To not want mismatched mugs?

[Cloudyyy]

Just a lighthearted one really, but why would people buy random mugs as gifts? I can’t undertand wanting a mug bag doesn’t match anything else. All of my crockery must match. Are other people hoarding mismatched mugs and cups at home?? Are people doing this on purpose? Also cushions! Why would someone buy a random cushion for someone’s house that doesn’t match anything else? This happens all the time in my friendship group. Shouldn’t cushions match the sofa exactly? Can’t stand it!!! AIBU?

I don’t like matching egg cups either.

I don’t like matchy-matchy anything!

It’s robotic and it creeps me out.

I try and match pillow cases with duvet (all plain unpatterned) on my bed. But the kids' beds are always an interesting mix of spots, stripes, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Danger Mouse and occasionally if I get behind with filling the washing machine, Peppa Pig.

"But Daaaaad! It's so babyish!"
"You're seventeen! Do your own fecking laundry!"

All beds get changed once a week. Wednesday. They go off to school. I strip the beds while they're still on the bus on the way there - it's up to them to make them when they get home.

Egg cups - no two match. The only one I use regularly is turned upside down and serves as a lid for the whisky bottle I keep my cooking oil in. It's easier than a cork.

So Peppa Pig is at the bottom of the duvet cover hierarchy, Sandman? I guess she can’t really compete with Dr Who or Star Wars for long term devotion.

I try and alternate plain and patterned. Change on Sunday but it’s Monday if I have either a slatternly or social Sunday

I like the dual purpose egg cup - very practical.

This may be controversial buuut... I really don’t like patterned bedding!
I know you are right aesthetically, Cloudyyy. I had a phase of only using white. I have one Secret Linen store patterned cover (quite tasteful I think) but am also quite fond of stripes.

Textured throw in the same colour

I do like the sound of that!

The good thing about the hot nights this summer is that I have used a sheet instead of a duvet, which is much handier laundry wise.

I like to have different mugs collected from different places, a bit like fridge magnets! I don't however understand buying someone a cushion - it's such a personal and specific thing that IMO you would want to match your decor!

LOL @ lady who chooses to live/laugh/love instead of taking all of what is probably 5 minutes to pick something out in a shop that you like, you’re very much of the “I’m mad me” type.

All our bedding is white. Which is really stupid because I can’t tell the difference between double and king size fitted sheets other than by trial and error. I’ve made life very difficult for myself!

@nettie434 Oh sounds lovely! The White Company do some beautiful sets too, worth a look!

The White Company do some beautiful sets too, worth a look!

I am very tempted now! 😈 Cloudyyy.

Agree with Alsohuman about the problems of separating doubles and kingsize bedding. I find sheets more of a nuisance than duvet covers. Same applies to standard and square pillow cases. I don't have space to keep them separate.

A friend once lived in a house with a huge linen cupboard so single, double and king sized bedding was on separate shelves. It was one of the things she missed most when she moved. I bought her some beautiful brass label holders from a little shop that has now closed so she labelled the shelves too. That cupboard was one of the things she missed most when they moved house.

GET OVER YOURSELVES

Did some rude person just shout?

I love my mismatched mugs - and like some previous posters, I have particular mugs for particular drinks and times of day.

But that's me - and I don't think that @Cloudyyy is wrong to want her mugs to match. I guess that the problem is that a mug or a couple of mugs is an easy, reasonably inexpensive gift, and pretty much all of us use mugs so it is easy to assume that the mugs will be useful. In my mind, it is the drinkware equivalent of giving someone a calendar for Christmas.

I decided, some years ago, that I didn't want to carry on giving people stuff - whether it be mugs, or picture frames, or calendars or random ornaments that they might or might not like - so I send people posh jam or biscuits from Fortnum and Mason. I hope this is a better option for the people I send them to!

I don’t like things to match but they have to be grouped together correctly. So photo frames in groups, cushions two per arm chair and 3 for the sofa. Garden planters in groups but a mix of tall, short, ceramic, clay and even the odd old chimney pot.
Bedding I do like at least my top pillow cases to match the duvet but the bottom ones can be just plain. I won’t get rid of a decent duvet set just because it is out of style or gone a bit faded so I have a couple of old style bedspreads I use to go over the top of these.
Towels in the bathroom are a mix of different colours as sets have wore and new towels introduced to the linen cupboard.
Tea towels are a collection of holiday buys, Christmas themes and ones the kids had made when in primary with their drawings on.
I don’t like to throw away something that is still serviceable hence why I have miss matched towels and bedding.

Yes

All our bedding is white. Which is really stupid because I can’t tell the difference between double and king size fitted sheets other than by trial and error. I’ve made life very difficult for myself!

I clean and change bed linen for an AirBnB house. 4 beds (two singles, one double, one king.) All the linen is white. Drove me crazy till I got to do the laundry as well - now I set things up as I iron so they come out of the box in order when I'm doing the clean.

For a while - when someone else was doing the laundry and I didn't know what was what, till I had unfolded it in the wrong room - I contemplated a discrete colour coding system. A small stitch of coloured thread on the corners.( Inside the duvet cover, on the elasticated bit that goes under the mattress on the fitted sheets.) Mark all the singles with the same colour, all the doubles with another... Anything without a mark must therefore be a king... or a pillowcase - and even I can tell the difference between them.

Thank you @TheSandman, why didn’t I think of that? You’ve just saved me a world of frustration. I think I love you 💕

@TheSandman sorry I’ve just seen this - what a fab idea!!!

Heard a a worrying interchange in John Lewis today, Cloudyyy.

Woman: ‘Can’t we get some matching mugs? I’d really like to have some mugs that match.’

Man: ‘Oh no, they’ve gotta be random. Random!’

I think we all know that this relationship is doomed. I didn’t warn her though.

Nah, she’ll just have lots of accidents with his random mugs.

Oh yes - I had not thought of that strategy

Hahahaha!!! LTB!!!

@TheSandman

Yep, I do that. I also do it with towels, for various people (DC has specific ones due to skin sensitivities).

Also socks.... all socks of the same type- so DH’s plain black cotton socks and my plain black cotton socks. Pain in the arse to match until I added a tiny blue stitch to his and a tiny red one to mine. All blue socks Go together in his drawer and red in mine!

I can't quite put my finger on why, and I hate to say it, but I find matching mugs a bit common. The idea that someone's entire mug collection was bought at once, rather than evolving over years, makes me shudder. Silly I know. I also dislike most fitted kitchens (particularly anything that isn't solid wood), matching sofas and chairs and all flat pack furniture. I realise my views are unusual though!

Cloudyyy, are you sure we weren't separated at birth? I can't do patterned linen (or nearly anything) either! It drives me batty. I have to figure out the pattern, the repeat, if it's abstract how they split it up... Definitely not sleep inducing!

AiryFairyMum

No, your views are not unusual. Many people feel as you do - erm...have you read the whole thread?
Unfortunately you used the word “common” so I’m not sure what you are trying to achieve.