What's the first thing you notice whe you walk in to a home?

supermama2

Thu, Jan 28 2010, 12:08 pm

Tehilla wrote:

mimishkl wrote:

The first thing is I smell if the house has a good fresh odor. if it has a bad odor I wouldnt be able to walk in.

Perhaps people could attach a device to the doorbell. When it rings, it releases a fresh scent throughout the house.

Tehilla you should patent that one!

Mimisinger

Thu, Jan 28 2010, 12:11 pm

Well, we're looking at communities, so that's where my mind is....

I notice sefarim - where are they? Are they a main part of the room, or an after thought buried in the basement?

Is there a tv? Is that the main focus of the home? Is it enormous?

And, if a place is filthy, my thoughts stop there.

chickpea_salad

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 4:39 pm

The first thing I always notice is the smell. The odour changes when you walk from outside/inside. I might be behind someone and not be able to see the house but I notice the change in the air.

Unless it's a really strong smell, it won't affect my opinion of the home overall. Stinky animals, bleach, or too much air freshener are not good. The smell of someone cooking can never go wrong though Smile

Tablepoetry

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 5:19 pm

The decor. Did they put any thought into the aesthetic atmosphere of the home? Been to so many homes with the same black leather couch, white walls, no pictures. (Not done in a cool modern way, just plunked down with no thought). Generic, plain.

I love seeing homes that show love and thought was poured into the room. I don't care if its to my taste or not.....I prefer a home with weird taste in decor than one with no decor at all.

Also has very little to do with money. One can brighten a home with a can of paint and a few throw pillows.

I love learning a bit about the personality of the owners from the decor. I hate it when all the decor is an empty blank nothing.

As for smells.....cant recall entering many smelly homes. Where do y'all live that this is so common? The only smells I've come across when visiting others are lovely cooking smells or the harsh overwhelming bleachy smell of the cleaning obssesed.

pobody's nerfect

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 10:56 pm

Mimisinger wrote:

I take offense to the comment about seforim being buried in the basement. My husband davka put his learning office in our (finished) basement because a) it's much quieter bec the kids are not running around and b) seforim are not a show piece. He pointed out that his rosh yeshiva has no bookshelves on the main floor either.

MaBelleVie

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 11:04 pm

pobody's nerfect wrote:

Our rosh yeshiva also has his seforim all in the study.

amother

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 11:13 pm

I will say this--if I know someone is very judgmental about homes, I try to avoid having them over as much as possible. I'm just not up to having you over if you're going to be smelling and examining everything.

My daughter is now in early intervention and we have therapists in and out of the house, so that's pretty much unavoidable. I don't go nuts trying to clean before they come. They just have to deal.

ValleyMom

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 11:18 pm

In this order:

Flooring
Paint color
Minimalism

Some homes I walk into and I immediately feel comfortable, relaxed and at ease.

Other home feel overdone and I feel awkward and uncomfortable-like I will spill somewhere and be mortified.

Other homes I get the vide that I should not eat or drink or sit down on any surface before giving it a quick wipe.

amother

Sat, Sep 20 2014, 11:52 pm

Oyy I live in an apartment where the toy room/ living room and playroom are all together. My house is always a mess and people can see when thy walk in :/

marina

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 12:02 am

imasoftov wrote:

The first thing I notice when I enter a thread the date of the first post.

imasoftov, I'm going to revive some old threads just for you. Just because Smile

enjoy!

etky

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 12:31 am

Another vote for decor.
You learn so much about people from how they furnish and decorate their living space.
I also like to get ideas for interesting touches and decorating solutions that I might not have ever thought of myself.

cityofgold

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 5:31 am

Amount of light.

And truthfully, just because a person notices something when they walk in a home, it doesn't mean they necessarily are judging it.

I notice whether a house is light or dark because it's important to me and it's a very visual, immediate sense. If my friend is happy in her non-well-lit home, I surely don't care. Same for decor. I like to decorate, not everyone does. I don't care if someone else has bare walls. It's not my house.

I guess decor would be next, but I just find it interesting. Most people are not going to have the same taste in home decor as I have. But it is interesting to see everyone's style.

imasoftov

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 6:42 am

marina wrote:

imasoftov, I'm going to revive some old threads just for you. Just because Smile

enjoy!

I found those interesting. Maybe try bumping all the honey cake threads ever, there aren't enough of those active right now.

MamaBear

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 8:45 am

I can only think of two homes I've ever noticed like this. One was the messiest I've ever seen in my life. Dirty and messy. And I was eating there for a shabbos meal. Just junk on every inch of the house.

The other had a roach infestation. Again, I was eating there. Where's that smiley face that looks like it's throwing up.....

No one else get much of a thought in my mind. My kids trash my house ten times a day, I can't judge anyone, but I do ask that everyone gives me a heads up when they want to stop by. Smile

debsey

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 11:17 am

We're renovating, so I'm always looking at colors. I just walked into someone's home for a vort and the first words out of my mouth (to the hostess, an aunt of the kallah) instead of Mazal Tov, was I love your kitchen floor. Is it wood or linoleum wood look? (It was linoleum wood look)
How pathetic is that??!!!!

PAMOM

Sun, Sep 21 2014, 11:23 am

Presence of books and art
Smell ( I'm excluding normal family/kitchen smells, but if your kids are in diapers or you have sick pets, have some jars of odor- neutralizer around. And keep one in the bathroom I'll use please-- I don't want to embarrass myself if I make a smell!)
I like light and notice it, but it's not my house so it's just idly noticing. Same with decor -- it's interesting to see and I like learning more about my friends that way.
I never ever notice clutter, except maybe to see what magazines or papers are out-- tells me more about friends. I don't care if plates match as long as conversation is good! I love good food but I can get that at restaurants-- I came to spend time with you and your family ! Hope this helps!