worked correctly. There are entire sections I can't use or have to use sparingly because they freeze even when the settings are low. So, there is about 2-3 cubic feet that I can only use for things that freeze well.

Bought a corner sofa in dark blue, still to be fully paid off. Our white dogs hair is ingrained in every part of it and is impossible to remove much of it. It stains so easily and we’ve just had a baby so it’s going to be destroyed even more. Should have kept the old one which was perfectly fine.

Miele washing machine. Thought it would be worth the extortionate outlay as it was built to last. It tells me what to do repeatedly, really annoying! The 'twin dos' system adds detergent which costs a fortune and the pipes have to be cleaned SO often, really fiddly. I paid extra for this system and if I don't continue to clean regularly, as I am commanded to do, the pipes will seize up rendering the dosing system I paid extra for, useless! And because it was built to last I am stuck with it for another 20 years... DON'T buy one!!

I hate our expensive sofas. They looked gorgeous but I didn't realise velvet would wear so badly, so we have throws over them. The back cushions have gone weird and uncomfortable. No amount of plumping makes any difference.

My ikea sofa lasted nearly 25 years…just ripped, still super comfy and with loose covers that I’d dyed different colours over the years. £450 well spent ! I was sad when it left!!!

i masssively regret all of my flooring choices. We moved in and had nothing so I ended up with cheap uncomfortable carpets and laminate. The laminate isn’t too offensive however within 2 years it’s lifted everywhere thanks to dirty children spilling things and wet dogs. What a waste of money.

I also wish I had gone with intergrated appliances when we did our kitchen. I didn’t because I wanted bigger and more practical washing machines etc but they are so bloody ugly! It annoys me every time I go into the kitchen how much I wish they were hidden.

The floor tiles in our hall and kitchen. They looked beautiful in the showroom and when they first went down, but they are dirt magnets and look grotty no matter how often I scrub them. But in my experience, it's mostly cheap stuff we've bought and regretted

Get a good mattress topper.

Oh I’ve just remembered another one. Doors!
Went for oak but in hindsight I wish I had sourced original 1930s ones instead.

Cost thousands so stuck with them. Wouldn’t dare admit the regret to DH.

We have recliners bought from sofology and love them, use them every day look like any other sofa closed, so comfy great when my knees are sore to have my legs up, don’t hesitate buying them… these are electric we previously had manuals they are still going strong at my mums house must be 22 years old now x

I bought the extremely popular Bluebell sofa. I thought since it was so raved about (including on here) it couldn’t be a mistake. Am I the only person who doesn’t like it!? I find the back cushions lose their shape instantly and need fluffing 1000 times a day. It’s not uncomfortable but it’s high maintenance!