Lately, it seems every where I turn, I find an article about getting rid of clutter. If you haven't used it or worn it in "x" amount of time, get rid of it! If you don't find it useful or beautiful, get rid of it! Less is more. Empty space is beautiful.
I just don't get it!
There is a difference between useless junk, unsanitary or unsafe living conditions and just plain having "stuff". We have "stuff". Some would call it clutter. I like looking at the walls and knowing that I created that sampler. The copper rubbing of a horse was made by my father more than 70 years ago. The print of kittens in a basket was a gift from my son's 3rd grade teacher in appreciation for the time I spent volunteering in their classroom. The acrylic painting on one wall was purchased years ago on vacation and brings back lovely memories of that time. The oil painting over the fireplace was the first thing my husband and I bought together for our home after we were married. I could go on and on. The point is, our walls have little bare space but every item on them holds a memory or tells a story. Ours is not a small house. It was built in 1900 and has 2,400 SF. That's a lot of wall space and most of it is covered. Current trends would suggest that I take photos of those items and pare down what is on my walls. Somehow I just don't think that looking at a photo of a picture would be the same.
Our home is filled with pieces of mostly old furniture. Some would call them antiques or vintage. Many of the pieces were on their way to the landfill because of broken parts or damaged finishes. My husband repairs the broken parts and I clean, polish, refinish or recover as needed. They served a previous generation and will most likely serve a future generation.
The bookshelf in my kitchen was literally rescued from a dump more than 40 years ago by my father. It apparently was a display rack for Nabisco products many years ago and is made of solid oak. For a number of years it lived in the barn at my childhood home and held my grooming supplies for my horse. I spotted it one day a few years ago, disassembled, in the back of my father's workshop. It came home with me that day, was cleaned up and proved to be the perfect spot for holding my cookbooks. It is now truly an antique. How many items that would now be antiques never made it to that stage because someone thought they were clutter?
And the cookbooks on that shelf? Many of them are older than I am. They hold recipes that are not found in more modern editions. Without them, I would only know to make pudding by buying a mix! How many skills are we literally throwing away because we are not holding onto old books?
Quilts. I look at many quilts made today and they consist of pretty designs created from brand new fabrics bought just for the purpose of making that quilt. There is nothing wrong with that. They are still objects of craftsmanship and beauty, but to my way of thinking, those quilts do not hold the same fascination as the old crazy quilts created from scraps of worn out clothes. I have a couple of old quilts made by long gone women in my family. I love to look at them and imagine what dress that piece of velvet came from, or what suit that scrap of wool. How many clothes that are now just thrown away would in earlier times have become part of a memory in a quilt?
New and shiny and spare is just fine for some. For me, I will take my clutter with its charm and history and hopefully someday pass it on to a future generation so they too can remember and enjoy.
"Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is an intimate view that is not always perfect; a few dishes in the sink, books piled next to the bed. Everything in its place may give a certain satisfaction, but a lived-in room exudes comfort and warmth." (Mary Randolph Carter)
Our home is filled with pieces of mostly old furniture. Some would call them antiques or vintage. Many of the pieces were on their way to the landfill because of broken parts or damaged finishes. My husband repairs the broken parts and I clean, polish, refinish or recover as needed. They served a previous generation and will most likely serve a future generation.
The bookshelf in my kitchen was literally rescued from a dump more than 40 years ago by my father. It apparently was a display rack for Nabisco products many years ago and is made of solid oak. For a number of years it lived in the barn at my childhood home and held my grooming supplies for my horse. I spotted it one day a few years ago, disassembled, in the back of my father's workshop. It came home with me that day, was cleaned up and proved to be the perfect spot for holding my cookbooks. It is now truly an antique. How many items that would now be antiques never made it to that stage because someone thought they were clutter?
And the cookbooks on that shelf? Many of them are older than I am. They hold recipes that are not found in more modern editions. Without them, I would only know to make pudding by buying a mix! How many skills are we literally throwing away because we are not holding onto old books?
Quilts. I look at many quilts made today and they consist of pretty designs created from brand new fabrics bought just for the purpose of making that quilt. There is nothing wrong with that. They are still objects of craftsmanship and beauty, but to my way of thinking, those quilts do not hold the same fascination as the old crazy quilts created from scraps of worn out clothes. I have a couple of old quilts made by long gone women in my family. I love to look at them and imagine what dress that piece of velvet came from, or what suit that scrap of wool. How many clothes that are now just thrown away would in earlier times have become part of a memory in a quilt?
New and shiny and spare is just fine for some. For me, I will take my clutter with its charm and history and hopefully someday pass it on to a future generation so they too can remember and enjoy.
"Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is an intimate view that is not always perfect; a few dishes in the sink, books piled next to the bed. Everything in its place may give a certain satisfaction, but a lived-in room exudes comfort and warmth." (Mary Randolph Carter)
No comments:
Post a Comment