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AIBU?

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Original poster

To say I’m not copying my Friend!

79 replies

Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 16:09

My friend bought a new house a couple of years ago and has been renovating it - she is doing an amazing job.

I have been in my house for over ten years now and have decided to move. It’s a bit dated so I am doing some renovations before I put it on the market.

The redecorating isn’t exactly my taste - I have gone less quirky then I would normally go. It’s a white gloss kitchen, And large concrete style floors Tile. I am replacing all the carpets with pale grey and painting my more colourful rooms either pale grey or white.

My own style will resurface in my new house. But this looks clean and modern and won’t offend anyone.

I sent some pictures to my friends no asked about progress, and my friend said ‘ohh, all looks very familiar, I suppose I should be flattered’.

We then met for a socially distanced walk and one lady was saying how well my house looked, and the other friend Said ‘I wish I hadn’t invited you round to see mine now, they are almost identical, even down to the navy art’

I laughed and said it was a fairly standard style - and she claimed the concert style floors where fairly unique and she spent ages researching them???

WTF. I was worried my house now looked too generic and a bit boring (which I of course didn’t say).

I am pretty sure I am right, but should I just let this go. I know she has been telling people I am copying her interior😂😂😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 18:07

@BMW6

Cross posted with you OP

I have absolutely no grey anywhere in our home. I am hideously unfashionable but looking on the bright side I have zero fucks to give Grin

I don’t think it is unfashionable at all they have no grey!

I am just redecorating my new home in my mind. Lots of light, bright rooms. Kitchen will probably be white, but debating between white or pale grey Worktops. I don’t like cream or brown.

Carpets probably light beige, with colourful tiles in the hall. I suspect grey will appear somewhere - but so will a lot of colours😊

OP posts:
Original poster
Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 18:09

@WhatWouldJKRDo

OP, I liked the tiles.
Thank you😊

Not my normal style, but I think they work

OP posts:
pigsDOfly · 10/10/2020 18:18

I don't mind the tiles, but a white gloss kitchen would be the first thing I would rip out if I bought a house that had one.

I've never understood the idea of spending a huge amount of money on something I'm about to move out of.

Don't most people want to decorate their new home in their own style rather than keeping what the previous person liked?

Snoringferret · 10/10/2020 18:18

I got my living room painted this week and the man says he hasn't painted anything grey in months.

Carycy · 10/10/2020 18:18

I have grey in some rooms but warmer greys, mixed with plaids, creams, greens etc. With muted and warmer tones I think it can still look nice and feel cozy.

I think it’s the Mrs hinch style grey that everyone detests now. Cool greys, silvers and white. All
Next home type furnishings and sparkly bits.

I would also keep grey to stuff that’s easily replaced like paint and furnishings now. I wouldn’t use grey in kitchen doors or bathroom tiles for instance. Maybe the floor tiles .

BestIsWest · 10/10/2020 18:25

I can’t get past paying £52 per Sq metre to tile floors in a house you’re moving from.

BestIsWest · 10/10/2020 18:25

I do like the tiles though.

MushMonster · 10/10/2020 18:27

Meh I could not sweat this one. Though your friend does like to flatter herself indeed!
Good luck with the sale.

Longwhiskers14 · 10/10/2020 18:27

Isn't pink the new grey now?

pastandpresent · 10/10/2020 18:28

Just agree with her and say you really loved her house and thought it would help sell the house quick since it's so stylish?

It's not your style, you will move anyway, so there's no harm saying you indeed copied it because you loved it so much. Grin

tearstainedbakes · 10/10/2020 18:28

My son has grey in his room because he saw his older brother's house which is a new build, hyper trendy house in various shades of grey and was desperate to copy.

Other rooms in our house are white, teal, green (at the moment but it will change).

I had a vision for our bedroom of a lovely white bedroom with minimal wood furniture and lots of plants. Bloody DH insisted on grey furniture and I'm always disappointed when I see them.

Redcups64 · 10/10/2020 18:33

I had a friend do this to me! I still look back at it and smile, she is a hopeless sap bless her, accused me of copying her kitchen when they were not alike one bit and the honest truth is we both know I’m the interior decorator out of the two of us...trying to claim it as her own.....it was so cringey! She’s a nice person though but it was very obvious I wasn’t doing that and I’m more forward than her in interiors as that’s my thing. (She is way more forward in style and makeup, so that’s like me saying she’s copying my lip balm that I buy from the pound shop when In fact she Has been wearing lip balm since she was 8 probably ) 😂

Original poster
Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 18:47

@BestIsWest

I can’t get past paying £52 per Sq metre to tile floors in a house you’re moving from.
They weren’t the exact tiles. I got them much cheaper from a local supplier.

My broken and chipped terracotta tiles were awful. Made the space look dated and unloved.

I honestly do know some people object to me redecorating my house to sell, but no one on here knows the market, or my my house😂.

OP posts:
BestIsWest · 10/10/2020 18:52

There is a lot to be said for what you’re doing OP.

HermioneKipper · 10/10/2020 18:57

@Ideasplease322

Taking this slightly off subject, but hey it’s my thread!

For all of you who hate hate hate grey (I actually don’t mind a bit of it), do you have nothing grey at all?

I am looking at a house I absolutely love the decor of, it has lovely pops of colour throughout and is really stylish without being on trend. But look closely and the kitchen is very pale grey, the downstairs loo is painted pale grey and the sofa is dove grey. There is a grey rug which looks amazing on the wooden floor. The dove grey sofa is gorgeous against pale pink walls.

Do you all honestly have nothing at all that is the colour grey in your homes?

Oooh this sounds nice @Ideasplease322 Love a pink wall. Can you post the link so I can have a nose too?!
Original poster
Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 19:01

@pigsDOfly

I don't mind the tiles, but a white gloss kitchen would be the first thing I would rip out if I bought a house that had one.

I've never understood the idea of spending a huge amount of money on something I'm about to move out of.

Don't most people want to decorate their new home in their own style rather than keeping what the previous person liked?

My parents are property developers and have found a lot of people want a house that is ‘done’.

Ripping out a kitchen is the last thing lots of people want to do. Many will pay a premium for a house they move their furniture into.

The white gloss suits the style and price bracket of my city home. I have spent a few hundred on new doors, a neW sink and new worktops.

A wooden kitchen would look wrong in the house. And I think it’s fairly inoffensive. But i agree it won’t be to everyone’s taste.

OP posts:
HermioneKipper · 10/10/2020 19:06

Oh and meant to say YANBU! I second what someone said earlier about sending her the Pinterest links and seem outraged about all these other folk copying you both!

Tinty · 10/10/2020 19:11

Tell her you decorated the house like that because you were hoping she would buy it Grin

Florencex · 10/10/2020 19:17

I can understand repainting rooms in loud colours with something more neutral. But I think it is really odd that you would re carpet and re tile a house that you are planning to sell. So she probably thinks you are doing it for you and have copied her

Original poster
Ideasplease322 · 10/10/2020 19:24

@Florencex

I can understand repainting rooms in loud colours with something more neutral. But I think it is really odd that you would re carpet and re tile a house that you are planning to sell. So she probably thinks you are doing it for you and have copied her
Okay I give up😂😂. I have explained over and over again why I am redecorating my house, it’s to make more money in the sale. I don’t think it’s odd at all.

My friend actually understands this. My parents are property developers And have made good profits in my area selling houses at a certain standard. There is a strong market for houses that are renovated - and very few new builds.

I am confident and satisfied that what I am doing makes financial sense. It isn’t at all odd in my experience, and not everyone approaches real estate in the same way. For me selling my house is about cold, hard cash😂😂.

I’m really not going to explain it any more.

OP posts:
MsTSwift · 10/10/2020 19:29

It’s like baby name threads and the op is outraged that an acquaintance has stolen the name and then it’s something like Jack or Eve that every other child is called anyway

MrsRobinsonsHandprints · 10/10/2020 19:29

No I do not have grey. Grey may have been stylish once but as soon as it becomes mainstream is time to stop. Think brown in the 70's, pink purple and neon in the 80's, terracotta in the 90's, Mediterranean kitchens in the 00's . Bit like curly fries and panni all dateable, the 10's are grey. They will date.

Poppyismyfavourite · 10/10/2020 19:56

@Ideasplease322

Taking this slightly off subject, but hey it’s my thread!

For all of you who hate hate hate grey (I actually don’t mind a bit of it), do you have nothing grey at all?

I am looking at a house I absolutely love the decor of, it has lovely pops of colour throughout and is really stylish without being on trend. But look closely and the kitchen is very pale grey, the downstairs loo is painted pale grey and the sofa is dove grey. There is a grey rug which looks amazing on the wooden floor. The dove grey sofa is gorgeous against pale pink walls.

Do you all honestly have nothing at all that is the colour grey in your homes?

I have a bit of grey - a grey wallpaper with white pattern in the living room, and a grey sofa in a different room. The stairs carpet is also grey, but planning to get rid of that soon!

A bit of grey per se isn't that bad imo, if you like strong colours it can be good to tone them down with neutral colours, it's when rooms are entirely grey and therefore look like a black and white photo!

Carycy · 10/10/2020 20:06

Mediterranean kitchen in the naughtiest?! What were they? Missed them. I remember the naughtiest for feature walls and shabby chic.

BuddyRun · 10/10/2020 20:52

This isn't what you asked but DH and I just bought a house. About 50% of the houses we bought had brand new grey carpets that are fucking disgusting. I don't know anyone who likes them. People only put them in if they're selling or letting their house. They're seriously horrible and it put us off properties because we knew we would be expected to pay more to cover the cost of the brand new carpets that we would instantly remove.
Why do people think everyone except them likes grey carpets?!