It's not a terrible problem to have, but it's still a problem: After two years of living in the same apartment and collecting art, furniture and accessories, our home is bursting at the seams with an overflow of items. So much so that it's honestly taking away from each of our favorite pieces and the overall look of our home. Here are few tips for paring down and simplifying your life.
Think like a photographer (or a guest who visits). Use the trick of snapping photos of your main spaces to see them on the screen. This will help you remove yourself from the rooms you see in person everyday. Consider even using photography to help you document sentimental clutter so you can free up some space in your home. Check out these tips on How A Camera Can Help Get Rid of Sentimental Clutter.
Consider what pieces of furniture you don't use in the space. And actually take them out if you're not ever going to use them. It sounds easy enough, but when you're a vintage furniture find addict, every piece has so much potential. Give the boot to pieces that you could use one day, and make more elbow room for the pieces you will use today.
Consider storing away some art and accessories. Refresh your space all year long by storing a quarter to half of your overflowing art and accessory collections away. It's a tough idea to swallow if you love absolutely everything you've collected, but it'll be easier for your beloved finds to stand out and shine when they have more of a starring role (instead of being half buried by other art!).
(Image: Gregory Han / Take Pictures of Your Space to Start Seeing Clutter)
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I just did this over the long weekend, in my bedroom. Some stuff got donated, but there were some decorative pieces that I just don't have room or table-top space to display, but that I really want to keep.
So I got a bin that will fit under my bed and limited the "keepers" to those that will fit in the bin. In 4 to 5 months, I'll haul out the bin and change things up a bit. And if anything stays in the bin for a year without seeing the light of day, I'll know that it probably should be donated.
On Hoarders I saw the photo thing done with a girl who had too many stuffed animals...she was 14. It was hard for her but it's a great idea!
I love the "think like a photographer" bit of advice. As a blogger myself, I find myself editing almost too much, to the point that I now have to go back and fill in some of the blanks I've left! I think seasonal rotation is the key to keeping things fresh and showcasing your more precious items.
Choose a theme or a color - one unifying idea. In the picture above it could be vintage cameras or deep blue or butterflies or white or lots of other things. Remove everything that doesn't fit and store it for future use, when you decide on another theme or color.
Along the way, you will find things that need discarding and rediscover some old friends that you've not noticed for a while.
I've found that doing this gives me clarity and focus when I am faced with a lot of stuff that I love but which is too cluttered to make sense or be lovely.
When I'm dusting/rearranging, I like to take all of the items off my shelves, tables, and mantle and put everything in one pile. I go through everything and sort the items by kind, or by subject or even color. For instance, I group all of my seashells together, all of my bird stuff, all of my rocks and minerals, etc. and then by room. Oftentimes I discover that I have too much going on at once. If I have 5 seashells on display in my bathroom, I put 2 away in storage for a bit. I'm a fan of the PRANT boxes from Ikea because they stack well and can be painted and color-coded (blue for knickknacks, red for candles, yellow for cards and papergoods, etc.)
I can't bear the idea of storing my treasures, and my house is for ME, not for photographers or even guests. I try to contain stuff and I try to do the "one thing IN = one thing OUT" approach, but not with amazing success! I stopped permitting myself to be a compleatist so I know I don't need "one of everything", but I do have too many treasures... It's far from hoarder level, many surfaces are empty, but it is an ongoing challenge. I guess it's partly because my treasures aren't just "decor" they have more importance to me than that.
Love the tip from DULCIBELLA! I too struggle with the competing themes of "camera ready" vs. sentimental collecting, and so continue to search for a happy medium :)
I love all 3 ideas. They totally make sense. My favorite was "storing art and accessories". What a brilliant idea! I started doing that, but I figured it was just me having too much stuff as opposed to self-editing! What a grand idea!
Thanks for the tips!
My treasures aren't "decor" either. Then again, I'm not constantly shopping, so it isn't really a problem for me.
@ Cheryl K- Your house sounds like mine! Shells, feathers, bird nests, rocks/minerals... The top foto of this article looks like a shelf in my bathroom (except I also have added some antique medicine bottles).
@ SherryBinNH- I feel the same way. My treasures (and they truly ARE found treasures I've collected from all over the world!) aren't decor pieces. They reflect my life, my travels, & the friends I've made along the way. Usually the only way things get "edited" is when someone in looking at something I have displayed in my house & they say "Wow! This is awesome/beautiful/unusual..." I can't help but give things away to people who I have that connection with & I know they will love it & perhaps share it with someone else.
I'm good at editing out furniture if I'm no longer using the piece or "feeling" it. But my treasures? Gotta keep them! (yeah, my house will never be ready for a "photo shoot", but it is ALWAYS ready for friends & loved ones!)