Why are so many houses so similar?

[PoorOldCat]

I get updates from rightmove every day and I think about 90% of the houses have really similar interiors.

Everyone seems to have laminate floor, brown leather sofas, the ubiquitous 'feature wall' in some awful oversized floral pattern, steel and black framed things and huge tellys. And the kitchens and bathrooms all seem to be the P shaped shower bath and the varying shades of beige tiles.

I don't understand why, it's like looking at a display in B&Q over and over again. It's so ugly. But most of all it's so dull.

Do people like this stuff or is it just fashion, which no one really likes aside from the fact it makes your house look identical to other people's?

Finding a house to be proper nosey at, that has some sort of identity of its own is hard work.

I'm not sure what I'm trying to do or why it pisses me off so much, and I certainly don't want to offend anyone who does like their house this way...all the agents seem to say these are beautifully presented and will be very popular, so maybe it is just me who hates it, in which case, I'll take the flack

But why is it so popular to have your house like this? Because I just don't understand.

Can I throw in a rant about Kevin McCloud. On Grand Designs he used to feature beautiful, individual homes. Now every house is an assortment of white boxes with acres of glass. It doesn't matter where it is located, it's the same open-plan blandness every time which he raves about.
I've lost all respect for his architectural viewpoint.

I'm a closet fan of Homes Under The Hammer and they all seem to go for the blandest looks possible, which I guess is ok if they're aiming for the rental market. What I really hate though are the wall mounted, metal surround fireplaces they often seem to fit, replacing perfectly good originals. Urgh! Why?

I think that's the problem. Houses used to be places where we lived the way we wanted, that were (as a by-product) an expression of our lives. Now they are investments, decorated to other people's taste (the rental market, the next purchaser) to be as 'inoffensive' as possible.
A friend has a wicked name for this sort of decor: dentist's waiting room.

Now I'm worried that my colourful black/white/red/orange living room sounds like a circus to everyone! It's not. It's actually quite minimalist - white walls, black sofas, red cow hide rug, sixties white dining table, two clear transparent chairs, two orange transparent chairs, yellow, red and orange vases and a damn gorgeous drawer unit where the chunky drawers are different colours with a black surround. It's probably not restful but it's quite simple.

I don't mind pastels and I love teal - toyed with a teal wall in the kitchen instead of peacock blue but the stronger blue went better with the grey and silver I have in there. I don't think my furniture goes with pastels on the whole.

I'm having a bit of grey love at the moment. I painted my hall a dark bluey grey and bought a pale grey for the living room to replace the white. Suddenly there's a world of greys and I'm rather enchanted with them all. There's a dark purpley grey I covet but have no idea where I'd put it. I need one of those dramatic period homes with huge ceilings.

Surely it depends on whether you buy it as an investment a step on the ladder or a home to live in and grow old in?

We bought our 1950s house 10 years ago from DHs grandparents who had lived in it for 40plus years. It was all swirly pub carpets orange and brown wallpaper, bamboo arches and eeny windows masking the great views.

We saved and waited 4 years and then modernised it. I always thought I'd live in a Victorian house, period features yada yada but that's not what we ended up with. It was for us a question of making it ours (we don't intend moving ) and making it useful and workable for our family life. We extended refurbished redesigned and DH has over the past 5 years made a lot of the fittings, MDF desks, hall storage thingy, bookcases that actually fit, sideboard thing that fits the length of the living area, so it works. We reused all the elm that was on the front of the house and got a local joiner to make some kitchen cupboard fronts, a big kitchen table and a coffee table which we designed. So we have some history from how it was, but there is no faux period stuff which I despise.

But it's definitely modern, it's our taste but no doubt will date. We have the ubiquitous glass floor to ceiling stuff as we have great views and it's the way to maximise them. But lots of other places have them, too. Heyho, it works for us.

We have some grey, interestingly when we did it 5 years ago, grey was hard to find. It's everywhere now. It's fashion innit?

The only thing we stick by really is that we wouldn't spend a lot of money on anything we are likely to want to update in the future, eg we spent a lot of money on the floor, doors and windows but have some Ikea in the kitchen etc. We made sure the flooring went down first in the kitchen before the island was put in so we can change the layout easily in the future.

I lost respect for Kevin McCloud when every other sentence was "maintain the architectural integrity of the building". DH and I used to play architectural integrity bingo watching Grand Designs.

We've got some original features and some have gone but we didn't remove them. They were taken out probably in the 80s. We do have a horrendous tiled fireplace (the surround and mantle are tiled!!! Anyone know the decade?)

Decor has colour but to sell we'll make it blandee as want the max price, not to wait around for someone who might like our taste.

Why do you want original fire places unless you want original coal/wood fires? Don't get it myself. I will have my brown leather sofa & laminate floors for as long as I have messy kids living at home - they are hugely practical! I will not have those white tiles that seem to be the rage that remind me of the underground or public toilets!! Likewise the floral wallpapers/stripy carpets that are too 70's for my taste!

Part of the issue is the lack of choice available in the mainstream shops, for things like bathrooms, or carpets and so forth.
If you go into your local carpet shop, you can only get beige carpet or laminate - there just isn't choice. If you go into your local DIY store, then ALL the bathrooms are white - again, no choice. Yes, if you have a flair for design and lots of time and money, you can source stuff from other places, but for the average man/woman in the street, you just want to choose something functional and get it fitted, which means a trip to your local High Street / Retail park, where there is no choice.

BackForGood - exactly right IMO. I was a SAHM when we had the work done so had some time to research stuff and yes certain things I wanted were like hens teeth - grey carpets, certain sinks, the light we have above the kitchen table, the door knocker, the list is endless.

The entire kitchen design is based on one I fell in love with in a Poggenpohl brochure. Reinventing it for a fraction of the price took many many hours of research. You have to have the time and inclination to do it, lots of people I know just CBA.

I have never done a bland blank canvas box when i refurb a house. I always try and do a 'home' It is easier to sell and always worth more. Cheap flimsy make over is an insult to the buyer I always think

I'm just painting over some delightful 'Changing Rooms' style stencilling in our bathroom.

Painting it grey .

I'm sure at the time, stencilling was quite fashionable and stylish but not now.

I don't think many people nowadays tear out original doors and fireplaces, but maybe our grandchildren will again. Or our original wet rooms!

Our house was built in 1920 something. When we moved in everything was cream and probably very tasteful bland. Over the years ive added more and more colour - in a good way I think - an example is when i pulled up the hallway carpet to find the original red/patterned tiled floor underneath - so I painted the magnolia walls a rusty red to go with it. We don't have any magnolia rooms left now and if the previous owners came back they would probably cry! I love it though

"If you go into your local carpet shop, you can only get beige carpet or laminate"

That's so depressing. I want some blue carpets for two bedrooms. It's as rare as hen's teeth round here. The carpet shop owner told me that no-one wants blue.

Incidentally I like white bathroom suites. I don't think they date quite as much as the pink/avocado/yellow bathrooms that were all the rage in the 1970s.

We took out an avocado and a chocolate brown bathroom in our old house and replaced them both with white.

I find OP quite snooty, despite her added posts.
Our house has no character. No features.
Our walls are painted white. Throughout. No feature walls. Plain white. I like it. It doesn't matter if no one else does.

I love white.

So do i. White makes my stuff look good. Warm. Quirky. Coliured walls would be all too much. And i need my stuff!

Noddy, my 70s fireplace is not in the middle. The recess i mean. It' s off centrw. If i put a picture or mirror above it do i put it in the middle regardless, or on the left to balance the recess on the right.

Is this at all comprehensible??
I thought a sun mirror would be nice but they r too fashionable now so have ruled that udea out

I have to agree Bunbaker I love colour but I cannot imagine ever liking a coloured bathroom suite.

My Dad used to make bathroom suites in the late 80's early 90's, he used to bring bits and bobs home before delivering. Once he made a bright red suite for a customer, it was horrendous.

I can't wait to move into my own house. It will be boring, bland and beige. I like boring bland and beige. It suits me. It looks clean. I don't like houses that look cluttered or dirty or cobwebby. I hate 'shabby chic' sofas and tapestries. I can't stand mismatched furniture or furniture 'with character' - it looks messy and scruffy to me.

The kitchen in my new house is ace. The cupboards are cream, the floor is cream marble-ish, the worktops are pale oak. The kitchen table is pale oak. The Aga is electric blue! It looks clean, it looks light, it looks bright and I can't wait until it's mine.

My 'stuff' will give my house character. I have photos and paintings. A collection of blue glass. Books and pets. The house is just a shell I live in, it's not me.

liz does it have 2 different size recesses?

I would hate to live in a house that was carpeted, with the original kitchen and bathroom from 1940 and a mish mash of second hand furniture and with brightly coloured walls. But if others like it I don't really care as I don't have to live in their houses.
I like my (semi solid not laminate) wood floors, oak doors, Brown leather sofa and mag walls. My house is about 20 years old so no original fireplace but we have an open fire and the house has a cosy feel to it.

The bathrooms are tiled in a browny creamy tile because that's what I chose, because that's what I like.
I don't care that some people think it's boring and I wouldn't decorate my house so other people will think I'm creative if that's not me.

Some houses may not have what you call an identity but most houses have the identities of the people that live there. The point is to find a house that you like and put your own identity on it.

these are beautiful imo of course!

I think they are hideous noddy.

LtEveDallas it sounds like we have very similar taste. I grew up in the type of house you and I both dislike. I just want light, clean and airy.

Because most people have no personslity and taste. How many houses have bare walls?

The most you see is blown up cheesy wedding photos, horrid baby-in-a-studio set and if you're lucky some prints from IKEA. No art, nothing of any personality or taste. THAT'S why people's houses look bland.