How often do you decorate?

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

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

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.

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 !!

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

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!

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....

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.

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 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.

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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

Blimey !I though some people were a bit OTT but ...
We have been in our house 29 years. I painted the dining room as soon as we moved in as it was a horrible mushroom colour but the rest of the house had been freshly painted white anaglypta everywhere. Except the bathroom and loo which were papered (!)
We were too poor to do anything for years except replace the main bedroom carpet which was that sculptured stuff and made DH sneeze
16 years ago we had the sitting room papered and recarpeted and a new suite -to replace the one from DH first marrriage which I'd lived with for nearly 20years.(said new suite ,from a household name shop, faded really badly so we replaced it 6years ago )
Did dining room -paper and matching curtains and blinds -15 years ago Repapered-a bugger to get paper which matched the soft furnishings-when we converted it to a study 6 years ago
Hall etc 14 years ago ( scheduled for later this year Complete revamp)
New bathroom and loo 16 years ago. I repainted the non -tiled bit the same colour earlier this year and bought new towels .
New kitchen 15 years ago -a lot of building work so not high end .Also scheduled for replacement this year .Had wooden floor all downstairs except lounge.
Our bedroom .New built in wardrobes 9years ago .Repapered and new curtains Kept the carpet though New bedlinen this year
Other three bedrooms done 7,6 and 5 years ago .Just repainting when children left homeAnd new carpet in one room
But I no longer enjoy the 'faff'of deciding on colours etc and feel weak at the thought of doing the sitting room (four huge bookcases to empty and move)which will look very shabby when the hall is done ..
And we havent done complete revamps anywhere after the initial decoration .Just a bit of freshening up .

I've just has my staircase and landings painted, same old magnolia, I love that colour. Last time it was done was when I moved in 27 years ago !!

I moved 2 years ago & haven't got round to decorating yet. I need help from my family or pay local odd job man to do it. It's all primrose yellow apart from kitchen which is magnolia.

I have wallpaper for my bedroom, problem is moving the furniture. I have a wet room so no decorating needed. Kitchen is small but does need a freshen up. Lounge/Diner is a big room with 6 windows so not a lot of wall, Anaglypta & emulsion, problem is deciding on colour. Hallway needs brightening up. I have paint ready but....

I already have new blinds for kitchen & bedroom, waiting to be put up (Christmas presents at my request). Will need new curtain poles & curtains, I know what I want but it will take me ages to find it

I gave up redecorating when I was eighty, thirteen years ago. I had emulsioned the walls so my help just washes them down. Some of my furniture belonged to my mother, some G plan from the fifties. My kitchen is the original one from when the bungalow was built. A posh kitchen doesn't make a poor cook a better one. Ihave better things to do rather than look at the walls and furniture. I did buy a recliner chair two years ago.

I love doing a makeover but it has to be budget.
Have enjoyed doing my apartment this past year, but it'll have to last a while. Getting up and down off chairs and step ladders becoming more and more of a challenge. I've always gone for painted walls but have tried a William Morris wallpaper on one wall here. Not sure I like it but it'll have to last. An aim would be to repaint every 6 - 7 years or earlier if getting shabby. Replaced some furniture 6 years ago after making do for 24 years! Then had to sell some of it because this apartment has fitted wardrobes, and the lovely table and chairs were too big. Weep! Have had my sofa though for a long time (14 years?) - . It's shabby chic with removable covers that can be washed and came with a spare pair.