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.

But how nice for them Howtobeawoman that they are displaying items they love rather than being shoved in a cupboard, how does that phrase go, if it’s not useful or beautiful......well they clearly think it’s beautiful so want it on show, it gives them pleasure and there’re is absolutely nothing wrong in that.

*there is

Interesting thread.

I have been told -off the record because of course it was nasty gossip - that both of my SILs think my house is a show house. Neither are house proud, but it hurt my feelings that they said this on the way they did. One added that it did not look like anyone lives here. Well when I have guests I clean and tidy. Make it look as nice as possible. As do most of us I think. They are always happy to come eat our lovely meals, but rarely if ever reciprocate.

The thing is, I grew up in quite bad squalor. Too many kids and not enough money. As we grew into teens it got much worse. We couldn't easily have people over without major hiding and clearing. I do believe this has given me an inability to know what is now normal. Maybe I am over the top. I can no longer tell.

I admire every house I go to. See things I love and could imagine in my home, and always feel it is nicer than mine. I totally don't know. It is odd. Does anyone else have this?

Oh certainly- every time I see the cute room sets in Ikea, I feel like going home and dynamiting the lot . That said, I generally love my home.

I once heard on television of someone who actually bought the show house when the estate was completed. The think is they asked if they could but all the contents too. Weird.

thing is

buy

Excuse mishtakes.

Maybe they had no furniture to bring with them, you don’t know the back story of these strangers you have heard of, obviously they liked it so it’s really not weird to buy something you like.

Obviously that could be the case but it’s unlikely. You are imagining a scenario.

I have a friend whose house is like this - everything pristine, all pale colours, everything new, or at least looking like new. Everything carefully chosen and placed, no clutter of daily-life 'stuff' anywhere to be seen.

Funnily enough she doesn't make you feel at all uncomfortable though. I've known her for many years - she's always been the same.
Should add that she's single and never had any kids!! But I think she'd be much the same even if she had - some people are naturally hyper-clean and tidy.
Alas I have never been one of them.

I think you you are the one doing the imagining regarding people you don’t know, or have met, as weird for buying some furniture they like.

Show homes on estates get bought before they are finished with them. Builders pay the owner a rent per month. In return they do all the maintenance and once estate is done they get house and all the contents included. Usually they continue to rent it out as a furnished property

Why would anyone buy all the furniture and accoutrements, down to the very knives and forks, a house building company used in a show house on a building site?

Wouldn’t you have any independent taste in interiors yourself?

A colleague has a flat that would be considered a typical show home, everything is white and absolutely pristine. He became a dad almost two weeks ago and two carpets are already ruined!

@astralweaks because either they get a good deal as the showhome is usually one of the first built and people don't have any imagination so prefer it done for them

The show houses in my development that were sold with all the furnishings definitely weren't a good deal, they added $$$ to the sale price. But they got paid over $3000 a month for the developers to rent it back from them. I suppose they could make money as well by selling any of the included furniture that they dont want.

A show home is a house that has specifically had all "territory markings" removed from it, so all you see is what is left (which will be brand new because the house itself is brand new).

So nothing at all that might make you feel as if you are intruding into someone else's personal living space, as that might put you off buying. As people say - generic colour-coordinated vases OK, gas bills/glasses/holiday photos/knitting, not OK