What is your favourite thing you have in your home to make your life easier?

[EconomyClassRockstar]

We are doing some work on our home and I was thinking about things I would never change about it, apart from the obvious (period features, etc). My absolute #1 would be the laundry chute from the main family bathroom to the laundry room in the basement. I LOVE that so much. It just occurred to me that you all have equally cool, quirky stuff and I want to know about it while I have the builders in doing all the work!

My house is half medieval, half Victorian. The medieval areas give me joy but the Victorian part is so practical. So the bits that make life easier are 19th century. First, a full height, dry cellar means we never run out of space, can store all manner of stuff there. Second, a north facing former diary off the kitchen, now used as a pantry. It has slate counters so always cool even in summer. And lots of shelves & hanging hooks in the ceiling...
Boy oh boy, I'd love a laundry chute though!

It’s not cool or quirky but extra plug sockets. Our house desperately needed to be rewired when we bought it and we took the opportunity to put extra plug sockets in every room - it’s brilliant 😁

Husband.
Dishwasher
Utility room with tumble drier.

My wood burner. It heats the house, looks amazing and adds an ambiance to the house that you cannot beat

I despise grating cheese but feel pre-grated is daylight robbery. I’ve asked for an electric cheese grater for Christmas. It will make me insanely happy every time I use it.

I bought a house with tiled floors throughout downstairs. I really wasn't keen and thought I'd carpet or put rugs down but, apart from a rug in the living room where I sit on the sofa and a few runners (which are washable) I haven't bothered. I've seen the dirt that the dog tracks in and how filthy the tiles get and keep thinking 'that dirt could be in a carpet!' It's also much easier to mop through and know it's clean.

It's bloody unforgiving if you drop anything though.

Not wanting to hijack the thread but does anyone have door locks that operate from your phone or similar? I find it so irritating having to find key etc for front door but car is contactless. Googling doesn’t really help. Thanks.

I use Yale digital locks on side gates and garage door, but not the front door as they don't meet the requirements for insurance BS3621.

I believe Yale and Banham do make some that meet BS3621.

Yes! I came here to say our box room, which I’m always wondering what else it could be, is actually fabulous as a drying room! We have a pulley and wall mounted airing rack. All I would change is having a sink, the washer and dryer in the room too! That would free up the utility room to be something nicer.

My cleaning lady.

My DH makes everything harder

loving a yoga/cocktail room!

is this real?

what does it do?

departure lounge sounds amazing. it is wonderful your husband made your dream happen, my husband managed to do quite the opposite and sabotage all my dreams and make me really unwell by the stress he created.

We have a large kitchen and so I have a double base unit cupboard with a pull out shelf and three large recycling bins in it - glass/soft plastics/other recycling. It makes recycling so much easier.

I also have a breakfast pantry cupboard which houses the toaster, coffee machine, all breakfast cereals/condiments/coffees/teas etc. It also has a motion activated light which comes on when you open the cupboard. Its great to be able to tuck everything away.

Most likely if the poster lives in the States for example. This is quite common in apartment buildings in New York where you pay a premium for a doorman and they also have a maintenance man for the building who they call a super.

Hmm, what’s the advantage of a north facing diary? Sounds a bit cold to me!

Dairies were meant to be cold to keep milk and cream fresh and stop butter melting. All built before people had refrigeration

Robot hoover and mop

We also have a medieval house with the buttery and pantry on the North wall.
Standard layout in those days @Allseeingallknowing

( also worth noting these two rooms were only used by servants so I’m guessing when ye olde Lord of the Manor was building he didn’t care if it would be colder )

I know that, but what about the dairy?🙂

I don't understand, @Allseeingallknowing . Would it make more sense if I called it a buttery? The room was designed to be cold literally so that the dairy produce would stay good. Am I missing the point of your question (not being deliberately obtuse)?

You missed my weak attempt at humour! Diary! Then in my last post I put dairy instead, so it fell flat!

Pinot grigio.