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.

I think it means a house which is furnished in a very bland way, as if all the items - not just the furniture - have been bought from the same warehouse on the same day.

Houses like this are fine as “show homes” which need to be bland and characterless to fulfil their function, but if people present their actual real homes in this way, it might suggest they do not know their own minds or it might suggest they are not very creative and confident. Such houses lack warmth and personality and interest.

Just to be clear, I am not referring to untidiness here or to “clutter”, I am thinking of possessions which have been inherited, perhaps, or books and objects or paintings that have been chosen without actively going out to acquire them.

But we’re all different. It irritates me though that some people here may think houses that are not bland are cluttered or untidy or heaven forfend - dirty. If that is in your mind or if you consign it to text, then you are being ridiculous, frankly.

PS!

And more than a little ignorant of what constitutes a real home.

My house is like a show home. I have ocd, so everything has to be perfectly clean, perfectly coordinated and no clutter at all. Everything has it’s place.

DH is similar to me, so no arguments there and DS is the same, keeping his room incredibly neat.

The house isn’t clinical though. The walls, skirting boards and ceilings are all flat and perfectly white, but the soft furnishings are pretty colours, patterns and texture. The house is soft, cosy, warm. I use Next for most of our furniture and for inspiration. Guests are always extremely complimentary. I also love it. So a ‘show home’ is not always soulless.

My house looks like a show home. Just don't look inside cupboards.

A show home has no actual “possessions” visible. It has furniture obviously but no sign of a handbag or book half read or toys or knitting or a cup just emptied. No purse or keys or glasses on the mantle or tickets to something upcoming or invitations or the normal detritus of life.

Lola it was tongue in cheek not a real suggestion!

You should go to a new build estate and look round show homes OP, it’s fun!

Our friends did their house up in light greys everywhere, no stuff or personal items. I was given a glass of red wine and was petrified lf spilling it! Really soulless and I couldn’t relax as I was so scared of wine drips. They did actually sell it shortly afterwards, so I suppose it actually was intended as a show home! They made a tidy profit - buyers apparently like the “clean slate look... to the tune of tens of thousands.

Bluntness100

I have relatives who don’t have any books on show, this makes me sadder than ever

I don't understand, why do they need to be "on show" why can't they be kept in shelved cupboards etc?

Because books are beautiful and you may have hundreds or thousands of them. You need to be able to have constant access to them. Why on earth - even if you had the storage space to do so - would you hide them or keep them in the dark?

...they mean it is immaculately clean and void of clutter. It doesn’t necessary mean that it is decorated in good taste.

I see a number of people have said such houses are “tastefully” furnished. I think it is the opposite because the decor doesn’t indicate having any actual taste, at all.

Elle Decor magazine is good for stylish interiors.

From the 2019 Showhome (Hypothetical) Manual: white walls; grey accents (doors, skirting boards etc); cream carpets or, at worst, Regency green. Carefully positioned "accents" for colour splashes. No books on display. Few personal items. Lots of sit up and beg furniture. No sloppy sofas in THIS house, dontcha know! Electronics are kept in discreet cabinets as watching TV is far too common an activity.

Take your shoes off at the door. Do NOT tread mud into the kitchen, do not pass go, do not collect £200. Woe betide you should you drop a biscuit crumb in the kitchen or a tiny clod of earth in the hallway as you're removing your shoes - the Lady of the Hise will be behind you instantly hoovering or wiping up with a microfibre cloth.

Everything basically laid out and arranged so that, should you receive a random knock on the door from someone looking to buy in your area, as has apparently happened in decades past, you will be able to persuade them at once that they must cough up the maximum possible amount for your house forthwith. Otherwise some other blighter will snaffle it.

Basically looks like everything has been done, from the second the house was purchased, with selling on to the next buyer in mind for maximum profit. Oh, and the estate agent has just left after taking photos for the brochure/website...

I happened to have a tape measure in my bag, so I measured it. They'd put in a 4' wide bed, 6" narrower than a standard double. To make it look like a double, they'd put smaller than standard size pillows on it. The bedside tables were tiny, too.

Using smaller than normal furniture in show homes to make the rooms seem larger is one of the oldest show home tricks. Once you see it it's like walking round a weird dolls house!

I’m always envious of people with immaculate houses.
Mine isn’t dirty or messy by any standards but I’m still envious.
I disagree about books on display. It’s not good for you to have old books lying around as they harbour germs and dust.

Because books are beautiful and you may have hundreds or thousands of them. You need to be able to have constant access to them. Why on earth - even if you had the storage space to do so - would you hide them or keep them in the dark?

Ugh, sounds like a nightmare. I think having that many books on display would look terrible, so messy. Unless you had an actual library where you could shut the door and not have to see them constantly. I wouldn't judge anyone who chose to do so though

We do have a room where most of the books live which is technically a library. Problem most people with a considerable number of books, do. The books are properly arranged in order so nothing is “messy.

Probably most people

“messy”

@cannycat20

Does sound like you’re describing me 🤔

As well as cream carpets we have high gloss, grey wood effect tiled floors throughout the bottom floor...but no one is allowed shoes into the house. People who cannot remove shoes, e.g. workmen are presented with shoe covers. Keys and wallets must be placed into the top drawer of the cupboard in the entrance hall (unless you are a guest). Shoes and coats are placed away out of sight...no hanging jackets permitted, especially not on the bannister!!
Books are allowed, but none of those £3.85 paper backs. Only hard covered, stylish looking books, or vintage looking books.
The Christmas tree is up now and we don’t have any mismatched decorations. All gold, silver or white. No tinsel, just gold ribbon threaded through diagonally. No personalised or homemade ornaments.

Some of my sons artwork has been turned into framed canvas, so it can be properly displayed, but I certainly wouldn’t tape paper up in the kitchen.

Inside the drawers and cupboards is equally neat and if you ask me where something is I can tell you in a heartbeat.

I love living like this...but I get that others wouldn’t and think we all should just live as we are comfortable. I don’t keep my house like this to show off...I hate visitors as they tend to do things like leave their coats about and cups on the table. I live like this because I feel better in a very organised and well presented environment. I do have diagnosed ocd. But my house is not clinical. It is designed to look stylishly comfortable...not overly modern.

I loved the video of George Michael giving a guided tour of his very beautiful house back in 2004, when he went into his library full of books he said they are just for decoration and he bought them in bulk from an antiques shop and he just classed them as furniture! Very showhomey His house was beautiful (as was he).

For me, a "lived in" house has personal things such as photos, vases, sentimental ornaments or artwork around. It might have a random throw rug folded on the couch and furniture might still fit well but have been acquired over time as funds allowed, rather than being bought to match/perfectly suit the space or other items. Essentially, the fact that real people live there is not hidden but that doesn't mean there is mess everywhere. My home is neat and tidy most of the time but definitely would not be called a show home.

A show home on the other hand, I think of as immaculately presented, with items on display chosen for aesthetics rather than function. It may well look beautiful but will be fairly devoid of personal touches such as family photos. There might be a throw placed strategically on the couch but rather than something crocheted or sewed by a family member or friend, it will be chosen to perfectly co-ordinate with the colour scheme of the room.

DBML I think we are kindred spirits! I live exactly like you.

@spacepyramid, that Persimmons video makes me so depressed! The rooms are so soulless and impractical- no bedside tables? Where would you put your books and glass of water? I agree with the posters who have pointed out that rooms are deliberately under-furnished to create a misleading impression of space.

The single most important thing (okay, I may be exaggerating but not by much) when buying a house is the floorplan. Measure your actual furniture and check it against the actual size of the rooms. Because there's a ton of tricks to make you think you're getting more space than you are - like the small double beds, and not including the bedside tables and all the rest of it. Measure, measure, measure. Measure the rooms you live in now and compare them with the measurements on the floorplan.

@BitOfFun

Absolutely. If you look around a new build show home, often rooms don’t have wardrobes and don’t have things like a TV.

Showhome is a derogatory term for tidy houses, usually made by people who live in total chaos and mess as an excuse for their clutter

In the real world it's a house that has been specifically styled to sell a lifestyle to buyers or readers of magazines.