8 Reasons My House Will Never Be Featured on Houzz
A paint job? No. Clutter-free bathroom? Uh-uh. An island bench? Ha! A Houzz writer runs an eye over her very real home
While my house fulfils all the requirements of a home – it’s where we eat, sleep, relax, argue, have fun, learn, play and entertain – it simply doesn’t fit the brief of a stylish house. Here are the main reasons it doesn’t quite stack up, as well as some simple tips for those of you who are in a similar predicament, to help you spruce up your home, quick smart.
2. No sparkly clean, clutter-free bathroom in sight
Imagine looking up and not seeing mould. This is something I often think when I’m in the shower. I also look around and see tiles older than me, too many objects on the windowsill, and mismatched towels.
Remedy: The bathrooms in stylish houses are free of junk cluttering up surfaces, they are clean and fresh and have not a hint of mould in view, and the towels all match. This is a quick and simple fix that you can do in less than a day. Give or take shopping time for the beautiful towels.
5 Decluttering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Imagine looking up and not seeing mould. This is something I often think when I’m in the shower. I also look around and see tiles older than me, too many objects on the windowsill, and mismatched towels.
Remedy: The bathrooms in stylish houses are free of junk cluttering up surfaces, they are clean and fresh and have not a hint of mould in view, and the towels all match. This is a quick and simple fix that you can do in less than a day. Give or take shopping time for the beautiful towels.
5 Decluttering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
3. Family photos and art, unhung
It’s all very well to take loads of lovely shots of the kids and the family, in various situations, countries and moods, but the next step requires a bit more time. Getting photos off our phones, printed and then framed means we are one step closer to actually getting them onto the walls. In days gone by, we took our film to the chemist, waited a week, then were shocked to find we’d paid good money for two out of 31 decent photos.
It’s all very well to take loads of lovely shots of the kids and the family, in various situations, countries and moods, but the next step requires a bit more time. Getting photos off our phones, printed and then framed means we are one step closer to actually getting them onto the walls. In days gone by, we took our film to the chemist, waited a week, then were shocked to find we’d paid good money for two out of 31 decent photos.
Remedy: These days, we can play around with filters and cropping until we get things just right. Take advantage of this super technology and get those pictures on the wall! Most department stores have self-serve machines that even a luddite like myself can use. You can specify size and finish, buy a matching frame, an adhesive hook and voila! Bespoke art.
Confession: My photo journal of our family life seems to have ended when my youngest turned four. Despite many happy holidays and moments after this time, I’m still struggling to get the pictures up. I’m safe in the knowledge they are right there on my phone, hoping to see the light of a bright, white hallway. Maybe today is that day.
Confession: My photo journal of our family life seems to have ended when my youngest turned four. Despite many happy holidays and moments after this time, I’m still struggling to get the pictures up. I’m safe in the knowledge they are right there on my phone, hoping to see the light of a bright, white hallway. Maybe today is that day.
4. The kitchen is a historical artefact
The ’80s really were great. It was a time of exciting change, wealth, excess and unforgettable fashion. The music is still fabulous to this day, as are so many of the cool clothes. Alas, the kitchens weren’t so memorable. While there’s nothing wrong with our kitchen in a practical sense – it has everything a kitchen needs, such as a sink, a stove, even a late-addition dishwasher – it lacks modernity. How I would love a granite or, dare my ambitions be too lofty, a concrete benchtop. What I wouldn’t give for a kitchen island, so I can talk and prepare food while my guests marvel at my wonderful wall-to-wall pantry.
Remedy: How I dream of a colourful splashback, or a simple subway tile. I, like many Houzzers, I’m sure, will have to make do with a change of cupboard handles, a really good overhaul of my cluttered benchtops, and maybe a few new stools for my inadequate kitchen seating area.
The ’80s really were great. It was a time of exciting change, wealth, excess and unforgettable fashion. The music is still fabulous to this day, as are so many of the cool clothes. Alas, the kitchens weren’t so memorable. While there’s nothing wrong with our kitchen in a practical sense – it has everything a kitchen needs, such as a sink, a stove, even a late-addition dishwasher – it lacks modernity. How I would love a granite or, dare my ambitions be too lofty, a concrete benchtop. What I wouldn’t give for a kitchen island, so I can talk and prepare food while my guests marvel at my wonderful wall-to-wall pantry.
Remedy: How I dream of a colourful splashback, or a simple subway tile. I, like many Houzzers, I’m sure, will have to make do with a change of cupboard handles, a really good overhaul of my cluttered benchtops, and maybe a few new stools for my inadequate kitchen seating area.
5. Eye-catching entrance, for all the wrong reasons
This beautiful, wide hallway with the perfectly slim console, and the cheerful yet elegant rug, accented by matching paint job on the door, invites people into this home. It makes me think that the people who live there don’t dump all of their things right there, at the door. Sadly, at my house, things can sit at this convenient spot for weeks at a time. Sporting equipment, shopping bags, all manner of family detritus.
This beautiful, wide hallway with the perfectly slim console, and the cheerful yet elegant rug, accented by matching paint job on the door, invites people into this home. It makes me think that the people who live there don’t dump all of their things right there, at the door. Sadly, at my house, things can sit at this convenient spot for weeks at a time. Sporting equipment, shopping bags, all manner of family detritus.
Remedy: The answer of course is storage right there at the door. Nobody can can walk past a hook for their bag, some cupboard space for their shoes and a bench for everything else. A carpenter could add something like this, or you could have a go yourself, with some ready-made cabinets and a shelf. A coat of paint and some handles and hooks to complete the job. I’m getting ideas…
Browse beautifully organised entryways
Browse beautifully organised entryways
6. Overgrown garden
We have a garden. Occasionally you can see what we’re trying to achieve, when you take away the kids’ garish plastic water guns, the colourful swing set, the perpetually full clothesline… Sometimes, when all of that stuff is put away, and the grass isn’t a metre high, it’s nice and you’d want to take a photo of it. Most of the time, it’s reminiscent of a trailer park.
Remedy: Gardens need storage too. Kids’ toys can be hidden under clever benches, thrown into sheds, or tucked behind the laundry door if necessary. Lawns aren’t difficult if you spend a tiny bit of time on them, and nor are plants, I’ve heard.
Stick to natives if you know you’re not going to get out there and water them, or invest in an off-peak irrigation system. Make a rough plan when you start planting your garden, and think of depth and texture of the foliage. Oh and buy a rake and an outdoor broom. They create the same ‘just tidied’ effect of a vacuum in the living room.
We have a garden. Occasionally you can see what we’re trying to achieve, when you take away the kids’ garish plastic water guns, the colourful swing set, the perpetually full clothesline… Sometimes, when all of that stuff is put away, and the grass isn’t a metre high, it’s nice and you’d want to take a photo of it. Most of the time, it’s reminiscent of a trailer park.
Remedy: Gardens need storage too. Kids’ toys can be hidden under clever benches, thrown into sheds, or tucked behind the laundry door if necessary. Lawns aren’t difficult if you spend a tiny bit of time on them, and nor are plants, I’ve heard.
Stick to natives if you know you’re not going to get out there and water them, or invest in an off-peak irrigation system. Make a rough plan when you start planting your garden, and think of depth and texture of the foliage. Oh and buy a rake and an outdoor broom. They create the same ‘just tidied’ effect of a vacuum in the living room.
7. There are no stylish indoor plants
While we’re talking plants, all the lovely houses that Houzz features have beautiful green potted plants, tastefully displayed in various rooms and situations. I tried this too, but selected all the wrong plants, and kept them in their original plastic pots, with the addition of an old, chipped saucer underneath. The effect was not as lovely.
Remedy: There are great plants for indoors, that really don’t require much care at all. This is a revelation for those of us who routinely murder everything green. And stylish pots are everywhere these days, including the hardware store. Again, mix foliage and textures, and be creative with your pots. Plus, steer clear of saucers.
8 Essentials to Keeping Your Indoor Plants Alive and Thriving
While we’re talking plants, all the lovely houses that Houzz features have beautiful green potted plants, tastefully displayed in various rooms and situations. I tried this too, but selected all the wrong plants, and kept them in their original plastic pots, with the addition of an old, chipped saucer underneath. The effect was not as lovely.
Remedy: There are great plants for indoors, that really don’t require much care at all. This is a revelation for those of us who routinely murder everything green. And stylish pots are everywhere these days, including the hardware store. Again, mix foliage and textures, and be creative with your pots. Plus, steer clear of saucers.
8 Essentials to Keeping Your Indoor Plants Alive and Thriving
8. Disastrous bedrooms
I really love my children. Giving birth to them and watching them grow has been the greatest thing I’ve ever done. But in recent years, it has come to my attention that they are hoarders. There is not a single toy that they don’t seem to love and cherish, including tiny plastic pieces of nothing. They also like large toys; toys that are hard to store due to their cumbersome shapes.
Oh and do they love to read! While going to the library is fun, and borrowing library books is the obvious, most economical way to enjoy reading, they also seem to have collected thousands of their own volumes. And, once again, every single one is precious and may be read again, in the distant future. Subsequently, their room (they share one) is packed to the rafters with ‘treasures’. I envy the beautiful, bare kids’ bedrooms I see on Houzz. Where do all of those children keep their ‘things’?
I really love my children. Giving birth to them and watching them grow has been the greatest thing I’ve ever done. But in recent years, it has come to my attention that they are hoarders. There is not a single toy that they don’t seem to love and cherish, including tiny plastic pieces of nothing. They also like large toys; toys that are hard to store due to their cumbersome shapes.
Oh and do they love to read! While going to the library is fun, and borrowing library books is the obvious, most economical way to enjoy reading, they also seem to have collected thousands of their own volumes. And, once again, every single one is precious and may be read again, in the distant future. Subsequently, their room (they share one) is packed to the rafters with ‘treasures’. I envy the beautiful, bare kids’ bedrooms I see on Houzz. Where do all of those children keep their ‘things’?
Remedy: Those bedrooms always have secret storage areas. Places to hide away the plastic bits and pieces. There are always just a few books on display, not hundreds. The key, of course, is organisation. Go through the toys when the kids aren’t around. Notice what they haven’t played with in a long time, gather them up and then suggest to them that perhaps another child would get some joy out of them.
Books too are a great way for a child to see how grown up they are getting, and what a great reader they are becoming. Ask them to put books in piles that might include ‘easy’, ‘too precious’, and, ‘my friend would like this one’. I’m looking forward to seeing the floor in my sons’ bedroom sometime soon.
Books too are a great way for a child to see how grown up they are getting, and what a great reader they are becoming. Ask them to put books in piles that might include ‘easy’, ‘too precious’, and, ‘my friend would like this one’. I’m looking forward to seeing the floor in my sons’ bedroom sometime soon.
Home sweet home
While my house may never be featured on Houzz because of what it lacks, I think the happiness it brings our family makes up for many missing design features. Houses, like people, are always a work in progress, and small jobs can create big changes. I think it’s time for a trip to the hardware store…
Tell us
We’d love to hear about any small changes you’ve made to your house that have made a big difference to your family. Share your tales in the Comments below and join the conversation.
More
Browse Houzz Tours and get inspired
While my house may never be featured on Houzz because of what it lacks, I think the happiness it brings our family makes up for many missing design features. Houses, like people, are always a work in progress, and small jobs can create big changes. I think it’s time for a trip to the hardware store…
Tell us
We’d love to hear about any small changes you’ve made to your house that have made a big difference to your family. Share your tales in the Comments below and join the conversation.
More
Browse Houzz Tours and get inspired
My house once had a great paint job. It required us all to move out for a while, so surfaces could be prepped and primed. There was endless poring over colour swatches, talk of feature walls, and ‘the right white’. It was glorious. But that was years ago. The white isn’t white anymore, and the feature walls, so painstakingly chosen, are outdated. The impact of a great paint job cannot be underestimated. It can totally lift a tired house.
Remedy: A simple tweak of colours could bring an old semi like mine roaring back to life. It really is a simple matter of good house maintenance. And there’s no need to do it all at once; one room at a time for a few weekends could be all it takes if you want to update the pre-noughties paint job at your place.