To ask what people mean when they say ‘show home’?

[churchandstate]

I’ve just been reading the ‘lived in’ house thread and have read a few others about tidy/messy homes. I’ve seen so many people on here say ‘my house isn’t a show home’, but I have literally never been inside a show home or heard anyone say their house is like a show home.

What do people mean when they say someone’s home (theirs or someone else’s) is like a show home?

Mine, before anyone asks, is a mess.

There’s a difference between a show home and one that has been styled for a magazine.
Very often magazines styled for even Country Home/Life/whatever rather than a B&M brochure, have been done over two days from by a stylist, it isn’t the way the home looks full time.

Usually what people refer to as “like a show home” are houses that are devoid of personality or personal touches, so clean that you worry about sitting on the sofa. Everything bought from one shop and nothing out of place and not a single meaningful item in the house. Hey if that’s your thing, you do you.

Clean, tidy and tastefully decorated, usually but can also refer to the Mrs Hinch look which is ott interiors and ott clean & tidy.

I get accused of having a show home because I'm so tidy. I do have personal touches in my home but no excessive dust gathering ornaments as I hate clutter. I put things away because I think it looks lazy otherwise and I clean regularly so I have a nice fresh atmosphere. I certainly don't think my taste is chavvy at all, although I think most rooms look better with some sort of scheme/cohesion of colour and decor. I wasn't aware that caring about your interior was chavvy. I like cozy touches and soft lighting, I just think places look nicer when they're clean & tidy. So I have a show home, but not Mrs Hinch style.

My in-laws house , it's honestly beyond a joke.

Towels on the sofa to sit as it's white and they don't want it marked...don't buy a bleeding white sofa then

Furniture covered with dust sheets in summer so the sun doesn't bleach them

Actually WTF . They are not normal.

One of my friends has a home that's a bit of a show home.

Everything is carefully planned and arranged. The living room is all in neutral colours except for vases/ornaments/cushions which are all in a matching specific shade of blue.

In a way I admire the effort and determination, but in another way I think it looks too controlled and a little bit naff

Mine is - but not because of me, but because DH is a neat freak extraordinaire.

We have no clutter, its decorated well and co-ordinated and he keeps it neat and -sterile- tidy.

My mum & dad bought a show home. Some of the stuff came with it such as mdf 'occasional' tables with floor length tablecloths that matched the decor. Matched it exactly, so the tablecloth had a border that was the same as the border on the walls.

There were lots of borders at the top and middle of the walls (it was the 90's!) and everything matched them - rugs, curtains, tablecloths etc.

My mum was so proud of it she refused to decorate (they lived there 10 years). My dads bedroom had a lovely stencil effect at the top & middle of the walls. If you only glanced it looked kind of normal but if you actually stopped & looked it was a horse riding pattern that was designed for a 10 year old girl's room.

Show homes are soul less. Created by a designer, matchy matchy, everything arranged elegantly and artistically, tables laid, same colour theme throughout the house, no personality whatsoever.

I think it’s just a phrase. My mum often says my house is like a show home.. it’s not. I have toys and crap everywhere but it’s generally clean and well furnished and everything has a place. Admittedly it’s a lot cleaner than my mums. She really struggles with housework.

My dream would to have what I consider a ‘show home’. I consider a show home to be minimal but that’s never going to happen here!

Absolutely agree @ArnoldWhatshisknickers the whole house is pristine, like no-one ever does anything in there, there's no clutter at all, not even a hint of it, even when you open all the kitchen drawers. Everything is perfectly arranged and polished to a shine. Magazines and books are 'curated' rather than a collection of books that have been collected over a number of years and read to the point of falling apart.

There's no 'little clues' that anyone lives there, no bits of debris under the couch, or discarded hair styling products in the bathroom. No real signs of actual life.

Also I think creating a well designed home which doesn't look soul less is about not following trends. Ignore everything in Next and Ikea. Pick up quirky homewares, antiques, upcycle things, make things. Don't be scared of personality.

I've always thought it means that the place is so neat and tidy with no personal possessions around that it looks as though nobody actually lives there.

An actual professional designer does not do perfectly matched everything as wrongly pointed out above.

As with fashion, perfection or eye pleasing show home presentation for the purpose of illustrating a property, it’s only done properly at high end level.

When people comment about an actual normal home with people living in it, in those terms, they mean it is immaculately clean and void of clutter. It doesn’t necessary mean that it is decorated in good taste.

Magazine styling is completely different. It is meant to emphasise a particular trend or capture a feel of the place.

All very confusing! Thanks, everyone. I’m usually just happy if the washing basket isn’t overflowing, but I can see there is a long way to go.

Devoid not void of clutter.
OP, as long as the Queen is not popping over for a cup of tea, you should be OK.

Immaculate, newly decorated, nothing out of place at all. They must have masses of storage or very little stuff. I think they show homes look quite sterile and artificial.

Op have a look at www.persimmonhomes.com/show-home-videos for a video of a show home, you'll see what we all mean.

But show home are styled in a particular way. The homes in those magazines are usually expensive, classy and homely - unlike show homes

This is bizarre. Obviously it depends on the show home. There are a few million pound plus ones around here which are definitely not tacky and have been well designed to look eclectic and stylish. However they do typically tend to be full of brand new things of course which can make them look a bit "fake".

I actually think the term show home is used by most to mean simply that it's been interior designed, nicely decorated and is extremely tidy.

OP I'd look through photos on interiors websites like Houzz and pinterest and see what style you like and then make boards to save the photos you like. Then gradually start tackling it. IMO you can't build up a beautiful home properly in an instant. You need pieces with age, with memories and with meaning. Ebay is your friend. You can pick up vintage pieces for very little money.

A family member lives in what I would describe as a show home. Everything matches and there is no where to put your shit. It's so immaculate but in my eyes has no personality. It's like living in a IKEA showroom ,and it's styled on what's popular at that time. So decorated every year or so. We were staying recently and there was no where to put my toothbrush in their pristine bathroom.

My family member I think has a heart attack every time she's here as nothing matches. My photo frames all different woods, pictures different frames etc. I have three types of different wood in my living room. But each thing , picture etc tells a story of my families life and know which one I prefer. So to me a show home is not a compliment!

I found it really interesting to hear what people think 'show home' means, I would be really offended if someone described my house as a show home.

For me it's purposely devoid of character. Actual show homes are supposed to appeal to everyone, so they're thoroughly finished but just painfully bland.

Every item is the same age, from the same place (probably Next), and perfectly matched. It doesn't feel 'lived in' - because that's not how humans live, most of us accumulate meaningful bits and bobs over time.

Very clean and very tidy

An immaculate wealthy home with house keepers around the clock. Not a speck of dust in sight.

Pick up quirky homewares, antiques, upcycle things, make things. Don't be scared of personality.

Exactly. My ebay purchase this week has been an art deco glass cabinet for £30. When I've finished with it it will be a cocktail cabinet for my beautiful but currently a little bit boring dining room which needs a bit more personality.

I take the term ‘house like a show home’ as someone has a very tidy house, clutterless and exceptionally clean.

I don’t understand why people always says homes like this are characterless and unwelcoming. How is being sat in a house surrounded by someone’s clutter welcoming or relaxing?

I would love a show home 😅

I have a friend who’s house I would describe as a “show home”.
She has immaculate cream carpets, pristine cream sofas, never a cushion out of place, not a single atom of dust.
You’d never know they have a preschooler living in the house as she’s not allowed toys in the front room
They even have AstroTurf in the garden so that the grass looks as perfectly manicured as the rest of the house all year round.

I find it very bizarre

I have never seen a show home I thought looked good.

Lowest common denominator, no character.

Everything usually tones of beige, with a few black and silver accents.

Maybe a feature wall.

Just soulless and very, very dull ...