How often do you decorate?

auntieflo its usually in very good condition when we change I just dont like living with the same stuff,I love decorating and we dont spend money on expensive holidays etc ,so its much nicer to have a lovely home.Fashions change very quickly ,I couldn't imagine living with the same decor and furnishings for years and years .We do pass the furniture on to folk who need/want it though so not all bad .My parents were of the same mind and when ever we moved house it was all new furnishings.We are all different

Bijou, I love you and your attitude, I gave up decorating at 70, can't do the up and down steps and ladders easily these day. You lasted 10 years longer than me.
I wonder if our G plan furniture, and yours is similar, the 1950' s and 60's were not so far apart. Thank you for the bit about the kitchen. Ours will be 20 years old this year, and I think it still looks good, unless you peer very closely, so will not fuss about renewing it. What a faff that would be.

Auntieflo wrote:
"Bijou, I love you and your attitude,"
Me too
Our hall, stairs and landing ceilings have needed to be painted since the plasterboard was put up. But no way are we going to be able to do it.
We have a friend who is a decorator - all in good time.

The lounge is looking tired and the carpet definitely could do with replacing. But since we have an old dog and young grandchildren it can wait and I've just bought a colourful rug to hide the worst bits. I hate the upheaval of decorating so the paints only get done about every five or six years. I'm always fascinated by the magazine articles about decorating the house for different occasions like Christmas or Valentines Day. Life's too short!

We bought our three piece suite from fellow students in 1982. It cost £25. We have had it recovered three times and it is still going strong. They built them well in the old days!! The reupholstery cost approx£600, £900 and £1600 over the years. I'm pleased we haven't added to landfill sites too.

When I think it needs it. I have better things to do with my time and life is too short. Unlike a couple I know who, and I think they must be mad, decorate their three bed semi once a year right through. Ok its only emulsion on the walls and their windows the upvc type frames but pleeease is it really necessary.
Must confess though it does look nice.

sarahellenwhitney I guess its necessary to them,I love redecorating my home,I like it clean and fresh and up to date ,It would depress me to live with 1960's furmiture and wallpaper.I'm lucky my husband is the same and he enjoys doing it .We dont ask anyone else to pay for it so frankly its none of their business,I dont pass remarks about friends who dont spend money on their homes but go on holiday 4 or five times a year ,thats their choice ...but your home IS your biggest purchase usually so in my eyes it makes sense to look after it well

Anniebach- did you mean that you are allergic to paint? If so, there are quite a few companies now who do odourless water based paints which cause no irritations and are generally better for the environment when excess paints need to be disposed of.

We moved into a new house three years ago, dont know when it will get decorated again, probably when we move to a Nursing Home and the new owners put their mark on the house, not before, me thinks!

Loved this thread. I have moved many times over the past and always created a home. Always on a budget. So I have had many styles according to the circumstances. Ie taking things out of skips, painting gifted or second hand items, sewing curtains and painting. I enjoyed it. My children would come home and say oh mum has had a change round again. Our last move was emotionally more traumatic. We claimed it to be our last. Hubby installed a new kitchen on his own to a tight budget. It took him 3 weeks. Then he papered the front room and bedroom to a high standard. We thought that would last a few years. We had a house fire in the kitchen. It totally wrecked the entire house. We had no insurance. We waited 12 weeks before we could get back in. We painted each room of a three bed at least five coats of paint. We needed new carpet, entirely new kitchen including windows and flooring, ceilings needed decorating, doors that couldn't be replaced (council property) we papered, I made curtains and nets and much more all completed as well as moving our belongings from room to room and having to salvage and restore and clean.... We joked that I didn't have to set the house on fire in order to have a room decorated. We did the entire house in 3 weeks. The two of us ourselves. Next time I am moving in to assisted housing

I love decorating lizzypopbottle and I am one of those people who might see some wallpaper and wonder "now where could I put that" . My house is quite small but I have decorated it in a coastal theme as I live close to the sea. Lots of creams and pale greys and various shades of blue throughout. I also follow Hygge and keep the rooms warm, cosy and welcoming with olenty of cushions, throws and candles. I have recently fallen back in love with my sewing machine and have recently made myself some new curtains for the family/dining room (material from JL a kind of denim blue with a fine white outline of a yacht) I have 2 windows plus a set of French doors in the room so needed three pairs. I saved an absolute fortune when compared with ready mades. I have a tiny kitchen but the huge walk in pantry is amazing so means I don't have any clutter as its all hidden away. If I won the lottery I would have a small kitchen extension as I would love a bigger oven and hob but sadly no room.

My DGC saw this crazy wallpaper a few months (it is covered in meerkats and other animals visiting various landmarks all over the country) it's a bit overthetop so as a surprise I bought 2 rolls and decorated the main wall of the downstairs toilet with it. Now they can't stay out and the little one sits for ages talking about the animals on the wallpaper. It's certainly a talking point when visitors ask to use the toilet.

2004 I decorated my lounge, I remember because it was soon after my Mum died. I like it so much I have not seen anything I like better to change it. I gave up doing it myself when I had to steam off Analglypta it took a week. If I don't get it done soon my really good professional will have retired.

I just decorate when a room begins to look tired and chipped around the edges or I begin to get tired of it. Could be anything from 1 - 21 years.

Can't remember but our bedroom is badly in need of decorating. DH is not particularly interested and I certainly can't do it. Also not in my favour is that getting someone in is quite stressful as is having to move furniture and ourselves into another room. The kitchen needs a lick of paint but whilst the GC are still hurtling about its doesn't seem worth the effort. Oh dear. It gets me down just thinking about it. DS has just moved into a gorgeous house and I guess I'm a little envious. Now if I had a magic wand....

We had every wall in the house plaster skimmed a couple of years ago, which was an upheaval at the time but worth it. We emulsioned all the walls rather than repaper but I'm a bit underwhelmed with the blandness of it all and think I would like to have at least one wall in every room papered as a sort of feature wall. Just need to get motivated and actually do something about it!

Oh no. Feature walls. I love a bland house!

Rubysong, I love woodchip too . I've got 2 rolls lying in the hall , ready to be put up on my storm porch at the weekend . Then more magnolia !!

I can't understand people who buy new furniture all the time. If you buy good classic designs and avoid the fashions du jour it's going to keep its value. I completely redecorated 8 years ago and it's looking rather tired now. I have a horror of my place getting that grizzly, over- floral dusty granny look so I keep cushions and other accessories fresh by replacing them every two or three years. But if a house is a welcoming home to others it really doesn't matter. I know people with immaculate houses who almost seem to resent visitors disturbing their cushions. People are more important than things, provided they respect your place and don't tread mud in or carelessly make ring marks on your coffee table.

My house is in desperate need of redecorating , it is about 5/6 years since I did it . I would love to be able to afford to get it done because it is beyond my capabilities now . I am in the process of having a new walk in shower /bathroom updo and also need a new kitchen , the one I have is 30 years old and while the unit doors are oak and in reasonable condition the rest is tatty and no amount of cleaning makes it look any better . I find it depressing to cook in ! Saying all that - I much prefer second hand, good quality ,stylish furniture so when mine needs replacing I will be trawling the auctions etc . I hate modern , bland soulless pieces and also the over floral granny look

maybe the hallway, but only maybe, the rest was done about 7 years ago and thats it. Life is to short to worry about decorating, as long as its clean and we are happy that is all I care about