In my heart, I am a collector. I love design magazines, books, teapots and cups, trays, coffee serveware, clothes, textiles, photographs and artwork. But aesthetically, I gravitate towards the spare and modern. This tension has been taken to new heights in the years following the birth of my children. As your household grows, so does your stuff. Exponentially. Of course, we also moved into a larger home and our stuff grew accordingly.
A recent getaway made me want to pare down. It was so lovely to have all the dishes fit onto one open shelf at our rental. It makes putting clean dishes away so easy and quick. The kitchen, dining and living area got a lot of use while we were there but on the morning we were to depart, it took us no time at all to straighten up. We made the two beds easily and the house looked almost exactly as we had first found it. Cleaning and tidying up was so easy.
Lately as my boys have grown to be preschoolers and the special baby items are no longer necessary, I've been looking for ways to pare down. But I don't mean just giving boxes and bags of things to Goodwill, which we do every few months. I'm talking more of a sea change. And this is scary for me. But as with any challenge, you've got to face it. So here are my 3 basic tips for paring down at home:
1. The first step is to stop acquiring things. That is already difficult. As a design enthusiast and blogger, I am required to sift through hundreds of images of interiors, exteriors and objects all day long. It's not easy to see something your eyes and heart covet and leave well enough alone.
2. The second step is to really go through our house, top to bottom, and get rid of things including furniture. I don't think I need to explain to most of you how difficult this can be. But done right, you'll be able to start with a clean and uncluttered canvas.
3. The third and final step is to maintain. I'm assuming if I am able to accomplish 1 and 2, that I will have an overwhelming desire to fill in all that freed up storage space. So maintenance will be my lifelong burden.
Truthfully, I don't know if I will get down to the minimalist style that I am referring to. The blissful days away inspired me to reach for it. But a vacation house, after all, is a special retreat, not a full time home. So baby's coming home outfit, the childrens' artwork, our holiday decorations, the Thanksgiving turkey platter, and all that other stuff doesn't exist there. As with all important things in life, it comes down to a balance and I'm hoping to strike the right one for us soon.
(Image: Janie Lee)
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Very timely post. Thank you!
Yes, this is a timely post. I decided to clean out my office this weekend-not just belated spring cleaning but a serious overhaul of what should stay. Everything was up for scrutiny, something I hadn't done before. Things I held onto dearly for years no longer hold the same sentiments.
While it may be impossible to stop accumulating things, being more selective of what I bring in and periodic cleaning may be the way to go for now. Of course, I'm not sure what to do when the occasional rogue odd gift or hand me down appears. Thoughts? It's a work in progress.
I'm working on this, too! Room by room, drawer by drawer.
Flooding in our area also inspired me to pare down. We were not affected by the water, but many were (Duluth, MN area.)
http://ourfunwithfive.blogspot.com/2012/06/after-rain.html
In the event we are ever the ones in a hurry to save our belongings, it will sure be nice to have the unnecessary stuff weeded out. And it'll be lighter & happier for everyday living, too.
Like you, I'm a collector, so it's a balancing act - really limiting what I bring home.
Getting there on the getting rid of stuff!! And my biggest goal is to maintain.
One of the things I am always struck by with articles that advocate minimalism is that they are in magazines who make their income by selling the goods and services the article is telling us not to acquire. We live in a consumer based economy (whether we like it or not) and most of us make our livings providing others with goods and services. If there is no demand for goods and services the companies produce,then they don't need employees. Currently weak demand is keeping the unemployment rate very high. What are people supposed to do for a living?
What you said about cleaning and tidying being easier is one thing I noticed on a trip recently. After coming home, I looked around and thought "what *is* all this stuff?" I think it helped that the trip was to a Zen center:)
My new theory is for very item I bring into the house, two items must leave. Food is the only exception. It's worked great for me. The items leaving can be big as in furniture or small like a paperclip.
Our economy does rely on consumers purchasing goods. This said, we still do not have to go "hog-wild" in buying everything that strikes our fancy. Thoughtful purchasing, without breaking our budgets, is still possible. I love the simplicity of choosing one set of dishes to use for everyday and for company -- a few different placemats or tablecloths or runners in various colors can bring color and change to a set of white or clear plates. A few items artfully placed in the living room can be rotated seasonally or whimsically without causing a cluttered feel.
I think once you stop acquiring things, the other steps will be easier.
Here is how to stop acquiring things: go cold turkey. Starting today don't buy anything for 3 months (except necessities obviously). It's actually liberating to surf the web without your credit card in hand. Going forward give yourself an allowance. Make it small enough so can't buy everything you want, but big enough to keep you from cheating. And give yourself the option to let it accumulate for a bigger purchase.
@Granville: how about consuming in a more sustainable manner? Buying less but buying high quality (not necessarily expensive), fairly produced products? One piece of funiture, made with green materials in a non mass-produced way. So while you buy less the people fabricating your stuff will not only have jobs but decent jobs and its better for the environement too. One original artwork instead of ten Ikea prints. Also, the money you save by not buying stuff could also go into better food (organic, fair trade) or consumation that doesn't amount to things filling your home (travelling, going to restaurants, theaters ect).
This is slightly off-topic and I apologize but there might be some good responses. I'm generally looking for sites that reinforce simple, uncluttered living. Those that have a design angle are particularly fun but it doesn't have to be. Can anyone suggest? I browsed organizemyhive too. Thanks Vicki From Busy Bee Organizing for posting your link. I enjoyed your photos and comments.
this post put into words exactly what i've been feeling in the three weeks i've been home after a vacation. thank you!
i am subletting my apartment to a friend for a year and had to remove all of my personal belongings and a fair bit of furniture to make room for his stuff. in the process of storing all of my things in a single closet (the other closets going to the subletter), i noticed that most of the knick-knacks i owned were gifts. people who wanted to show me some sort of affection through material goods had bought me decorative boxes, tea light candleholders, olive trays (i don't even eat olives), etc.
at first, i felt bad about getting rid of stuff that someone else had given to me. if i had bought it, it was pretty easy for me to discard it, but knowing that someone else took the time to get it for me (even if it was something i never used) made me feel a little guilty about donating it. i did it anyway and i'm glad that i did. i felt such a sense of achievement being able to fit everything i own (other than large pieces of furniture) into a single closet.
Sepher,
Try zerowastehome.blogspot.com
Thank you KPC!
32 years, same house, chaos...
To address (V) (;,,;) (V)'s point...
In cleaning out my childhood room and the attics of a couple family members, I realized that some small knick-knacks and things really do have meaning. I was lucky enough to realize this before I set up my own home. So I never buy myself knick knacks, but have space for and can enjoy what I've been gifted (or will be gifted) over the years. It's a pretty proactive approach, and takes planning and restraint, but I'm so glad I did it!
You must have read my mind. I'm in the exact same place down to my child's coming home outfit, his artwork, our holiday decorations and the Thanksgiving turkey platter. Very timely indeed.
Great tips! I will have to try this out. I think a problem many people have is having too much stuff/belongings in one's home. Owning fewer things does make organizing a home much easier.
Sepher,
I keep a blog called reductionism:
http://reductionism.tumblr.com/
"an ongoing collection of minimal spaces and conjecture about the role of "stuff" in homes, closets and in our minds."
We travel for two months every year, and every year I come home and learn a little more about what wasn't missed while we were gone. I mean, if my kid only needs one backpack of toys and one suitcase of clothes for two months...
I always miss my kitchen stuff though. I have gadgets I like and use and rentals never do, especially in Europe.
The one thing I don't have that I ought to acquire is an hour to properly empty/sort a shelf without it taking four days!
Something I realised during a major "stuff" overhaul when moving overseas was that one needs to not only let go of the things that you don't use or don't love, but also let go of things that you can live without... so to truly pare down, even things that you like and use should be considered whether you actually NEED them.