Is this what 99% of mumsnetters homes look like

[Damaged27]

After all these interior design threads this is what I'm imagining everyone on mumsnets homes look like. Just curious if I'm way off because iv never been in a home like this. Maybe if the person is in their 80s. Do people really have bookshelves?

no room here for bookshelves but a big stack of books next to my side of the bed and no my house isnt as posh as the pictures in OP

ah get off - 1970's single parent family, Merseyside - we had book cases in the living room and the dining room - which doubled as a study - my mum was a student

I'd love a white gloss kitchen and if I had my druthers I'd find a way to eliminate the orange ('golden oak') from the wood floors and do a pale grey paintwash and seal them, but I rent.

Not keen on vertical blinds, and I'm not minimalistic, to put it mildly.

One what?

No, I don't like e-readers. They're nothing like an actual book and yes, they do run out of battery.

And yes, I do find houses without books odd. Maybe it was normal to me when growing up to have houses with books everywhere - our house was like that and so were those of most people I knew.

I can't imagine a life without reading whereas you say you barely read. I imagine being in a book club or doing a reading challenge would be a nightmare for you.

You can like reading without collecting books, though. I have very few physical books - I do all my reading on Kindle. Last time I did a reading challenge I got through over 1,000 books in the year.

A book club would be a challenge, though. I don’t find dissecting the meaning of books with other people enjoyable.

DH and I have already discussed turning a bedroom into a library when DC leave home. We don't have rooms like in the original pics but we have bookcases in every room and I have my book nook at the end of our hallway with two tall packed bookcases and an Ikea Poang chair and footstool.

That's why I said no one I know

Why are you in my house 😳😂

I have shelves with books on them, yes. Where else should I put my books?

No and I'm glad it doesn't, that looks extremely cluttered in my opinion. I don't have any hard copy books, much prefer kindle. DH has a few in his study and the DCs have books but we pass them on regularly and also use the library more than buying them.

I grew up in Lancashire in the 1980s.

We had a spare bedroom/study with bookshelves in it. My mum reads avidly and is a member of several book groups and friends of the local library. She left school at 16 to earn a wage.

It's not about the area. It's about whether the family is a reading family.

Plenty of families down south where I live now without many books.

One in five kids (age 5-8) do not have a book of their own.

Realistically they are very likely to be in completely bookless households.

So yes, quite a few people don't have bookshelves. Or any books.

www.bookmarkreading.org/blog/2022/9/20/one-in-five-children-dont-have-a-book-of-their-own-at-home#:~:text=The%20report%20revealed%20that%201,valuable%20practice%20can%20take%20place.

I’m a big reader but I read and then donate / take back to library. I don’t ever re-read anything. So we don’t have book shelves, as we don’t have many books. The ones we do have are in a cupboard. The fewer places I have to dust the better really.

DS is 4 and he has tonnes of books in his room however, because he loves us to read them over and over, and new things too. I’m hoping this continues. So I’m not against bookshelves, we just don’t have them at the moment!

DH doesn’t read as he finds it hard, so he’s learning at the same time as DS!

We don’t really have books as we’re quite minimalist and the idea of just having them sit around requiring dusting fills me with dread.

Husband & I both have bookcases in our respective studies. His is covered in Lego models and no books. I have photos and a handful of reference books I like. If I read it’s Kindle or Audible. Our toddler has a bookshelf in her room and in the living room. We read about 5 books to her a day. Currently it’s Dear Zoo on repeat.

Husband's parents have so many books they needed to get their floor reinforced. Truthfully I don’t understand why you’d have so many. He hasn’t read a single book in the 15 years we’ve been together so it certainly didn’t rub off on him & despite this both of us were extremely academically successful.

You read 1000 books in year?!
jesus my best year was 87 books and I thought that was good.
downstairs in our house there are no books to be seen, I read mainly on a kindle and got rid of all my books except about 100 favourites which are kept upstairs

Reading runs in families. If your parents read you’re more likely to read, regardless of class or income.

Thank you! The brand is called Nolte... Lots of online stockists have them. Don't got to furniture shops for them as it's like double the price!! Get googling! X

They do loads of similar designs.

We also found another brand weiman - same stuff but much cheaper (bit bitter that I didn't find them first 😂😂) x

Yes, we have books and I absolutely love my books and for me they are my most important possession, much more than my mouldy clothes. I have arts and crafts materials, toys and games

I don't think @TheVeryThing is agin books.

More ostentatious book-horders.

More ostentatious book-horders.

The judgement seems to running both ways.

I have all of that to the extent that I can store it, do have plants and do have colour also everywhere. Me and husband seemingly loved colour on walls, coloured sofa and few other things - it does not have to fit a certain type picture but yes

I’m an exceptionally quick reader and normally get through 300 - 500 books in a year. I wanted to see if it was possible to do 1,000. Wouldn’t do that again, as having the target made it into more of a chore than enjoyment.

I live in a little council flat painted brought colours, full of charity shop furniture, and five bookshelves full of books (and some DVDs)
There's more books in the wardrobe.
Living room is mostly toys and books and the sewing machine.
Not fancy, not new, not tidy!

Thankyou il have a look 🥰

If you're reading more than two books a day I'm not sure you're doing much dissecting at all.

Are they Ladybird books?