wanna help me figure out how to make my house a home?

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

I’m not sure if there is appoint in starting this thread before I can upload pictures to it…I guess Ill start it and add pictures as I can. Its mid-week so our house is wanting cleaning. :shifty Our house just doesn’t look like a home :no I really struggle to figure out how to make it look like a home.

Until the last few months, our house basically looked like a bachelors pad. Only necessary furniture and clutter piled up form lack of storage. And no, a couch and chairs for the table did not fall into the "necessary furniture" category. DH has OCD about surfaces that cannot be easily cleaned/sanitized which is why we didn't have that stuff.:doh BUT, our house is CLEAN. ;) The one exception to all of this was the bathroom where the reverse was true- it was pretty and well decorated but the shower and toilet needed more cleaning. :shifty

In the past few months we have mostly gotten all the furniture we need. Well, we still need a bit more storage options. We only have two closets so the towels just kind of pile up in a bucket in what will eventually be the babies’ room. We also still need chairs for the table- we've been using an office chair and a rocking chair. :blush I have four bar stool chairs that I need to put seats on. I have not quite figured out how to do that cheaply. Because of the way they are designed, I can’t just cut out a piece of wood that fits in and attach it and add upholstery….Ummm, oh and we do need a new kitchen table too if we are ever going to feed more than just my DH and me there. We have like a breakfast bar thing that is ugly and falling apart.

The past few months I have been trying to add touches of home- pictures on the walls and such is all I have so far. I made some pottery pieces that I would like to put around if I can figure out how. Oh, and I put up some curtains in the living room. They are a little ugly but its ammmmazing the difference some curtains can make!

[Drew]

Paint and fabric both go a long way to making a house look/feel finished. Paint is self explanatory. For fabric think curtains, throws, pillows, and rugs.

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Paint and fabric both go a long way to making a house look/feel finished. Paint is self explanatory. For fabric think curtains, throws, pillows, and rugs.

Paint we cannot do but that's okay 'cus it happens to be painted the colors I would have chosen....Okay, I need a few throw pillows maybe for the couch. Need more curtains/fabric for curtains- do we need curtains in every room? We have an area rug in the living room so the dogs wont destroy the carpet. Their nails were catching on the original carpet so we put down a very simple, blaaa colored indoor/outdoor rug. Its not much to look at, but do you think that qualifies?

[Drew]

Paint we cannot do but that's okay 'cus it happens to be painted the colors I would have chosen....Okay, I need a few throw pillows maybe for the couch. Need more curtains/fabric for curtains- do we need curtains in every room? We have an area rug in the living room so the dogs wont destroy the carpet. Their nails were catching on the original carpet so we put down a very simple, blaaa colored indoor/outdoor rug. Its not much to look at, but do you think that qualifies?

I have curtains in every room except the bathrooms. They are a great way to introduce color/pattern to the room

I have an indoor/outdoor rug in our living room and I think it works well. However it has a pattern that I really like. Simple is fine, but when you're describing yours as blaaa colored I get the feeling you don't really like it. Your house is probably never going to feel like home if you fill it with things you don't particularly like.

---------- Post added at 02:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:59 PM ----------

About your pottery. Ikea has really easy to hang glass shelves that would be perfect for displaying your work. I'm sure you could find something similar elsewhere if you don't have an Ikea nearby.

[HomeyT]

Yes fill it with the things you love!
I've only recently started putting up things...because I didn't like what I had, and it takes time to acquire those fab pieces! Now that things are going up I am feeling more happy with my space.

I desperately need a rug :) its taking awhile to find the right pattern/colour.

Having spaces for everything helps too! I detest my front hall, it's because the storage is not right.

[Indigo]

Maybe some throw blankets on the couch and/or a chair - something soft & comfy in colors & textures you love. A few houseplants? Candles? Some framed pictures here & there? Small inexpensive things can really warm a place up & make it more homey feeling.

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

ooooh, I have lots and lots of house plants. Somebody actually once called me a plant hoarder. :bag Right now they are all in one room 'cus I dont have tables or things to set them on.:think

So, today I rushed home from work cus I was super excited the rain had stopped and I really wanted to build something in the yard. So as I was wielding power saws and slamming nails into a bench/curbside planter that I designed and built myself I stopped and looked at myself. Mud on my jeans, Filthy fingers, hair all in my face and a very content smile on my face....maybe *this* is part of the problem. Im half Tom-Boy, of course I cant figure out how to decorate!!:doh


Okay....Imma go take some pictures. I'm shy 'cus the house is really bad!!

[HomeyT]

Yes pictures!!! And houseplants most definitely!

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Oh yeah, pictures...I almost forgot. I only took pictures of the two rooms that I find less embarrassing right now. :bag so that tells you how the other rooms might be....Ill post those later.


Heres the kitchen....
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking011.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking012.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking010-Copy.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking014.jpg



This is the front room/music room/office/thingamajig...

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking007-Copy.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking008-Copy.jpg

http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp220/sillyzealy/Pumpkinpicking009-Copy.jpg


Yeah....the place looks like a disaster with all that clutter...I really really need to figure out storage. :bag

[HomeyT]

Wow great kitchen! Here are a few thoughts/ideas...

Put something fab on the wall between the 2 windows in kitchen! You'll see it often so love it!

On the shelves where it looks like vitamins are stored is a great place for your pottery!!! Or beautiful mugs, tea pot.

Once you put everything away this will totally help. Your pictures brought back memories of our many many moves and those last remaining boxes to unpack :) I still have a few but shoved them somewhere I don't have to see them :) or deal with them! Ha!

I'll go back and look @ the livingroom pics!

[HomeyT]

The livingroom has great potential! You even have plants and a lamp :) I'd clear out everything and arrange the bigger pieces where you want them. Then bring back the accessories that fit. Plants, table with lamp, desk and chair...will the keyboard will be set up someplace? Then find other places/storage for the pieces that just don't work!! Once you're happ start putting up pics, find pillows and throws. Curtains? Coffee table with accessories?

[ChristmasGirl]

in my experience, the number one thing that helped me make my house a HOME, was to figure out my decorating style :thumbsup that is when my home finally came together.

i finally figured out that i like cottage style decorating. (there are many varieties within that, but that's it in a nutshell). i started browsing through pics online and in decorating books, and got some ideas for how i wanted to put things together. and for me it was very budget friendly because that look is pulled together with both old and new. and i have a lot of old :giggle but painting things, slip covers, finally i could make everything "fit" and i love thinking of my home as my little cottage :heart

i hope you find the same warmth within your home :hug

[Teacher Mom]

UGH! I lost my post!

KITCHEN: Love it, but agree it needs "something". I would suggest moving the spice/book shelving down to that wall corner and then putting the refridgerator next to it. Move the microwave cart/cabinet next to the stove in the place where the refridgerator is now. Use that until you can purchase an inexpensive 2' base cabinet/microwave cart from Big Lots or a discount store like that. I agree to put a nice picture or wreath that adds a pop of color on the wall between the two windows and position that "table" there perpendicular until you can find something else to fit that nook. IMO Stoves and refridgerators are not supposed to be next to each other. (Ours was for the longest time too). Do you have space above the cabinets for additional decorative or storage items. Hard to tell from pic. Love the crisp white cabinets! Love them! Did you paint them yourself?? It looks like the spice/bookshelf might need a repainting to be as crisp as the cabinets.

LIVING ROOM: Love it! This one is harder for me to figure out the flow from the three pics. What is on the forth wall???? But I would suggest getting another bookshelf for additional storage for the games. I love the color of the walls and think your deep brown furniture goes with it very well. Very. Really want to know what the forth wall looks like. :think Reserve comments on furniture placement until I can visualize the forth wall :snooty :lol

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Oh, thank you for all the replies! Lots of good ideas here. :yes

I noticed everyone thought the front room was the living room, but it is actually a separate room that is connected by double doors to the living room (which is not pictured yet.) I think y'all thought, reasonably, that the front room must be a living room because it has the couches/chairs in there, but those are supposed to be "office furniture," and they are very little. (They did use to be out main couch and chair before we bought a real couch.:giggle) I kinda want to get rid of the two redish/brownish pieces cus they just collect clutter but at the same time I think they look really nice in there.:think The other chairs, the one with a pattern on it, is my husbands. He insists on having it in that room even though I would MUCH prefer to put it in the living room. I think that we can either have the "office furniture" in there, OR that arm chair, but with both it just looks too crowded.

HomeyT- I went ahead and bought some curtains yesterday for the front room. I found them at Savers thrift store and they are a beautiful gold color. I guess I'm going to have to incorporate a little gold into that room so they don't look too out of place.:think I was only able to get three of them so Ill put those on the three bay windows and figure out something different for the fourth window that's set away a bit. :scratch Hope that wont look too weird. I also built a vertical wall planter for a lot of my house plants. I need to put some finishing touches on it and paint it and then it will go where that big pile of games and stuff are.

Christmasgirl-Humm, Im not sure what my style would be. I really love dark natural colors like browns and dark reds and various shades of green. I think I'd describe my prefered style as "rustic." In my living room I have a trunk that I use for storing my sheets and blankets. Its leathery looking with an oldschool style world map covering it. That's kinda my inspiration piece.


UGH! I lost my post!

KITCHEN: Love it, but agree it needs "something". I would suggest moving the spice/book shelving down to that wall corner and then putting the refridgerator next to it. Move the microwave cart/cabinet next to the stove in the place where the refridgerator is now. Use that until you can purchase an inexpensive 2' base cabinet/microwave cart from Big Lots or a discount store like that. I agree to put a nice picture or wreath that adds a pop of color on the wall between the two windows and position that "table" there perpendicular until you can find something else to fit that nook. IMO Stoves and refridgerators are not supposed to be next to each other. (Ours was for the longest time too). Do you have space above the cabinets for additional decorative or storage items. Hard to tell from pic. Love the crisp white cabinets! Love them! Did you paint them yourself?? It looks like the spice/bookshelf might need a repainting to be as crisp as the cabinets.

LIVING ROOM: Love it! This one is harder for me to figure out the flow from the three pics. What is on the forth wall???? But I would suggest getting another bookshelf for additional storage for the games. I love the color of the walls and think your deep brown furniture goes with it very well. Very. Really want to know what the forth wall looks like. :think Reserve comments on furniture placement until I can visualize the forth wall :snooty :lol

Yes, the whole place is beautifully painted! The man we rent the apartment from is a professional painter so its just beautiful and I LOVE the colors!

Kitchen: I had not thought of moving the refrigerator.:think That might be nice. Right now, I am trying to convince DH that we need to move the washing machine down stairs tot he basement. THEN we can move the dishwasher in where the washer is (thats the only place for a hook up.) Then I was considering putting wall shelving on that wall where the current book shelf is. The that shelf can be moved elsewhere. :think

The forth wall of the front room is the one where you see the pile of games, next to that are double doors leading into the living room that take up the rest of the wall. Im thinking of having a plant shelf where the games are. We also have a tall metal cabinet/shelf that we are currently sanding and will spray paint. You cannot see it well in the pic cus the chair is blocking it, but DH and I have a bunch of tools in one corner that we will house in the metal unit. There *might* be room in there to put the games too.:think

[mamacat]

Love your furniture in front room and if you could get some kind of cabinet or amoire in there for game and misc. storage it will be beauiful!

[Teacher Mom]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm where is the dryer????

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm where is the dryer????

The dryer is in the basement! Its crazy. DH wanted them BOTH in the kitchen. :no I wanted them both in the basement. Since I cant move them alone, Im kind of bound by what DH says on this. :-/ Thank God there was not hookup for the dryer vent in the kitchen so DH HAD TO conceed to move the dryer to the basement. Now we wash a load up stairs and bring it downstairs to dry. :no


And where is the dishwasher? Why its in the living room not being used of course. And DH complains cus I wont wash the dishes till its hooked up (I spent a LOT of energy finding a portable dishwasher we could afford)


Last night DH sounded like he might be willing to move the washer.:shrug3

[mamacat]

My oldeest dd stayed in a small condo for awhile when they were ging thru a kitchen reno at their huse and it had a stacked washer/dryer in kitchen and I actually came to love it being in there.It had its own closet tho. Can you use your dishwsher as sort of an island and pul closer to sink when you need it?

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

My oldeest dd stayed in a small condo for awhile when they were ging thru a kitchen reno at their huse and it had a stacked washer/dryer in kitchen and I actually came to love it being in there.It had its own closet tho. Can you use your dishwsher as sort of an island and pul closer to sink when you need it?

no, it cant hook up to the sink cus of the type of faucet we have.

[crunchymum]

Oh my word! I would NOT want to be carting heavy wet clothes downstairs to dry! :no


You've gotten good advice. :yes curtains, some things on the walls, fabric... :yes I feel like it's taken forever for our house to feel "home-y".

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

Oh my word! I would NOT want to be carting heavy wet clothes downstairs to dry! :no

Seriously! He's so strong that it doesnt make a noticable difference for him :shrug3 but for ME?! LOL!


Yeah, it does take forever to make a house look like a home. We are on a bit of a time crunch cus we are trying to get ready to start our homestudy (!) I know it doesnt have to look perfect and pretty to pass but the social work advised us in our introduction meeting that they are looking for the houses to be "comfortable." Which, our house would not fall into that category right now. Seriously I didnt show the worst rooms (like the living room where the dishwasher is sitting! ;))

[Teacher Mom]

my washer & dryer are in my kitchen and I really love it. (Actually wished it was that way in the other house. So kinda thought it was a God thing when this house had hookups in the kitchen :tu)

But I'll tell you what, my husband would not hear the end of my voice if I had to go downstairs carrying wet laundry. No way.


Praying that your hubby will see the light on this issue :yes