Can a " space " be depressing?

I do find decorating and updating a room very therapeutic. Been working round our old Cottage (since Covid!) on a tight budget and little enthusiasm from husband but always get a buzz when a room is completed and find some great pieces of furniture and cushions in charity shops! I stick something uplifting to listen to on my phone (iPlayer series or podcasts) whilst painting and it really does make me feel good when I achieve something in a room on a budget. Good luck with the changes you make ! It has certainly helped me when feeling low at times. The hardest bit is getting started!

* Taunton*. Nice, I will try!

CariadAgain Creoso y Ghumru.. I came back several years ago and had all those garden problems…

If you can afford it glasshalffullagain, get a weekly cleaners as well as other suggestions. If affected negatively, a cleaner space is better for your ongoing comfort.

Thanks Sparkly, Cleaning doubles up as keep fit activity.

glasshalffullagain

It's a weird one, been here many years. Something feels " off " about it.

Anyhow short term, not moving and budget is practically zero!

Hopefully some change is coming.

Something that is totally alien to your taste can get to feel very "off" - even if one knows, objectively speaking, there's little/if anything wrong with it per se.

It's a pity that there's no budget to speak of to replace the kitchen - as it doesn't take that long to do so. The difficult part on my kitchen was finding a suitable firm to do the job in the first place and I had to wait for a new firm to open up here in the first place. But the actual job itself took 5 days (if my memory serves me aright) - to rip out old one and put in new one basically.

But - if there's no budget then there's no budget. Many of us have been in that situation and sometimes even small changes that don't cost much/if owt can help improve things.
Little things that are grotty and not our taste can make us feel very "down" about a house. In my case on buying current house - I loathed the blinds so prevalent in this area and that this house was afflicted with in most rooms - plain off-white vertical type blinds - yuk...yuk...according to my own taste. I can't think of a single house I'd ever been in that had them and very few in the area with them - until I moved and thought "Not just my house then that's got those darn things. They're very handy for peeping out from behind without being visible - but that's the only advantage they've got". I wanted what I'm used to - ie plain modern net or muslim secondary curtains.

One drink too many one evening and I just thought "I am not waiting for the workmen I'm using going through the house room by room and ripping everything out for them to go" and got out my scissors and went through the house chopping the darn things off myself up at the top and binning them. Even though I still had the "top" section there on all of them (and had to ask the workmen to just unscrew that all round next time they turned up - so I could bin the entire blinds) it instantly made the house feel more normal to me having chopped off the bottom 90% or so of them. I had to wait for the money to get "my" secondary curtaining up - but it still helped a lot.

Colours as well do make such a difference. The house had colours like orange and lilac in (a lot of it being very 1970s). The bathroom was still the original 1970s bathroom - and pink (thankfully the bathtub/sink/loo was white at any rate - but pink pink pink....tiny pink 1970s tiles and original 1970s wallfire!). I felt a LOT better about the house as all those not-my-taste-colours came out and in went modern era colours (or lack of). I was used to walls in various shades of white in peoples houses and my own house having soft white walls - and so in went white walls all round room by room.

Yep....decor makes SO much difference.

nanna8

Some houses are like this. When you go house hunting you just feel it. Quite inexplicable but it’s there. I would say if you can, move.

At last! Someone who feels like I do! Yes, some houses do have a funny feel about them. Didn’t the OP feel this when she viewed?
I think that once you feel that way about a house, nothing you do decorating-wise will fix it. If possible, it would be best to move. And be a bit more careful next time!

Also - re someone's commenting on curtains generally. I was actually quite surprised at how cheaply its possible to get some curtains.

I chose to "make do and mend" with curtains I brought with me that I had already in the event on this house. Right now I'm facing a set of curtains in this room that I got in the 1970's - but they are Scandinavian style and were blimmin' expensive - but I still like them and they're in good condition. I've got new ones I eventually bought for my sitting room here and I just hung on in there making do with my old ones (again - I'd just binned the ones the house came with) and I waited till I could get my choice for this house. But if you aren't as "make do and mend determined" as I was until I could afford what I'd decided on (ie good quality/longer length/double thickness/lined) and I "waited and waited" to have the money to get what I'd chosen - then I was astonished at just how cheaply one can get cheaper-quality ones (eg unlined/1.5 width/cheaper material) from somewhere like Am*zon and a room could feel much nicer even at that level and possibly for less than £100.

You never know too who might be giving away curtains for nothing - as I just gave away the brought-over ones mainly and a very expensive nice door curtain I'd bought I'd had made for here and they're sitting in other peoples homes (and a local pub) as free gifts to them now.

Crossstitchfan

nanna8

Some houses are like this. When you go house hunting you just feel it. Quite inexplicable but it’s there. I would say if you can, move.

At last! Someone who feels like I do! Yes, some houses do have a funny feel about them. Didn’t the OP feel this when she viewed?
I think that once you feel that way about a house, nothing you do decorating-wise will fix it. If possible, it would be best to move. And be a bit more careful next time!

Well, you could ask a priest to perform an exorcism and bless the house. It would be less disruptive than moving!

I could cry sometimes at some of the beautiful curtains I have to rag. 😥 Most of our customers are the younger generation.
They just don’t want curtains that need a fitted rail.
I’ve made some beautiful cushions out of some of them which we sell in the shop. But they take up a lot of room and we don’t sell a lot.
Just yesterday I got my manager to make the decision on a pair of cream damask, fully lined curtains. I couldn’t make the call.
I’ve even offered some customers a free alteration. No go, it’s the rail.

Oh dear! It's such a waste.
I think of all the work that has gone into the manufacturing of these curtains too from the manufacture of the thread (could be cotton or other fibres, grown, processed), woven, sewn!

Well, it's their planet, their future

Even the most unpromising of houses can be "sorted" very often.

When I bought my house I wasnt aware of just how many problems it came with (ie those with two legs and a height range between 5'-6' aka trespassing/bossy neighbours).

I knew the house and garden would need gutting. But the neighbours came as a shock.....dogs being kept in nearby gardens and allowed to bark repeatedly!!!!! came as a shock. The "Pembrokeshire Promise" that so many tradespeople here do came as a shock.

So there's few houses that are beyond redemption - if one is determined enough. Basically managed to deal with the bad neighbours and the barking dogs and the unreliable workmen - as well as the house renovation I had bargained on. Whew - no wonder I feel tired sometimes after all that....

It only took just around 10 darn years dealing with problems - both expected and unexpected....but most problems can be dealt with...

Nil desperandum and keep at it - and a lot of house problems can be dealt with...but yep...start with the "throw some cans of paint over it".

"throw some cans of paint over it"
😂😂😂
If only it was that easy I'd do our hall stairs and landing this afternoon! Will it stick on the ceiling? 😁

glasshalffullagain

fancythat

Perhaps list on here what you find depressing about the house?

Some very kind and thoughtful suggestions here. The layout is typical Victorian terrace. It's light with high ceilings.

The kitchen is grim, brown and sucks the life out of me. I feel like any of the great ideas re decorating are just tinkering about. However there is no budget for new kitchen ( unpleasant back story here)
So it's a case of sprucing up the existing " facilities"

Partner is not unpleasant in any way... well no more than any of us are! Just not a DIY person.

Food for thought folks, Thanks

I'd suggest having a look at Instagram....there are many people who have posted about their homes and some wonderfully creative people (on limited budgets), that might be a place to get some ideas from.

A fresh coat of paint on the walls will make a huge difference. My friend also painted her cupboard doors and they look great.

silverlining48

A fresh coat of paint on the walls will make a huge difference. My friend also painted her cupboard doors and they look great.

Agreed.

Paint tins cost very little, easy application.

White ceiling paint reflect light well in darker spaces.

Living with some people can suck all the life out of you .
One of my friends can't stand her husband.
She's just come back from a holiday without him .
It's not just holidays it's evenings and weekends and she works part-time to get away from him .
Their house is nice and so is the garden ,but it's just a dormitory to her .
I think that you need to identify exactly what is depressing you .
I certainly would find some fresh flowers wonderful -because I'd photograph and paint them .
Try and create a cheerful colourful room for yourself and seek help .

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202504/medium-6cenlo-1000017654.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202504/medium-9k3xgt-1000017580.jpg

These are what I mean by 'pops of colour'. (These are Mother's Day flowers, but any flowers available will do.). I hope you've been inspired by all the suggestions you've been given glasshalffull.

Blimey, don't know is I'm coming or going! Went to see a McCarthy and Stone flat yesterday. Probably too expensive.

Hate this swinging about mood thing.

Thanks for useful ideas.

At the risk of stating the obvious, please do a lot of research into retirement flats before buying. They are not very good investments, as they have high service charges, and take a cut when you come to sell. I believe that if you don't sell back to them they continue to charge the service fees even if you aren't living there, so any equity reduces the longer it takes. I think you can be evicted if you develop Dementia, too.

Those things may or may not matter to you, but I have read that a lot of people have had their fingers burnt.

Thanks so much Doodledog for caring. Of course, we will be super careful. It'll take more than half a glass of cheap plonk and an M and S voucher to sway me!

I've also got the idea McCarthy and Stone flats are seriously not a good idea - I've heard of high service charges and distinct problems selling them.

Wouldnt be surprised if they've got a lot of unnecessary "rules" too and/or a character or two living there that thinks/hopes they rule the roost. Personally - the general feeling I get about them is "I wouldnt touch them with a bargepole" even though I'm gobsmacked at how comparatively low the prices often are (but I suspect that's for a reason...).

glasshalffullagain

Thanks so much Doodledog for caring. Of course, we will be super careful. It'll take more than half a glass of cheap plonk and an M and S voucher to sway me!

Good to hear.

I'm pleased you didn't think I was being patronising, as I really didn't intend to.

glasshalffullagain

Thanks so much Doodledog for caring. Of course, we will be super careful. It'll take more than half a glass of cheap plonk and an M and S voucher to sway me!

😁

Well done.
It took more than a glass of free plonk and a ham roll to persuade us to buy a timeshare in Lanzarote, although we could hear the celebratory champagne corks popping all around us.

They were never built.

If money is an issue look on Facebook Marketplace. My cousin has furnished his whole flat this way and it’s very nice. Also if you go on Freecycle and ask for something you will be amazed what people give away.

I've made a start and ordered a sample of Dulux Timeless!
And a lot of stuff needs to be thrown away and tidied up.
Am now wary of thinking that moving will help as done this lots in my life .