Well I get nice comments about my house and it is like this-
Our sofa is huge, big enough to have about 10 people sitting comfortably and has lots of throw cushions and blankets and is very comfy.
We don't have carpet downstairs but do have a rug which is very telling of our individual personalities (as in the picture on the rug is, not the fact we have a rug 
). The floor is always clear unless the dcs are using it to play on.
We have wallpaper that also is very indicative of personality (superhero wallpaper, we are total geeks 
). The rest of the living room is brightly coloured and there is a colour scheme but nothing actually matches.
We don't have any clutter and the house is clean but anything we do have has a place.
The kitchen is all matching and sleek but always smells like homemade something. The dining area has a good sized table and interesting artwork, both of the bought (but not mass produced) and child variety.
The bedrooms are all done to reflect the taste of the person sleeping in them, mine is a very chilled blue and cream with lots of pillows and a fluffy throw on the bed.
The (upstairs) bathroom is bright and clean and smells clean. Plenty of towels in there.
The (downstairs) loo is also bright and clean.
We have somewhere for people to hang coats and put shoes but don't insist on it (though I do expect dcs to take shoes off inside as they are most often dirty as we live right next to a park).
We have four cats who like to artfully drape themselves all over the place and are incredibly friendly to all visitors.
We don't have candles or flowers or whatever on display, I am allergic to flowers and keep my candles in a cupboard unless being used. I don't see the point in ornamental candles 
Most importantly, we welcome everyone and always offer a seat, a drink and food.
In my group of friends, mine is the house where we all tend to congregate because they prefer to come here (I think because it's comfy, we have a projector and watch films as a group and because I always provide a tasty dinner )