What small things have made you like your house more?

[Cinnamonandclove]

I’ve been in my house for 18 months now and I’m just not that happy with it. Everything is dated/in poor condition and the layout isn’t what I’d like. Added to that I’ve realised I’m not that keen on the area. However moving is not an option at the moment nor are major changes like replacing the kitchen/bathroom or changing the layout.

So can I ask what relatively small things have you done that have made living in your house more enjoyable? All suggestions very welcome!

Met my immediate neighbours and said hi, it made me feel a lot better about living here.

Added a few lamps and blankets in the living room and just generally made it cosier.

plants, fairy lights, fluffy blankets and a scented candle

Good question. We bought a wreck in a giant jungly garden, have knocked down part of the house and rebuilt it, and are paused after one (hellish) stage of restoration before pushing ahead with another, but the reality for now is that we are living in a draughty, awkwardly-laid out house with a garden which is mostly building site.

So I hear you on small changes. Lighting is crucial for me lamps, good reading lights etc. Also having things that smell nice I buy inexpensive flowers, and have a lot of plants in the house. I grow eucalyptus in a pot outdoors, and cut it and bring it in it smells wonderful.) Having a real fire on cold evenings. Painting rooms has also made a big difference to the 'feel' I like strong colours.

Sorry -- can't edit to remove accidental strike-throughs!

That only works if your neighbours are nice -- our closest ones are awful...)

One thing I did was slowly swap out plastic items with wood/metal/glass etc. it made things more pleasing to look at and touch. Things like the washing up brush, shower gel and soap (I decant), colander, tray, storage boxes etc. Also, we had a big clear out and I feel much calmer now we have less stuff.

Put some shelves up with some really beautiful objects on? Scaffold boards look really good and are pretty cheap

Paint.

Storage for me has made a big difference. My house is quite quirky with no proper storage but spotting where I can put shelves etc or cupboards has helped as the house looks nicer without all the kids (and my) crap on display! Having a place for everything has just made it a more pleasant place to be I guess and taken some daily stress away.

I got some lovely IKEA units second hand for various rooms that look great, plus an old painted Welsh dresser for £70 that gave the house some warmth and character. It gives me such pleasure.

Agree blankets, candles etc help - and I have a vvvvv old doggy sofa but got some lovely scatter cushions half price from Dunelm that glam it up a little and give the room some personality too.

Focus on your bedroom and one other living space e.g. kitchen or living room.

Bright paint, and new cushions and blankets etc as others have mentioned. Also curtains. Couple of cheap prints in nice frames. Lamps and also dimmer switches. Plants and scented candles. Change door handles and drawer knobs.

If the kitchen layout isn’t good or storage is limited, invest in good storage solutions so it’s less cluttered. Bathroom wise, if you can’t change big things what about small things like bath mats and shower curtains (and again plants), and then get some nice products so that you look forward to being in there.

Sorry to hear that you have revolting neighbours, OP. Everything you have said about your house suggests to me that you should start planning to sell up and move - sorry, but I am a past victim of the most vile neighbours and it never gets better.

Make yourself one spot you really love. I've got a really comfy armchair in one corner of my bedroom and a lamp and it's a great spot to curl up and read. I don't care so much that the rest of the house is a tip.

Mine were to paint and organize. Bringing in all our things and figuring out how to jigsaw them in a way that works helped distract from all the rubbish things. So seeing how we’ve made the kitchen storage work means I’m pleased with myself for being able to do it,and it’s aesthetically better, and so I don’t look at it and remember how awful it is and how we missed how awful it is before we bought it.

Keep the radio on or Spotify etc around the house to give it a bit of a feel of 'life' - keep it warm and cosy if you can- candles in evening tend to hide the fact it's a bit grim- in fact good lighting in general does and put up on display things that give you joy likes photo collage, fridge magnets , nice photos and pictures and vases etc- use nice cushion and cheap but funky rugs

These are all good suggestions - thank you. We have painted some rooms but not the living room or our bedroom yet and those will make a difference I think. Storage and shelves are also a good shout - we definitely could do with more. I think a nice rug in the living room would help too. And I like the suggestion of lighting/dimmer switches.

Nice curtains and blinds. We added a beam over the fireplace which made it look so much better. Also bought nice shelving in a wood tone that matched the floorboards. Worked with/ accepted the old imperfections of the house rather than against them.

On the outside, a hanging basket and window boxes draw my eye every time I go out or get home, and I really enjoy that.

Clean each room until it gleams. Every window, bit of paintwork, tile. Treat it as if you love it.

Best tip: create focal points in each room. Stand in the doorway and notice where your eyes naturally want to look as you walk into each room. Try to make that area as appealing as possible. For me that is stuff like:

Kitchen windowsill: fresh herbs growing in decorative pots

Dining table: clear, polished with a big bunch of flowers or flowering plant on it.

Sofa - all cushions plumped up and well arranged with a soft throw draped over an arm or the back of the chair. Side table within reach - clean and polished with a beautiful lamp on it, coaster for your mug, a small stack of books you want to read or notebooks if you journal, or framed photos of DC or happy times.

Dresser or sideboard - decorative china or glasses, all polished and well-arranged.

Mantelpiece: clusters of candles, sometimes flowering plants or photographs, a couple of interesting bits of art if they mean something to you. I'd rather have a clunky pot or painting made by DC framed and on display than a generic Live Laugh Love poster.

Bedroom: Clean fresh bedding, soft throw at the base of the bed. No cushions - they only get chucked on the floor when you sleep. Bedside table with warm glow lamp, good book, pretty water glass.

Play around with these focal points and tweak them until you can stand in each doorway in your house, and your eye is drawn to an artfully arranged area that gives you pleasure, invites you to spend time there and means something to you.

Lovely curtains. I had the same drab white-ish/cream washed out curtains up in my bedroom for 17 years, spotted some duck egg blue ones covered in birds and flowers in Dunelm the other week, totally chintzy and not my usual style, fully expecting to return them.....and I bloody love them! They look amazing up, and the room looks a hundred times better. The next improvement will be getting dh to live somewhere else and the full revamp will commence. I feel like it was a tiny symbolic step towards moving forwards getting these curtains....

Paint, in the colours I like, storage, rugs and lamps, just as other people have said.

Getting the heating sorted and including an open fire, or stove where flames are visible. Sitting by the warm glow helps me to feel at home.

Building up the garden walls and adding a good high pair of gates did it for me. the ostensible reason was to contain the dogs but it also enhanced privacy and defined our territory, which might be helpful for ghastly neighbours. In my case, it’s because I'm an antisocial old bat.

Made my bedroom nice, good bedding, nice candles so i end and start the day in a place I love.
Minimalism or at least a huge declutter makes cleaning and decorating easier.
I prefer focusing on one area to finish rather than everywhere a project.

Painting the main rooms.

Change dated light fittings to nicer ones. They don't have to be expensive.

Flooring really sets the feel of a room so get rid of, or cover up any stained carpets. Save up to replace flooring with something you really like if it's a problem.

I'm in a similar position OP. For me, the cheapest but biggest difference was taking up all the old carpets. I can't afford new ones yet, but I'm so much happier with the bare floorboards than someone else's old carpets.

Painting if you've the time and motivation. If you do rooms in white, then you can just slap it onto all the walls and ceilings without worrying about cutting in properly. I did my hallway myself in white to keep it easy, and walking into a brighter hallway when I arrived home helps. Living room I did in a really deep colour and to make it very different to how it was.

Otherwise, like others have said, lamps, throws, wax burners... And make your bedroom as nice and clutter free and welcoming as you possibly can.