what do you do to make your MQ homely / nicer?

[RoyTucker]

Soon-to-be-DH and I will be moving into my first MQ soon (2nd marriages - he's had plenty of SFA experience so it's just me that's new to it).

I've seen the house, it's actually great in general but of course has the regulation magnolia walls, brown carpet, low-pressure shower and freezing lino on the kitchen and bathroom floors. I totally get that we will have a house that's convenvient for work and really very cheap to live in, and I'm not complaining in any way - but it would be lovely to make it a bit more "ours" - I'm used to owning my own house and decorating it in just the way I wanted and investing in the fixtures and fittings.

Any tips please?! Do you bother painting the walls when you know you'll be there 18 months - 2 years? Do you put up shelves and generally try to improve the place, or just go with furnishings as the way forward? Have you ever put down new kitchen / bathroom flooring on top of the lino? And has anyone ever managed to make the shower more powerful?!

Thank you! Am quite nervous about this as it's a massive lifestyle shift for me and DC!

Lamps. Lots and lots of lamps. If you can get them in warm colours so much the better...something about having low lighting which is available in different corners is just so homely.

Fresh flowers and plants...a nice rug...some large prints in big frames. I wouldn't paint magnolia walls as they make a good, plain backdrop for lovely art on the walls. The lamps warm the walls up if you have red/pink shades.

Lamps, pictures and rugs.

We have a lot of cushions, I keep a while box full of different "sets" and rotate them when we move. Also yes to lamps and rugs.

We've never bothered to try and do anything to the floors, as you wouldn't be able to use it again in other houses, and also I've never found the kitchen/bathroom floor to be that bad.

We do paint, as it's quite easy/cheap to do and does make a big difference. I don't do every room though, usually just the lounge. I have friends who have had great results with feature wallpaper too (you can soak it off with washing up liquid and hot water iirc) but I can't hang wallpaper so have never bothered.

Knowing we won't be staying long we don't tend to do much to the actual house, the showers are a lost cause, but having our own finishing touches makes a huge difference. I'd also recommend getting pictures on the walls asap, or you'll never get round to it and they make a huge difference to the cold magnolia!

Good luck with it - and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Thank you all for the advice, really appreciated!

Get some of your own curtains for a few rooms if you can. They usually fit somewhere again at some point. I have a box of curtains that move with us.

I have a thing about loo seats so always swap with a new one. Also new shower curtain. I have a duck board and bath mat in the bathroom but wear slippers in the kitchen. I keep all the mq issue stuff I change in a box then just freshen up and put back ready for March out.

As others have said lamps and lighting. You may need to invest in a supply of extension sockets depending how modern your house is. Older quarters have fewer sockets.

If doors allow we use those over door hooks and rails for towels in the bathroom (if you don't find the issue rails enough) dressing gowns Tec on the back of bedroom doors. Saves filling in and painting when you move.

There's military wife near me who makes lampshades. Or recycles your old ones. She posts it. Makes huge difference in magnolia room:-) specially if you have loads of lamps like we do.

soft furnishings are your friends!!

rugs
curtains
cushions
lamps
Throws

One friend hangs impressive large canvas pictures up to beak up the magnolia.

I have developed and a highly developed sense of selective seeing can't see hideous green carpet at all

Agree with other pp curtains and soft furnishings and lots of photos.

Best wishes for your forth coming wedding.

We put up shelves and pictures but we don't paint. I put colour in with soft furnishings, the thought of painting it back again at the end is just too daunting for me! And yes to extension cables, we have lots as there arent enough sockets and the ones we have are in the wrong places!

Hope you settle quickly

Do what you want as long as you put it back before you March out. I've lived in married quarters for 14 years now and I've put up wallpaper to laying a patio before now. They actually kept my patio because it was so good. The house I'm in now is our house for the next 8 years at least so I will probably put wallpaper up again and I've already bought patio slabs ready to be laid on a sunny weekend. My daughters room has been painted already.
My friends husband has made a built in fish tank which takes up a whole wall it's all built in to it and absolutely amazing. He's going to make us one too.
Like I said as long as you put it back how it was no one seems to mind, unless you knock a wall down then yeah I think they'll mind.
Good luck and have fun.