To think that saying your house is 'lived in' basically means it's a shit tip?!!

[SlB09]

Asking for a friend

On that note full declaration it can sometimes turn into a shit tip, but it could never be a surgical room 😬😬

We have friends whose home is sparklingly, immaculately, almost operating theatre standard clean and I always feel a bit of a slattern when I visit. However, there are no pictures in the walls, no books, nothing except tiled floors and smart furniture. Think I'll stick with lived in thanks very much

Yes probably! We have a small house and two young children, we have a cleaner every week and it's not dirty but there is just so much stuff despite our best efforts to limit it. So it is most definitely 'lived in'...

My house always looks lived in. There are posessions: nicknacks, pictures on the fridge, books, CDs, photos, a pile of letters etc. If you asked a stranger to walk in and write 10 statements about what kind of person I am, they could. Things aren't matchy-matchy. Rooms have their own colour scheme, but items are an organic collection over time, not bought specifically to match.

As to its state of tidiness. It's generally towards the slovenly end, but fairly redeemable. At the other end is the in-law blitz a few times a year, which will result in most rooms having a thorough tidy and clutter dealt with. In the middle is a functional tidy with the majority of surfaces clear, but some piles in a fairly organised state.

So always lived-in. Not always a shit tip

Lived in here. Stack of DVDs on the Tvstand. Stack of sheet music on the piano. Photos. Books - so many books.

I would be put off if viewing a house that looked like no one actually lived there or was very obviously “staged”.

Maybe I was being abit sensitive!! My house definately isn't dirty but we have a dog and a 2year old so it's definately not a show home either -vnice to know for some it conjours up comfortable and happy home, I'll take that!

Yep, I also prefer the lived in look! Surgical homes depress me. Those kitchens where there's nothing out on the sides except a kettle (which then looks really lonely!). I guess it's easier to keep clean but it says nothing about the person living there. Like some pp's, when you come to my house you know it's mine. It's never "show home" standard but it isn't meant to be a show home, it's where I live and relax and feel safe.

No. Lived in to me means it’s comfortable and cosy. Not a show home type place where you’re afraid to walk on the carpets or sit on the sofa with a coffee.

I'd say it means bit messy but not dirty

I wouldn't think it meant that but I suppose it depends how it was said. I would think it meant 'not a show home', i.e. signs of life are around (books on tables, cups next to sink etc.) I remember my GPs always had a very surgically clean house and there was nothing on a side anywhere to the point where you felt like you were cluttering up the place just by being there. So to me 'lived in' would be a good thing

I just think it means normal and not Mrs Hinch style.

@Meruem Yes, surgical was the word I was searching for instead of my slightly clunky sentence.

No chance of any surgery happening chez careless

Ours is lived in, eg the Sunday papers are still lying around waiting for the crosswords to be finished and other bits and pieces but it's relatively clean and that's more important. When we, ever, put it on the market that'll be remedied.

Mine is lived in. Sometimes it's a shit tip. It's never dirty.
When friends come round they like that they can come in and make themselves at home. They can curl up on the sofa with a cuppa and just relax and be made to feel welcome.
I like that.

Mines lived in but clean and homely, people come to visit because they're not scared to move or put something in the wrong place, life's too short to be plumping cushions and counting specks of dust every half hour.

I think it can mean either a bit of mess but not dirty just a few toys, Sunday papers about etc OR it can mean your a dirty slob and your house is actually dirty and a bit grim.

Okay OP we need pictures or at least a diagram, then we can/will all judge you .

its one of those ambiguous terms that could be taken either way.

My landlord said it about my home, and I was a bit offended as it would have been better to not comment, considering he didnt decorate or fix anything before I moved in and is ridiculous to get in touch with for repairs etc. The fact I have low standards is why im happy here and dont give him any hassle, and the rent gets paid on time every time.

Other people, if ive complained i cant keep on top of my house have told me they love my house, its homely and lived in. I know they usually mean its messy but interesting and theyre trying to be nice, so i'll take it :)

@Madambee .

It was actually my mum that said it and think it was meant in the 'its not a showhome but a homely home' type way. So not really any clutter but just looking around there is washing on the radiator drying, a few pots from breakfast on the side, pile of shoes by the front door etc, that type of thing really. I definately always say to anyone coming in make yourself at home, help yourself etc, open door policy so I would like to think people always feel comfortable here.

Having experienced oppressive OCD, and severe depression, I've lived in a state of house perfection, and utter neglect.
Lived- in is the happy medium: signs of life such as a child's imaginary world in progress, with Barbie cars parked up by Sylvanian houses, teddies sat expectantly waiting for the next day's chapter.
It doesn't mean dirty. It's possible to clean without obsession, and still have piles of books by the sofa; cats beds in cosy places without an abundance of dust bunnies congregating.
There is nothing so sad as a clinical flat where the toys are put away as soon as the child turns their back, and the level of cleaning products sprayed daily causes vicious infected eczema. My daughter was friends with such a family, a distressing place to visit where 'play' was delegated to the garden or others' homes.
I'll take a spilled drink, a heap of clothes, over the fear of mess throttling the life out of a home.
A tip is exactly that. Dirty is entirely different to clutter.

Lived in means it's a comfortable home. Comfy sofas, photos and some knick knacks on tables, plants, throw pillows, etc. Someone actively lives there and home is a safe place. It means the walls could use some spackle here and there and though the carpet could be threadbare in some places, but always clean, warm and welcoming.

To me it just means ‘normal’, not minimalist, or the super-immaculate show-home appearance.