To think a lot of homes are “soulless” and all people care about is size?

[Spicegirl1234]

I love homes that are full of personality, stuff picked up around the world in trips, fleamarket finds, family objects, homes that are not perfect but keep your eyes “busy” when looking and fully reflect the life of people that live within them and make you feel warm when you go in.
I very rarely come across such homes, the majority of the ones I see (in RL and online) tend to be very boring with no personality whatsoever and people mainly seem to be focussed on buying the biggest possible places with their money and then upgrading/extending etc rather than enjoying what they have and make it “theirs”.
Does anyone else feel this way about home decor?

I feel sorry for whoever has to clear out my house when I die. I do have stuff, not clutter but stuff I don't think anyone else would want. We're all different.

I couldn't live in neutrals just as others would hate all my colours.

I'm with you on this Op. I work with someone who has a home without a single photograph of anyone, plenty of popular/trendy ornaments and throw cushions placed perfectly but nothing that could tell you it was their house. There is a wrought iron "live laugh love" sign on their staircase so it's a start I guess, sort of.

I know what you mean OP, so many houses you see appear to be lifted directly out of the pages of an Ikea or Next magazine. Grey, more grey, bit of crushed velvet. No personality, tell you nothing about the people who live here.

Our house is a bit more eclectic, we do have stuff from Ikea and Next but it's mixed in with charity shop finds/artwork, older furniture, upcycled things. We like it and i'm not an "influencer" so that's all that matters. Size is different though.

I don’t have imagination or confidence when it comes to interiors because I can never make up my mind what style I want in a home, so it’s pretty basic (normal furniture, a few pictures, a few plants) it doesn’t tell any kind of story. When I was growing up no one was treating their home as a style statement, that started in the 80s with the makeover shows.

Everyone I know just has a normal house not in any particular style.

I’m with you Op. and I live in a country where it’s far worse. They only like big, modern and beige 😟

I hate clutter. It’s not relaxing at all. But everything in our home is personal - prints, art and photos from trips we’ve taken or places we’ve visited. You wouldn’t know that if you don’t know me though.

I wish I’d bought a bigger house rather than a house which felt ‘right’. I have no space to organise and now need to radically declutter, which means getting rid of many of the things I have carefully collected over the years and love.

The two points of your argument seem completely unconnected.

Where you see soul I see clutter. Clutter stresses me out. I can relax in a house without clutter. That's where I feel at home.

Horses for courses.

I love maximalist spaces filled with colour, interesting things and works in progress like arts and crafts. Not everybody does obviously. Like the OP I do find minimalist style homes deadly dull but I don't have to live in them so that is OK.

Full of shit and clutter everywhere is horrid, reminds me of my childhood home, basic is so much better, couldn’t live like that again.

@BunnyLake there is nothing wrong with that

Whenever new builds are being discussed people here always always always describe them as soulless boxes. You get several people all using that exact phrase. It's very funny.

I agree OP, there are a lot of soulless houses. I like a house to be a home, not a showplace which is constantly being updated to fit the latest trend.

I know this is off topic but I also have had dreams like this since childhood and other than my dad have never come across anyone else that has them!
On the topic of decor, my house is very minimal as I too get overwhelmed with clutter and bright colours. My children male enough mess with their toys etc.. without adding knick-knacks into the mix!

Same here. My house is homely looking though, not soulless. Just not full of dusty clutter.

I'm also with the OP.
I don't take her post as being judgemental, I mean, she's posting her thoughts anonymously isn't she?, and I doubt very much she'd say how she feels about this in RL.
OP didn't say she likes clutter at all, but posters have piled on implying she has.
A few ornaments and sentimental things scattered around a home does not automatically point to having 'loads of clutter'.

I get where you're coming from OP, you like to see a home which doesn't look like a clinical doctor's waiting roomi imagine, for example, and I also like my home to have my own individual 'stamp' on it.
Btw, my home isn't cluttered either, but it does have soul, I think anyway!

I would hate a home that kept my eyes busy, minimal is what makes my home comfy to me, it’s not boring to me. I bought the biggest house I could afford, it was my first on the ladder and I see myself living here for most of my working life, so I want the ability to change room usage etc and have enough room.

Do many people actually do this? Where are you supposed to keep all the winter, spring, summer stuff, once you’ve bought the autumn stuff? TBH we have quite good loft space but I just couldn’t be arsed with ‘seasonal swops’. Same old cushions and throws all year here.

If you’re looking online it’s stuff like Pinterest or I assume right-move, they are for photos with a specific slant. My friends house is online currently, she declutterred for the photos. She had loads of stuff but removed it.

Everyone has a different idea, I hate clutter but I do have a few things out.

Counting up in main downstairs living areas.
5 framed photos, 10 small objects such an an old Denby jug, small bottle of seashells, a tile plaque we bought on holiday of seashells, three little mice on a never ending chase of each other.

Ugh. I hate clutter. Makes me feel claustrophobic.Never set foot in a flea market or intend to.

l like contemporary and minimalist. I do not like tatty ornaments or bits of crap. The dust apart from anything else. I only feel calm if l see lots of empty space. I like plants though.

I'd like to find a balance between the two!

Our home has lots of personal paintings / objects that we have brought back from travels or have been done by friends and family. I love it but I would also like to be more minimalist with the crap we also have.

I agree with the OP but it will touch a nerve with some people, because a home with interesting paintings and wall hangings from travels is usually a sign of a privileged life. I have spent far more than I dare think about on travel and books because it’s how I’ve chosen to live my life. But if I was doing it again today as a young person, I’d be too debt burdened by student loans and the cost of housing etc to afford it all. And my books would be on a tablet…

Another consideration is that it takes design confidence and either a healthy budget, and or a real interest in stuff like furniture restoration if you want a home to look amazing but not generic. Life is busy for most people. They are not that interested in interior design and just need a comfortable, functional space, without clutter that their toddler will disturb.

Same here. I think it looks tacky and untidy having loads of bits and bobs out. So there we go, everyone likes to decorate their home differently and it's nobody else's business!

What you are describing to me OP sounds like tat and clutter. I much prefer minimalism.

Interesting stuff doesn't just have to come from travels though, it's having the confidence to pickup artwork in a charity shop or at auction rather than in the artwork section of B&M or Next.