16 Responses

1. I feel your frustration with the rented accomodation! With so many ideas and just not able to utilise any of them! But, I have found many ways to improve our home that can be reversed. We tend to try to use things that are temporary and can be removed. As a small example, we have square shaped shelves which hang on the wall – I’d have loved to paint the interior piece of wall red to contrast with the cream walls – instead, I found some beautiful red wrapping paper and stuck this to the inside of our shelves. The effect is great and the wall is untouched. :)

2. My kitchen is too long and narrow! I would put in a one and half storey extension to make it wider and the small bedroom directly above it larger too. Then we could actually get along the sides of the table without crashing our backs into the shelves (ouch!). Doing this would also mean that I could have the balcony and french doors in my bedroom above it that I have always dreamed of. I would love two tickets to drool over things at the Ideal Home show, to plot and plan!

3. Ah I feel your pain … We lived in our absolutely wonderful but rented house for 4 years dreaming of all the things we would do it if it was ours … well, we did the one thing we wanted to do about it – that is, buy it. By a rather longwinded route, we managed to buy our house off our landlords last August. BEST thing we could have ever done. Its so nice to NOT have to move – and we knew all of this house’s quirks and are so pleased that it is now ours. We’re slowly working on it (usually in spurts as the husband is a university lecturer so it tends to happen during term breaks) – and were planning to go to the Ideal Home exhibition on my birthday (the 17th) as a birthday come house decorating treat …
   Would SO love to win some tickets (2 please!)

   You can see how we’ve been doing here:
   http://wooyayhooray.blogspot.com/search/label/house

4. I know what you are talking about. Inspirational trips to furniture or interior design shops usually don’t work that well when you are renting and are so limited in what you can alter to make your place a bit closer to heart! A friend recommended a nice piece to me which can make a huge difference – a gel burner, small portable fireplace, a lovely and chic piece which burns with absolutely real fire. I love it in my small lounge, I can just sit and look at it for hours!

   I bought it here: http://www.gelfireplaces.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=64&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=24

   They also have a blog with a lot of interesting ideas and images: http://gel-fireplaces.blogspot.com/

5. Well, one thing to change about my house is kitchen, as it a bit out of function. Because it is heart of the house, whole family always there for almost everythings … Relaxing time, play time, eating time, dancing, stories time , chat time , cooking and lots more.y

6. More space, essentially. I would love to be able to fit a writing desk in by our big bay windows, and Jenny would like to have her piano as well… But if we’re going really unrealistic, floor to ceiling bookshelves would be a dream come true.

   Also, we’re also rented, so all our walls are magnolia. My inner painter wants to get free.

7. I also rent and can’t change anything!

   But if I could, I’d make the lounge bigger so that I had room for my gorgeous hanging chair which is currently languishing in my parents’ loft :-(

   I’d love to win three tickets so that I could take my housemates and lust after all the things we can’t fit in our flat!

8. I’d love to have a loft extension to open up the top of the house and create a light filled studio space to paint in – probably just a pipe dream but it was be wonderful! :)

   I’d like 2 tickets please if I win!

9. A large conservatory/garden room would be wonderful, although we’d probably have to landscape the garden first to make it worthwhile!

10. An indoor pool would be a dream! Failing that, converting the basement into a games room – not a sorrid affair or anythign like that – just a nice pool table and some space to play darts without being moaned at…

    Would be good to win tickets for me and the missus.

11. I’d love to open up my fireplace, which has been bricked up as long as we’ve been living here. I’m hoping there are beautiful old Victorian tiles under there, but will probably be disappointed…

    Love the Ideal Home Show and 2 tickets would be fab!

12. Just cosmetic things really, but I never seem to find the time! Painting and decorating the living room, putting up shelves in the lounge, making use of the space under the stairs, it’s all on this list of things to do but have never got round to… yet! One day!

13. A complete kitchen makeover would be wonderful, replacing my old cooker with an Aga and putting in a pantry area, that would be bliss!

14. I would love to redecorate-take down the retro wallpaper and put down nice wooden flooring! Sadly I don’t think the landlord would approve!

15. Ideally I’d love to have more space. There is so much I can do with more space, I would be able to decorate the living area to my tastes and have more people round for dinner. A modernised power shower as opposed to a bath tub is something Id like as well as I much prefer having showers (especially in rented accommodation) than using a bath tub. Finally Id love to transform the hallway and mount an ornamental mirror on the wall so it creates the illusion of more space as well.

    I’d love two tickets please to the Ideal Home Show.

    Thanks

16. Apart from the annoying neighbours, to have the money to re-paint & wallpaper the whole of our house as we have been in 5 years and it needs decorating again. We had an amazing wallpaper stripper/hanger helper last time. Must see if she’s free again!