How to help my dumpy looking house?

[Ottakee]

Last night we had a church Christmas party at a friend's house last night. Her house is new and very large. It is absolutely beautiful and very well decorated, as well as CLEAN and UNCLUTTERED.

 

I am not jealous of her house but would love to help my own house have a much nicer look than it does not.

 

Some issues we have:

1. I don't know how to decorate

2. Limited budget

3. Lots of stuff in a smaller house

4. Animals---we have a dog, cats, a bird and fish in the house and then chickens, horses, more cats, and rabbits outside

5. General layout of the house

 

I would not want to put a ton (or even much) money into our house as it is slated to be torn down in the next 1-4 years when the highway comes through our property.

 

I noticed that she has VERY minimal stuff out---counters are basically clear, walls have just a very few choice pieces on them, no book cases, entertainment centers, etc. in the living room, and of course, no barn boots, coats, etc. in the kitchen. We have no mud room and it is winter in Michigan so all the winter gear is sitting in the dining area as that is where the door to the outside is.

 

Are there any good books/websites on decorating/home management for those of us that live a REAL life--hobby farm, 3 active special needs kids, and just lots of books, videos, toys, craft stuff, etc. I dont' need magazine perfect but I am sure we could do a lot more with what we have. I need a Design on a Penny or the one where they come in and redo your house with only the stuff you already have.

[mom2denj]

I have a very clean house, but it definitely is a "lived in" house. I have pictures all over the walls and I have bookcases. I also have lots of stuff on the counters. I always say that I have "organized clutter". I have lots of friends that have the "perfect" house. I just think that when you have children, your house should look lived in. I couldn't imagine bare walls and counters. It just wouldn't feel warm and homey.

 

I also believe that most "perfect" homes are only perfect when expected company is coming.

[clementine]

I've found that the most inexpensive way to 'transform' a room is with paint. Do you already love your paint color or would you like to change it?

 

I agree that having sparse countertops looks clean, but where on earth would I put it all?

 

I love candles burning and music lightly playing in the background - something like Jim Brickman for me ;) Make your house feel homey and welcome & your decorations don't matter as much.

 

:)

[WarriorMama]

Well, my decor is of the chipped paint and toddler crayon-scribbles variety. I know how you feel. :tongue_smilie:

 

No great advice, but I sympathize and will be watching to see if you get any ingenious responses!

 

(I also agree with the previous poster...this lady's house probably looks a lot less perfect when it's not all cleaned up for a party!)

[texasmama]

I think that paint is the easiest and cheapest way to warm up/change a house's interior. You can often find nice and deeply discounted "oops" paint at Lowe's and Home Depot. I buy these and mix them together in a bucket and make my own colors. :001_smile:

 

I'm not good with decorating, either, so I like to take ideas from other people's houses. Some things that I have done is to buy cheap curtain sheers on ebay. These are easy to put up and give some color.

 

I have recently decided to start a collection of crosses and put them on an empty wall that I just painted a nice light brown with mixed up "oops" paint.:tongue_smilie: This will evolve over time, but it is a start. You can also get black and white prints, frame them and hang them for some visual interest.

 

I really am not very good at this, particularly window treatments, so I feel your pain...but these are some of the things I have done.

[Chris in VA]

I don't know how to decorate, either--our walls are pretty bare because we don't own anything worth hanging (well, ok, a few things). I don't like knick-knacks AT ALL, and I have few family photos.

 

Clear counters do seem better to me--I have two baskets in my kitchen where I put "stuff," and I like that. I keep my paper towels thing, a toaster, a set of caniters, a set of knives, and two coffee makers (and the crockpot, most of the time) out, and have clear counters in between (I've got a lot of counter space). Anyting piled up looks yucky to me, so I clean it up.

 

Could you hang up coats/boots/outdoor-barn wear in a coat closet? That would eliminate one "pile." Baskets work well to organize books. I do like family pics on the wall and on tables--adds a homey touch, I think. Do you have those?

A good decluttering is always useful--

Do you use a filing cabinet for papers? I've found it helps a ton to keep things organized. I am very, very visual, so I do hang a pretty calendar in the kitchen and write appointments and the jobs I have on it, so I don't have to keep a plan book or anything. Books go on shelves or in baskets--

 

Just some little ideas.

[texasmama]

I also hang a cheap coat rack with several hangers for coats. This is currently in the space designated as my dining room but which we use for homeschooling. We have a cheap wicker type "box" for shoes. It isn't perfect but does help a lot.

[BMW]

I find myself envious of those who keep a tidy home daily. I think of my grandmother who always had beds made, floors clean and dusted once a week. She did not put much money at all, ever, into decorating. She just had a routine and kept it tidy.

 

I'm talking to myself here... I am in a similar place... my house is worn out... I am "decorating" challenges...

 

I try to go through each room and put away as much as I can. I go through each cupboard and closet at least once a year and get rid of as much as I can (stuff we hadn't used for a year or so... stuff I don't love...).

 

Each bedroom looks much nicer if the bed is made. A fresh bedspread doesn't have to be costly. Having a made bed and a picked up room does wonders for the feel of "home".

 

Bins and shelves... and under the bed spaces. Perhaps an upright drawer or bin unit would work for craft supplies? I found some old shelves, sanded them a bit and painted them, then took plastic bins and put supplies into each one on the bottom shelf. The kids pull out the bins for what they need.

 

Anyway... our home always looks lived in. I just aim for the floors getting cleaned and try to do "5 minutes in each room" (with a timer!) and put as much stuff away and clean as fast as I can.

 

Just those simple things help me feel happier with our worn out house.

 

In the spring, I will repaint the living room, kitchen and hallway... I will pick a couple of colors and spend just a little bit on some items to put on the mantle (we're talking old... worn looking!), maybe a larger vase on the floor... who knows... but, I'll try to give it a sprucing up...

[Julie in Austin]

Think hooks on the wall, which can hold bags, which can hide stuff.

 

Think baskets on counters, which can hide junk. Think shelves, with more baskets (and maybe some hooks underneath).

 

I have such issues with clutter that I'd probably be diagnosed with a sensory disorder if I were a kid today. But if I can hide it in bags and baskets and cabinets, them I'm good. :)

[Kathleen in VA]

Whenever I have people over I have to pick up the stacks of this and that, throw them in a laundry basket and put them on my bed, shutting the door behind me. I dust, vacuum, light a few candles and put out a tray of homemade cookies. The living room looks uncluttered, beautiful and well-decorated. I usually have a lot of things on my kitchen counters, but if I am having a party some small appliances disappear to the garage for the duration. When the guests leave, I drag the stuff back out again and begin living my normal life. She may have done that too.:D

 

Btw, does she homeschool? How many kids does she have? This plays into the way your house looks too.

 

As far as decorating goes, for me it was a matter of first deciding what kind of decor I liked. I have many different tastes. I like the way Monk's house looks - all organized, minimalist, muted colors on the walls and furniture. I also like Shabby Chick with ruffles, roses, lots of lace and pillows and knick-knacks. Then again, I like primitive country and Americana. For years I could not decide which one I really liked so I chose nothing. Ugh! Then one day I just decided to go with Primitive country/Americana so that I could at least have something. Also, choosing this style makes it easy to decorate with things I make myself. I bought a few things at yard sales, Goodwill and on sale at Michael's craft store. Not that much really and voila! a whole new put together look. So perhaps you need to just pick a theme and go with it.

 

We do not have a mudroom either. Our shoes and boots are right by the front door on a shoe rack I bought at IKEA. As long as they are all lined up neatly it doesn't look too bad. Most of our coats are in the front closet. I use over the door racks in the kids' closets for their hoodies, jackets, and other cold weather stuff.

 

I live in a tiny house and we are on a tiny budget. I find that a few well-chosen, well-placed items are all you really need to add a little cheer and beauty to a room. I also find that keeping things neat and tidy makes a big difference in the feel of the room. We live here and school here, so neat and tidy comes and goes. I make an effort when company comes and I try to maintain that as we go through the week, but it is a never ending task.

[Ottakee]

Btw, does she homeschool? How many kids does she have? QUOTE]

 

She has 3 kids---boys that are 4th and 1st grades and a 2 1/2 year old little girl and they do homeschool. I am sure that her house looks very close to this clean all the time. That is just how/who she is.

 

I am sure it helps that she has about double the counter space I have, double the kitchen cupboards, a coat closet (we don't have even ONE coat closet), and a mud/entry way off the garage. She has closets about as big as my 14 year old's bedroom (just 7x9), etc.

 

I think that besides my clutter, the layout of the house and number/placement of closets, entry ways, etc. really does play a role here. I have a friend whose house can be all picked up, clean, not cluttered but it just doesn't have that "look" to it.

[specialmama]

I noticed that she has VERY minimal stuff out---counters are basically clear, walls have just a very few choice pieces on them, no book cases, entertainment centers, etc. in the living room, and of course, no barn boots, coats, etc. in the kitchen.

 

I'm sorry.

 

Is she human?

 

No BOOKCASES?! :svengo:

 

Sweatheart, why do you want to emulate someone who does not have BOOKCASES?!

 

No bookcases = no pulse. :tongue_smilie:

[Denisemomof4]

I have a very clean house, but it definitely is a "lived in" house. I have pictures all over the walls and I have bookcases. I also have lots of stuff on the counters. I always say that I have "organized clutter". I have lots of friends that have the "perfect" house. I just think that when you have children, your house should look lived in. I couldn't imagine bare walls and counters. It just wouldn't feel warm and homey.

 

I also believe that most "perfect" homes are only perfect when expected company is coming.

 

OR they're like the house I grew up in where certain rooms were OFF LIMITS and for eye candy ONLY. One footprint on the carpet would stress out my mom. :confused:

 

I would first recommend you declutter. Get rid of EVERYTHING you can. And organize/store the stuff that isn't used regularly in large tupperware tubs. I have some things I hang on to that I don't use often at all (punch bowl w/cups, fancy crystal bowls) but I'm really getting rid of a TON of stuff. I've had too much sitting untouched in the basement!

 

When we were newlyweds, we had NO money. But I was still able to decorate on a budget. That was BEFORE Homegoods. Dio you have a Homegoods near you? You can get some really nice decorations there.

 

What is your taste?

[MariannNOVA]

OR they're like the house I grew up in where certain rooms were OFF LIMITS and for eye candy ONLY. One footprint on the carpet would stress out my mom. :confused:

 

QUOTE]

 

 

:w00t::w00t::w00t::svengo:

 

 

OMG, DENISE!!!!!! WE ARE SISTERS!!!!!!!!

 

ETA: My mom would LOCK the guest bathroom/powder room when company was expected so that none of us would go in and use it b4 guests arrived - she would unlock it just before they arrived.

 

btw, a neighbor friend when i was growing up had those velvet ropes on stands.....you know the ones in theaters.

[elise1mds]

I understand. I'm there today. I feel like my house is awful and there's stuff EVERYWHERE. My children really do not want me to start spring cleaning this next year, because it's all going. Everything. I'll make Goodwill beg me to stop bringing stuff in.

 

And then I'm going to rip the carpet out of the living room and paint in there so I don't have to stare at paneling ANY MORE. And then I'm going to take all the stuff off my kitchen counters, because if it doesn't fit in the cabinets somehow, I don't need it. Somewhere, someone is going to benefit from my insanity because I can't take the clutter. It's driving me insane. My DH wants to move to a bigger house, but I firmly believe stuff expands to fill all available space so it really wouldn't help. I just have to purge. It'll be ugly, but it'll also be oh, so worth it.

[Sun]

I'm sorry.

 

Is she human?

 

No BOOKCASES?! :svengo:

 

Sweatheart, why do you want to emulate someone who does not have BOOKCASES?!

 

No bookcases = no pulse. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol:

 

As for the clean counters...do you have a basement? We have very limited counter space, and even fewer cupboards (one of our counters doesn't have overhead or underneath cupboards). We basically have about 7 cupboards in our kitchen, all but one of which are pretty small. We make it work by making a pantry in our basement. Almost all of our unopened extra food goes there, as do any appliances, large pots, or specialty pans or trays that don't get used every week or two. So all of our serving platters for parties are down there; our blender is down there (but the immersion hand blender is in the kitchen); our food processor is down there; our jars of tomatoes and so on are all down there. Keeping the cupboards in the kitchen pared down to the essentials really helps us keep our counters clean--if our food processor and blender weren't in the basement, they'd have to be on the counter, even though they don't get used very often.

 

Other people have said it, but declutter, declutter, declutter. The less stuff you have, the less you have to take care of and put away. It really does add up after a while. I can't stand trinkets and hate dusting, so we don't have little trinkets sitting around. Once you start really decluttering (put on some peppy music), you'll be amazed how freeing it can feel.

 

Then, can you work on finding homes for the stuff that's left? I agree about baskets working wonders. Could you have a couple of baskets in the dining room--one for boots and one for hats/scarves/mittens? Coats and snow pants are trickier - if they're wet they have to hang, but I use the bathroom's shower rod for that to get them out of my sight! If they're dry, can they go in the kids' closets or a coat closet?

 

-

[Anne]

No Bookcases????? What kind of people are they???? Seriously, who would want a house without bookcases and books?

 

OP, her house may look like a magazine cover, but I bet yours looks like a HOME - where children are loved and encouraged and sweet memories are made that will bless each one of you all the days of yours lives..

 

Anne

[Allearia]

I am going to repeat what everyone says - declutter. I finally got so sick of it all over the place. I bought a ton of clear plastic bins at Target, some bigger and some smaller, and just started shoving stuff in. I like the bins better than boxes which I've tried, but you can use boxes if you are sure to try to label them. It is much harder if you need to open a dozen boxes to find something you need.

 

Fortunately I was able to put a lot in the garage, but there are a bunch on a sofa table I didn't want in my living room anymore in our (very narrow) hallway, some in the kid's room, some in my bedroom, some in the closets (the closets are full of junk - we have armoires to put our clothes in!). But my living/dining/kitchen look decent, I'll say very nice. I also took the coffee table out of the living room, even though it was nice my living room is too small for it and it was a clutter magnet, it always had stuff piled on top or underneat.

 

We have a horrible, shabby stained ripped up loveseat with a hole in the fabric in one arm the kids kept making bigger. I spent an hour or two sewing up the rips, then bought a stretchy two piece slip cover to put on (I have been wanting to do this for a while and finally had the money to get it - it was $100). It looks like a brand new couch, and this type of cover I got has been standing up to the kids bouncing around on it including the two kids we had over all day yesterday and stays in place! I am so happy. I also have a beautifully upholstered large chair and ottoman that is the best piece of furniture in my living room. I found it on a curb with a "Free" sign attached.

 

Once you get rid of the clutter, paint the walls. Make sure you have enough bookcases for both books and for bins of videos, toys, etc. Even if you love the look of no bookcases, at least you can put all the stuff on the bookcases and it looks contained instead of all over the floor, table, counters, etc. Find something similar for putting boots and coats near the door. Fortunately we don't have the bad weather here, but I took a short deep bookcase type thing I got free, made a cushion for the top, and put in a bin for each kid's shoes. There is a coatrack there. If you have wet and muddy things maybe if you had a very shallow bin just to contain the boots and lined them up neatly on a mat it would look better.

 

I still have a long way to go - I need to start taking out those bins a few at a time and sorting all the junk and figuring out what to keep, donate, put sets of toys and puzzles and games together. But it is do-able and my house looks clean in the meantime. I'm still working on routines to keep it like this and train the kids to put things back in the bins at regular times during the day.

[stripe]

I sympathize. I felt much happier when I reorganized. I now have a living room that is not really used to anything but sitting and chatting. I have one room with most of the books, computer, and the like, and everything is close together, and another area where kids can play. My house is tiny, but "zoning" things helped. I also second the decluttering and organizing idea. I also think a coat of paint helps a lot. My house will never be super tidy, but it's a controlled nightmare!

[FeFe]

I really am not very good at this, particularly window treatments, so I feel your pain...but these are some of the things I have done.

 

These tricks have really helped me in the area:

http://www.thenester.com/2010/01/window-treatment-makeover.html

[texasmama]

These tricks have really helped me in the area:

http://www.thenester.com/2010/01/window-treatment-makeover.html

 

Thank you! I need all the help I can get in this area.:tongue_smilie: We have four large windows lining the back of our living room which have no window treatments and look naked. We've lived her over ten years.:001_huh:

[Ottakee]

Thanks for the ideas. The SAD thing is that we DID just declutter A LOT. We had one of those commercial dumsters here and filled it TWICE. Then we also took 12 HUGE black bags of stuff to our church's great give away. The stuff just multiplies.

 

Not having a coat closet/mud room is a pain in Michigan winter on a farm. We all have good boots, barn boots, good shoes, barn shoes, then add in riding boots, walking shoes, etc. and the coats for all of the above activities and you get the picture.

 

Our house is a bilevel house that was NOT NOT NOT set up for rural living. NO coat closet, no linen closet, no mudroom, etc. The main entry way opens to steps going up or down with really no room on the landing. The other door opens right into the kitchen with just enough room to open the door and walk in before you hit the kitchen table.

 

As to my decorating style. I would say that LESS is more and I could get rid of even more stuff. I don't have knick knacks, etc. at all. I like a very simple, country look with more deep, rich colors. Again though, I don't want to put a ton of money into things as we will be forced out in as little as 6 months or possibly up to 2-3 years. The highway IS coming and they have bought up property up to 1 mile away so it is just a matter of when they get to us.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

.

[Ottakee]

Don't mean to hijack. But this whole thing (bolded) is very interesting to me. Are they kicking you out? Are you being compensated? Where will you go? Why don't they put their stupid highway somewhere else?

 

 

We are in a rural area and have 5 1/2 acres with our horses, chickens, etc. The state is putting an expressway through our house in the next few years. This project has been in the works for years but they have now finalized the exact route and are putting in the pilings to build the bridge over the river just 2 miles north of us. It IS going to happen, we just don't know when exactly as we have been told anywhere from 6 months to a few years before we must move.

 

We will get 125% of the fair market value of our home but it will be VERY hard to find another place with a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home with a newer barn on 5 1/2 acres in our area that is not swamp land. If I wanted a nice house on 2 or less acres, there are LOTS of places out there, it is the over 5 acres and not swampy that is going to be our issue.

 

We hope to stay in the same township but don't know for sure yet if we can find a small hobby farm or not as there are several others (including friends of ours) that are being bought out that will all want the same thing---over 5 acres (the magic number for zoning here) with nice set up for horses.

[gardening momma]

First, a disclaimer: I don't practice what I preach...

 

Cleaning up--decluttering, putting away, etc... will go a lot farther (further?) to make your house look presentable than new paint on the walls.

 

...now off to clean up the kitchen island before dh gets home. He'll be surprised.

:auto:

[VBoulden]

Two words for you: FLY LADY. Look up her website and give it a real change. You have to read and read, but keep reading until you are hooked. She has changed my life. I can ask people over any time, any day. My house stays clean and uncluttered all the time, thanks to following her advice. :D

 

And keep in mind that some women make having a perfect home their life pursuit. No seriously... they do. (They don't think they do. They just think they will stop pursuing a perfect home once theirs is perfect, but their home is never perfect, so they keep working and striving and scheming...) This isn't the case for everyone with beautiful homes, but it is often the case. I know of certain women who do nothing but clean, paint, retouch, shop for decorations, think about furniture and decorations, plan how to get the items they want or "need" and fuss over details in their house...

 

If you did this, your house may be more "perfect," but I you would have to pursue perfection at the cost of other things and give up things (like pets, probably) that are important to you, personally.

 

I am okay with having a simple, clean home without those perfect little painted shelves and pictures and flower vases because it means I stay within my budget (very important to my husband :tongue_smilie:) and I have time to pursue other things with my mental and physical energy that are more important to me. :D

[Diane]

How funny, I was going to recommend Nester's site, and someone did. She really helped me a lot. She taught me how to decorate inexpensively.

[*Inna*]

No bookcases = no pulse. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree::lol::lol::lol:

[Garga]

Without knowing what your house looks like, but hearing about the problem with coats, I think I'd make an entire wall of the dining room the coat closet. I'd get 20 coat hooks and hang them all up in a row and let the shoes go under them on some sort of tray. I've seen trays for boots, but they might be pricey. I'd be thinking of what to put the boots/shoes on.

 

If you ever do decide to get knick knacks, get big ones. A bunch of little knick knacks or picture frames look cheesy, but one big thing (like a big decorative bird house) can fill the space, but still keep the area looking simple and clean.

 

I love to decorate, but it's taken me 18 years to get my house how I like it. It's only been in the past 2 years that it's come together. My biggest thing was decluttering, keeping it clean, and using big knick knacks instead of dinky little ones that end up looking ugly.

[kalanamak]

3. Lots of stuff in a smaller house

.

 

Especially since it will be torn down soon (i.e. you will be moving, however close it will be), I'd start trying to halve it all....