To not understand why people want a nice house?

[tittletattlelolo]

My two friends are into buying plants/cushions/ornaments/flowers etc etc for their house but i don't get it.
What's the point? Only the people living in it see it.
As long as you have the basics fridge /bed etc
Why do you need all the rest?
A bloody tray with scented candles /those smelly things with the sticks etc
I've tried to get into homey things but I just can't
Am I the only woman who doesn't get it?

Because your environment affects your mental health. I’m a minimalist but I stil have things I love in my home because I want it to look like a home filled with life and warmth.

Because it's nice to be surrounded by things that make you happy and comfortable.

Ah, of course, because wanting a nice house is a 'womanly' trait
not a nice biscuit because you can eat dry bread instead so why bother

I'm not even a woman and I have 27 scented candles, wall art, actual living flowers I've grown, throws, funky cushions...

Blankets draped over coffee tables etc
Flowers on top of cookers

Pictures or it never happened !

Yeah, blankets in coffee tables and flowers on cookers. Like that happened.

I don't have "staged" stuff like throws draped in a certain way but I do like to look at nice things in my home

But that's the same with all 'stuff', isn't it?

Why do some people like a fancy car when a Yaris would do the job just fine (apologies to any Yaris drivers) ? Or a Samsung Galaxy phone when a basic Moto would do?

Why, come to think of it, is my lingerie ridiculously expensive and always matching????

PlainSpeakingStraightTalking

Mrs Hinch puts flowers on top of her hob when not in use. When I saw that was the same moment I decided to unfollow.

It sounds like you've been watching Mrs Hinch.. shock horror, people like those things.

I do sort of get you OP I like to be comfortable but I can't be arsed to shop for ornaments and artwork that match the decor.

I imagine the OP lives off All Bran, and some protein pills and vitamin tablets too, as what's the point in having food that tastes nice?

This silly kind of stuff is really what I mean

I have been watching mrs hinch
Trying to understand the hype

Some people host dinner parties/general get togethers and have regular visitors so it isn’t just them who see the house. Some people just like those nice things in their home even if it just them looking at it.

I am the latter, I like to look at house plants, nice cushions and I love scented candles. Doesn’t matter if no one else will see, they make me feel happy or as Marie Kondo would say- ‘they spark joy’ .

Its a bunch of flowers...

But a high proportion of this kind of stuff is purposeless; it's just tat with an unsustainable product lifecycle, fucking the environment using raw materials & energy to make & packaging it, transporting it across the world and eventually a lot ending up in landfill.

The people living in my house (myself included) mean more to me than anybody who lives outside it. So if I was going to make an effort it would make sense to do it for us.

The things I have in my house are things I like to see, like to be surrounded by. Conversely, things I don't have are things I don't want to be surrounded by and there are things I'd hate to have - so if you don't want "stuff" that's the right choice for you. Thankfully it isn't compulsory ;-)

You really need to define 'nice' for us, to allow this discussion to work.

Otherwise you're just saying 'two of my friends have this very specific kind of stuff in their houses. Don't they have terrible taste?'

You're a minimalist then OP. In the true sense of the word i guess. Nothing wrong with that, but it's a bit odd to not be able to understand why other people are different.

Do you wear make up? Or jewelry? Or do you just wear basic clothes in one shade?

Agreed @idlevice but isn't that a whole other issue? My house if full of homely stuff. Almost 100% bought from Facebook second hand! You can be homely and environmentally friendly. But I agree most people buy first hand. If OP had used your reasoning I would've understood a little more...

Tell us some things, activities or ideas you do like OP.

Will it surprise you that not everyone shares your preferences?

I like my home to be appealing for my own benefit, and my family’s. The motivation is not to show off to visitors.

I’m not into candles or other fragrances things, but I do buy nice cushion covers, glassware, art, and other decorations because I feel more content with a home that is visually appealing to me.

Your ‘silly’ may be the thing that another person finds most pleasing. And I’m sure there are things you like that others find very silly.

So actually, your real question should be “Why does Mrs Hinch do stupid stuff like put flowers on top of her hob when she’s not using it?”

Or even “Why is Mrs Hinch so overhyped?”

Mrs Hinch couldn't be further from a minimalist - she has about 10x too much of everything (including cleaning products) but that's just her style. Most people aren't like that - and that's exactly why people like watching her so much.