Anyone else live in their house

[Golfingnut]

We spent the first 40 years of marriage with traditional homes with standard Better Homes and gardens FURNITURE.

We decided to go for comfort 4 years ago when we moved to the villages. No formal dining room, just a round table with four chairs. We threw out the living room furniture and put in wrap around theater seating, large screen TV and a Bose sound system to bring the action right into the room with you. This setup seemed a bit strange to us at first, but now, we often say we should have done this long ago. Our kids would have loved the relaxed atmosphere as well.

Anyway, I feel so at home in this style as opposed to the traditional look that I wanted to offer our experience to anyone considering this approach to living at home.

[dotti105]

Sounds like you know how to relax and really enjoy your home!! We also plan to "live" in our home and our idea of comfort is much like yours.

Never again will I own anything that I do not actually use and enjoy; Use FREQUENTLY and enjoy!

Life is too short to spend time cleaning and tip toeing around useless formal furnishings. IMHO.

But of course, to each his own, some prefer the formal decor and cudos to them. I am just ready to relax and have some fun after years to being a slave to my home!!

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[Lovey2]

Sounds fabulous!! Although I love the look of the picture perfect homes, formally decorated and pristine, I am over it also! Had the whole living rm/family rm thing...and everyone STILL ended up in my kitchen! So I like the open informal living space most of us have here and the more relaxed living that encourages. My neighbor, every time he comes in here, comments that my house is so comforting to him. He just feels comfort and calm. No better compliment for me right now...I love it!

[graciegirl]

Yes. We LIVE in our house and it feels comfortable to us. We brought our old furniture with us and use it every day. BUT it isn't casual looking exactly.


Perhaps someone who has been in our home can say whether it feels comfortable.


It was what we had and we are using it. AND enjoying it.


I use tablecloths and cloth napkins when we have company which as of late is often...but they jump in and out of washer and dryers without ironing. I use nice dishes ( not for Big groups) and they survive the dishwasher, who cares if their metal gets a bit worn.


I like our old big soft velvet couches because you can wash chip dip off them, and I keep a lot of SpotShot for the rugs. I like things tidy and I can still clean things up. Sweetie is a HUGE help and we LOVE having company, and hopefully making them feel comfortable and welcomed. But we live here and use the big table that used to be kept for company.


So my advice is to bring or buy things you love and find comfort and a little beauty in and enjoy. This is NOT a dress rehearsal.






The white chairs below can and are wiped off with soap and water when they need it and they are recliners too.

[senior citizen]

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[Golfingnut]

Sounds fabulous!! Although I love the look of the picture perfect homes, formally decorated and pristine, I am over it also! Had the whole living rm/family rm thing...and everyone STILL ended up in my kitchen! So I like the open informal living space most of us have here and the more relaxed living that encourages. My neighbor, every time he comes in here, comments that my house is so comforting to him. He just feels comfort and calm. No better compliment for me right now...I love it!

:BigApplause:
Just reading all the comments dictates an addition to my OP.

[I][B]when I say comfortable, I should clarify that I mean physically NOT emotionally comfortable. In the past, we had unused pieces of furniture for no other reason than it looked pretty. We know our living area does not fit the vision of Martha Stewart, but our living room has ZERO items without a specific purpose related to comfort. No straight back hard chairs, no nic nac shelves or racks to clean around etc. nothing wrong with attempting to empress friends and family, we are just more into enjoying our retirement without the hassle of spending time prepping a house for entertaining. When we entertain and we do often we set up around our pool and outdoor lounging area.

[Enjoying Life]

Thank you Gracie for posting a picture, I would love to see more pictures of lived in homes. Yes. We LIVE in our house and it feels comfortable to us. We brought our old furniture with us and use it every day. BUT it isn't casual looking exactly.


Perhaps someone who has been in our home can say whether it feels comfortable.


It was what we had and we are using it. AND enjoying it.


I use tablecloths and cloth napkins when we have company which as of late is often...but they jump in and out of washer and dryers without ironing. I use nice dishes ( not for Big groups) and they survive the dishwasher, who cares if their metal gets a bit worn.


I like our old big soft velvet couches because you can wash chip dip off them, and I keep a lot of SpotShot for the rugs. I like things tidy and I can still clean things up. Sweetie is a HUGE help and we LOVE having company, and hopefully making them feel comfortable and welcomed. But we live here and use the big table that used to be kept for company.


So my advice is to bring or buy things you love and find comfort and a little beauty in and enjoy. This is NOT a dress rehearsal.

[CFrance]

Yes. We LIVE in our house and it feels comfortable to us. We brought our old furniture with us and use it every day. BUT it isn't casual looking exactly.


Perhaps someone who has been in our home can say whether it feels comfortable.


It was what we had and we are using it. AND enjoying it.


I use tablecloths and cloth napkins when we have company which as of late is often...but they jump in and out of washer and dryers without ironing. I use nice dishes ( not for Big groups) and they survive the dishwasher, who cares if their metal gets a bit worn.


I like our old big soft velvet couches because you can wash chip dip off them, and I keep a lot of SpotShot for the rugs. I like things tidy and I can still clean things up. Sweetie is a HUGE help and we LOVE having company, and hopefully making them feel comfortable and welcomed. But we live here and use the big table that used to be kept for company.


So my advice is to bring or buy things you love and find comfort and a little beauty in and enjoy. This is NOT a dress rehearsal.

Gracie, you have traditional furniture that is very comfortable and inviting to sit in, on, or at. Traditional doesn't have to mean stuffy and uncomfortable, and I would have brought your furniture too, as it fits your home so well.

We have contemporary casual furniture, but in the traditional layout--living room, dining room. I like being able to seat people at a table. I like having a sideboard for storage of dishes I still like to use. I like the way it looks--not having a dining room would feel strange to me--and I feel very comfortable in my house. There's nothing I need to put away if dogs or kids visit. And if anything breaks... oh, well. It didn't cost a fortune to begin with.

[senior citizen]

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[Lovey2]

Gracie!! Your home is fabulous, warm, comfortable, loving and very inviting!! From the moment YOU meet someone at the front door, all that is conveyed in just a smile. AND...you let us wander freely to see all your lovely things!! Yes, comfortable AND lovely!!

[senior citizen]

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[Lovey2]

:BigApplause:
Just reading all the comments dictates an addition to my OP.

[I][B]when I say comfortable, I should clarify that I mean physically NOT emotionally comfortable. In the past, we had unused pieces of furniture for no other reason than it looked pretty. We know our living area does not fit the vision of Martha Stewart, but our living room has ZERO items without a specific purpose related to comfort. No straight back hard chairs, no nic nac shelves or racks to clean around etc. nothing wrong with attempting to empress friends and family, we are just more into enjoying our retirement without the hassle of spending time prepping a house for entertaining. When we entertain and we do often we set up around our pool and outdoor lounging area.

Well, when I am PHYSICALLY comfortable, that does something good for my emotions!! I think we are all on the same page, just express it differently. Your set up sounds cozy, comfortable and a fabulous place to relax and watch a good show!

[Golfingnut]

i knew exactly what you meant and i totally agree and plan to do the same. We've been tossing out all the old "stuff" you mention above (to the salvation army). Our plan also is to create a relaxing area under the birdcage by the pool........florida is absolutely perfect for outdoor entertaining.........

i actually think our daughter was quite surprised when they came for the long weekend over thanksgiving time and noticed so much already gone. I don't want to be a slave to dusting, waxing, polishing, etc.

less is more.

28210

[Golfingnut]

28211

For those cold days.

[Golfingnut]

For those hot days.

[senior citizen]

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[Golfingnut]

p.s.
I should have mentioned that ours was the generation that was GIFTED with large sterling silver platters, wine goblets, trays, you name it..........s/s was the gifting king.

Polishing it all every holiday was a nightmare.......but we did it. No more.
When my husband still had his store, all of the older matrons (older than us at the time) were bringing in their sterling silver to sell to him to melt down for cash as they said their kids didn't want it. So true.

If we did that I would have to give up my daily nap. That's not gunna hapin.

[cbh1975]

We're living in our home and decorating it--together for a change! Hubby is proving to be surprisingly good at the furniture buying thing!

My rule when packing to move was if I didn't love it, it didn't get moved. We arrived with very little and now we're almost done furnishing our new home. My rule for the new remained the same--if I didn't love it, I didn't buy it. Of course, hubby had to love it, too. The result is a home that is comfortable and full of things we truly love--with one exception, but that's another post for another time. The other benefit is that, even though most everything was purchased at different places at different times, it all coordinates.

The one thing that truly surprised me was that our style is much more contemporary than I thought. No wonder I was never really happy with our previous furniture! I was buying what everyone else expected me to buy, instead of what I truly loved. I was buying for what other people would think. Never again.

We even found a painting done by a Villager for our living room at the art show yesterday. Saw it from a distance and fell in love with it! It's hanging in my living room and it makes me smile every time I look at it. I love that painting.

[graciegirl]

I LOVE to hear how people feather their nests.


I wish we had a decorator/home furnishing/ what did YOU choose/ kinda forum.


Just because it is fun for me to see how each person makes their loved personal space....theirs.


I have been in many homes here, and our homes are very, very similar here, with the kitchens mostly opening to the living areas....and yet every person finds a way to make their space just right for them.

[2BNTV]

I believe there is elegance, in simplicity. I also believe in functionality. One must position their furniture in such a way, as to allow a flow to a room.

I originally went to the Oscar Madison school of housekeeping. :(

I then decided to go the Felix Ungar school of house keeping. It's much better training. :smiley:

I find it much better not to have clutter around the house, but just enough to have everything one needs. I like to feel comfortable so my guest will feel comfortable. My ex-wife wanted a house for show and not comfort, as she had plastic seat covers on everything. Ever take a nap, and walk up in sweat, from plastic seat covers? Also, a white rug she didn't want anyone to walk on. Ughhhhhh......... I guess that's one reason why, she is my ex. :smiley:

Please Mr. Moderator, give Gracie, a decorating thread as it can be useful to many TOTV members, who enjoy interior decorating.

I like to think I do alright, for a guy who started to be into interior decorating, when trying to sell my condo in CT. It finally allowed me to move to TV, as a single woman bought it !!!! :smiley:

BTW - a dumpster is a great device for decluttering, for those who are moving to TV. Most people just have too much stuff. My mother used to have hundreds of knick knacks that she had to dust. I could never figure out, why someone would want to do that much housework, but to each their own.

Less is more!!!

[ugotme]

Guaranteed - if/when you come to our house you will either feel very comfortable or think we are "kinda messy."

No, we are not slobs but not everything is exactly in a place and OMG someone moved it!

When folks come to our house we want them to feel as if they are home. Sit, relax have something to drink and/or eat. If a crumb falls on the floor - okay - so we will pick it up.

Sorry, just don't like being at someone's house where I feel like a statue and never want to move for fear of wrinkling something or dropping something.

Am I making any sense????

[Baileysmom]

Gracie, your home and furniture are beautiful and comfortable. It is what you like and enjoy which is important. I don't always think it's just the furniture that creates a mood but the host and hostess. I am more of a casual person but whatever you enjoy and use is what is important. My mom would always use her good silver and china every day which was very nice. Her theory was there is no one more important than her family and they should use the best.

[fran c.]

and it is very welcomin as r u u have exquisite taste

[gomoho]

When a friend came to visit and said "where's all your stuff" I knew I had it right!!! Always kept a comfortable home, but loved my stuff - problem is "the stuff" requires work so I kept only what I loved and it's working just fine.

[jdsl1998]

I saw a show where Oprah was having an auction to get rid of things she realized were not comfortable or used....she said...
Winfrey said, "As you grow into yourself, you just want what's comfortable for you, so when you come to see me in a year from now, I'm gonna have a house that feels like pajamas."
I say that is how I want to feel about our home when we move to The Villages full time in January.

[Golfingnut]

Yes. We LIVE in our house and it feels comfortable to us. We brought our old furniture with us and use it every day. BUT it isn't casual looking exactly.


Perhaps someone who has been in our home can say whether it feels comfortable.


It was what we had and we are using it. AND enjoying it.


I use tablecloths and cloth napkins when we have company which as of late is often...but they jump in and out of washer and dryers without ironing. I use nice dishes ( not for Big groups) and they survive the dishwasher, who cares if their metal gets a bit worn.


I like our old big soft velvet couches because you can wash chip dip off them, and I keep a lot of SpotShot for the rugs. I like things tidy and I can still clean things up. Sweetie is a HUGE help and we LOVE having company, and hopefully making them feel comfortable and welcomed. But we live here and use the big table that used to be kept for company.


So my advice is to bring or buy things you love and find comfort and a little beauty in and enjoy. This is NOT a dress rehearsal.






The white chairs below can and are wiped off with soap and water when they need it and they are recliners too.

You don't iron your cloth napkins? Gracie you have gone wild. You did however make my point. We use paper towels for napkins so when one fills up with rib sauce, you can wad it up and grab another. Your furniture and entertaining method are exactly what I am saying we no longer do. Nothing wrong with your method, but in my opinion, not my vision of comfortable for me.

I don't iron my napkins. LOL.
Love
Lou