apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Great post, Sarah, and an important one too, I think. It's really hard at times to find the balance between appreciating something or admiring its design and wanting to own it. I think AT does a great job of bridging the gap with a lot of DIY ideas and simple meditations or observations on design in addition to product spotlights and "stuff." You offered some great tips as well. It's good to try to keep things in perspective. "More, more, more" isn't always the best way to go.

Two of my friends and I went to school for Furniture Design and people are always surprised to discover that none of us have much furniture. One friend has a blow-up couch that keeps deflating and the other has some restaurant booth seats that were being thrown away at work (we make restaurant furniture, we don't flip the burgers).

The point is... we all learned long ago that it's much better to do without and wait for that one piece of furniture that is RIGHT. not cool. not trendy. not well-photographed. RIGHT. ...or maybe our standards are just too high.

i would have to agree with sarah...researching and writing about design is a great way to satisfy yourself without CONSUMING.

It's true - oddly enough since I started writing my blog, I've desired fewer "things" because the act of researching and writing somehow fills the same niche. But, I do get the urge from time to time, and this is a fun post.

T8
www.strangeclosets.com
When design takes priority, the result is often strange closets.

I find watching the trends cycle in and out makes me less enthusiastic about purchasing something. Reading design blogs makes me more aware of these trends.

And I definitely have the being broke issue which is the final barrier.

The best way I know to quiet the "I-Want" monster is to go "Trick Shopping."

Sometimes the I-Want monster just needs to be run, like a dog, so I will go online and hunt for free samples from companies I like, or to my local library website and I "order" books. Sometimes I just fill up a shopping cart at a company I like, and then save it - tricking the monster into thinking we'll be back later to check out.

By doing one, or all, of these things makes my consumer heart fill full without the huge financial commitment.

When I moved to NYC in 1994, I took no furniture because I didn't have a place to live (stayed with friends in PA for 6 weeks), then I couldn't figure out how to live in such a teeny space and where to buy stuff other than IKEA, with no car but the IKEA bus to Elizabeth, NJ. I had to take my time and I bought a few pieces that I LOVED.

I saw a Roche Bobois ad that had a black leather sofa made with down that I loved, but no way was I gonna spend $10,000 on THAT! Plus I didn't like the sloppy look you get with down. I found a sofa from the Leather Center which I got on sale for the top grade of leather and it was the same price as the lowest grade for 2,200 bucks. The main difference was the legs weren't the bun feet and not down filling, which I didn't like anyway. Bun feet cost about 40 bucks, if I want to change them.

I also saw the Revers Chair at Cassina. Then I lost the store 'cause I saw it on my way home from work which changed every day because I was trying to figure out the neigborhoods. When I found it again, I almost died that each chair was about 350 and I was thinking about getting them as dining chairs. I waited and saw them as floor model sales, so I bought 2 a few years later when I finished business school and got a big promotion. They went up in price, like 550 each, but the sale was 50 off. What was great was I was able to WALK home with them.

I love both these pieces and consider them to be art. Before I got the sofa, friends thought my apt was so empty I was running a dance studio, but I have what I love.

I also wanted to buy other things that could be used as something different when I moved to a larger place, so it would be a multi use item. We just need to buy smart.

Yeah, I always wait a week or so and look for other similar items as I comparison shop. Especially if I only just stumbled across the given thing. If I'm still thinking about said thing a week later (or two months later, in the case of Anthropologie's koi plates), I'll often make a purchase.

On the other hand, if I've been looking for a particular exact right thing and I finally stumble across it, then yeah, I buy it right then.

this is exactly why i started a blog, to wean myself off buying.

Hmm. How do you start one of these blog things? I need all the deterence I can get!

I do a lot of research for my design job, and you're right. I never thought about it this way... But, it's true. When you are surrounded by design, you are much more discriminate. I don't think you need to start a blog... Just read them, keep a file on your computer of your favorites. Just become more knowledgeable about the World Wide Web of Design.

Great post! So true!

well... to answer the question about seeing many great things without buying... my experience shows that being broke really helps :)
At the end of the day, they are just "things", no matter how beautiful they are. Sure the white Eames lounge chair (et son ottoman) makes me drool, but I'd rather use my hard-earned money to travel and live great experiences with my family and friends. Cheesy, I know, but true.

This is great, especially for those of us who are broke. Inspiration is always appreciated!

Sometimes when I am in a shop, I tell myself that I am in a "museum of contemporary objects." That way, I think of the stuff as items to see, not to have.

I have a really hard time deciding on major purchases, which is very handy for not buying stuff, if frustrating. I save links to my delicious-- http://del.icio.us/ -- account and I save books and things to my Amazon account. It does satisfy some acquisition urge and I can always find it later. Oh yeah, and then there's the lack of the thousands for a lot of the furniture in, say, the NYT House and Garden section. Is that where I saw all the $10K chairs today? I actually like to buy old junk and fix it up or use it as is. It has character. Although I also love new stuff.

When I am looking for something, I split the process into 2 steps: shopping and buying. Shopping is about locating the thing you need or want. I never purchase when shopping. Its all about investigating the possibilities, not acquisition. Once I have located a few items of interest, I go home, mull them over, do some research. If I still want the item(s), I will go back for the purchase the following week. This is the really important step: if I see the item the second time and it fails to live up to my recollection, I don't buy it. That is a sure indicator that there is some other dynamic at work drawing me to purchase the item, and that it's probably an item I don't really need or want.

I have very little trouble resisting purchases, especially from constant bombardment. I love the idea that there are so many things to choose from, and ideas that are executed that are clever and available that are interesting. It is somewhat of a "world is my oyster" kind of approach. I can find things interesting that I don't want ever in my home, I can gleefully reject everything I see to my heart's content, until I need something or convince myself that this thing has value to me.

Similarly at yard sales and flea markets and thrift stores, I can see how the urge strikes some people to just give fine junk a home, and I try to see things for what they are, other people's junk, especially if they're going to be a project. I.e., it took me 3 months to put a new cover on the seat of a $5 chair. I'm not very patient therein, and so I have to come by treasures that are near enough to the top or in a category of something I need really badly. It is a little more difficult to let go some things of my family, my parents' and grandparents' things, but they are usually good and old with fond memories and things I've had my eye on for some time. I know where to find them, and they are free. Everything else, I do not need, for I want the things I want.

That about sums it up: I want the things I want - elementally, if I need something or decide that I want it, I will hunt for the right one, measurement, color, price, etc. I rarely spot something so amazing I have to buy and figure out later where to put it and how to make it work in my home, but I really love the availability of all of them if they become my choice to own or be inspired by.

Great post. This was a real problem for me, so I did what a few of you have mentioned, trick shopping, del.icio.us, tried to sit with the idea for a few days, but I was always worried it would get away or I'd try and remember and build it up that I'd forgotten just that perfect thing.
Then I found Kaboodle. I add everything to a list there first. Even if you don't use the "social" aspect of the website its like a saved shopping cart with pictures of all your items. Its like your wish list for everywhere, even if it is not for sale. Or a gift list so you can remember oh yeah that would be great for Mother's Day. Or your place to have friends and strangers vote on the best of 2 or 3 options. And it helps you connect with retailers too, like getting exclusive Design Public discounts. Can you tell I love it much?

It's like being a waitress. You might serve all day and not eat but when you get off work the last thing you want to see is food.

I've worked in fashion mags for the last 3 years and I can tell you that I shop for clothes waaaaay less than anyone else I know.

That's actually what brought me to AT. I was looking for a new obsession! ;-)

I resist temptation by thinking about how much work I have to do to pay for X item, where I will put it, and do I actually *need* it.