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?

Some of the fussy stuff I get - can't abide cushions personally.

But, I buy flowers with the weekly shop every week.

Personally I don't like nik naks and I prefer a minimalist look. But I understand why others prefer a different aesthetic. Because everyone's different! That seems obvious.

what's the point in having food that tastes nice

You're the only one tasting it after all.

You wear make up? Isn't that the same principle, just applied to your face, not your house? To present an image of your face/house to the world that you like and feel comfortable with.

Completely agree,hate all that overdone frippery,led signs,fridge magnets
Less Is definitely more.

I think if you are going to have visitors it is polite to make them comfortable.

well, yes, but that means giving them a cup of tea, a seat, providing loo roll and putting a bin in the bathroom.

Tray with candles or a stuffed pig with a lace hat is for you if it makes you happy, your visitors don't care.

See, I like cushions less for the decor & more for the feeling of being cocooned on all sides; I like them piled up on top as well, plus a blanket. Just my head poking out. For me, everything has to have a function as well as be decorative except for the small brass mouse on the mantelpiece, that's just for funsies.

Do your friends like to show off their beautifully accessorised home on social media? Some people derive great validation from seeing how many strangers like their cushion arrangements.

I'm getting flashbacks to one of my student houses where everything was as cheaply and minimally functional as the landlord could get away with. The hall and living spaces were really dreary. Vast lengths of magnolia wood chip walls, great lengths of utilitarian bottle green thin carpet designed for the abuse of offices rather than adorning a home.

My bedroom was an osasis and refuge of colourful posters, lava lamp, candles, bright bedding etc. I brought up a lampshade from home. It was unequivocally my space and very distinct from the 7 other bedrooms in the house.

I can live out of a rucksack for months. I enjoy the simplicty of camping. But when I'm home, I like my stuff. My home decor isn't fashion led, although what you can get hold of is often limited by fashion. When travelling, buying quirky, usually hand made souvenirs of local crafts was a connection to home. These items don't have a practical function, but they do have an emotional purpose and bring joy through their memories and skill of their craft. In a hotel however, the excess cushions and surplus bed spreads tend to get dumped out of the way straight away.

There is a difference between an elegant minimalism that is comfortable and functional and being spartan.

Obviously I like a nice clean and tidy house.

By your own logic, why bother? Only the people living in the house see it, after all.

DDIJ what kind of place do you live in that doesn't have anywhere to sit and only one mug?

I think you're crackers OP but you're not alone, my two very close friends have (what I privately consider to be) the most clinical and dull home! Not in a 'designer warehouse loft minimalist' way but in a 'bog standard new build magnolia walls' way. No plants, vases, flowers, scatter cushions, pump bottle of industrial hand-wash in the downstairs loo, 20p hand towels, lampshades from the pound shop, 5 years later and they've still got ultra cheap netting in the windows (like pensioners!) because they haven't gotten round to buying curtains and / or won't spend the money. When it comes to their home functionality, necessity and price are the only criteria. They earn well over 200k between them, regularly ship wine from France at £20~ per bottle, feed us lobster and oysters when we come for dinner, bought us an extremely generous wedding gift (over £400) and refuse to fly anything but business class BUT they just aren't into their own home beyond its purpose for shelter!

Takes all sorts!

I don't understand that you don't understand that people have different tastes OP.

So, some like minimal and purely functional. Some like bows and furbelows. In between are are all shades of grey.

Why bother your barney? No-one give any fucks how you like to decorate (or not) your own space, so why are you bothered by anyone else's tastes?

There is nothing at all wrong with you for not liking "stuff". There is equally nothing wrong with those who like "stuff".

Live and let live OP.

I went a year with no carpets just concrete.
It was cold but it was liveable.

OP why do you wear makeup? Whats the point of decorating your face like that? Who is that for?

I find it interesting that some people seem to get so defensive about it. The OP was not exactly aggressive or accusatory.

I spend a lot of time in the house. 75% of the time maybe more.

I have to have somewhere I like to be and I spend a lot of time doing plans and making it nice in my way.

I don't like candles as really bad for chemicals and I'd like to have less things as I like plain but luxurious rooms. So nice bedding colours I like. I also like natural things so cotton velvet not shiny polyester velvet, wood floors, soft throws and cotton bedding.

I was shocked by how things like amtico off gas for years. So I researched what were healthy things to have.
I already can't have too much carpet due to allergies so it's only on stairs.

I had ornaments before maybe 5 but I got rid of them and I do like glass in unusual shapes and designs. Love mirrors, cushions, lamps and lights.

It's so subjective, I love looking at decor and I like 80% of what others do. However I always do my own style and colours whilst appreciating all the rest.

I'm usually annoyed though when things I've loved and had for years are fashionable and people assume I'm following fashion. I do not follow fashion.

Op if your not interested then so be it. Why force yourself? If you would like to do it better then watch the last few mins of home shows to see the results and look through interior mags. If you still don't get it and want a nicer home then get someone to help.

Meh. You're less into sensory input than the people you're comparing yourself to, OP.
I'm like that too; I'm interested in stuff I think about more than stuff I see.

Also, I dislike housework and the more stuff is around the more there is to dust and tidy.

I have a hell of a lot of books and also house plants so am not minimal. I like the way those things contribute to my environment. I imagine poeple who buy things that look nice and sit on a shelf like candles or ornaments find pleasure in those the same way I might filling a book case.
You don't have to conform to the things other people derive pleaure from!

My home is my sanctuary and I like it comfortable, stylish and clean. I am happy for our friends to visit and enjoy it with us. We love art, so I have many paintings and sculptures adorning spaces.

The point is, we enjoy it - it's for us, nobody else.

I like having a nice house. I spend alot of time in my home and so I like it to feel nice with pretty things to look at ornaments/lamps/flowers etc...
Everybody is different.

I like candles, nice throws, flowers, pretty lighting, but it is a choice! Don’t do it you like it that way

DDIJ but why are you living like that if it makes you so unhappy that you’d rather sit in your car? I could understand if circumstances dictated it but your last post makes it sound like a choice?

Having bare floors is a bit extreme.

I'm not an ornaments person, and I'd hate inspirational quotes on my walls. Neither do I like wallpaper.

But I like artwork on the walls, and framed family photos on the mantelpiece. I always have fresh flowers.

My bedside table has a lamp, photo of DCs and a cat ornament, sentimental souvenir from a great family holiday.

Forget twigs, although I do have pretty storage boxes, cushions and throws; just because something is practical doesn't mean it has to be ugly.