So I do a lot of blog stalking. With all the time I put into blog stalking you'd think I could post more than once a millennium, eh?
WELL ANYWAY
I see a lot of really cool things, primarily houses and vintage collections. Cause that's what I'm into. People with salt n pepper shaker collections, tiki collections, record collections, and milk glass collections (sigh.. i love milk glass) Pyrex, dolls, shells, whatever... I love checkin it out.
But then I'll see a house tour like this:
This home is beautiful. Gorgeous. Etc. Click here for the full tour. But it left me thinking "uggghhh my life is so chaotic i suckkkk"
As I frantically looked around for items to donate/throw away/beam into another dimension I couldn't find one item to commit to. These items speak to me! I found them in the most unusual places, they are my treasure.. I just couldn't have such a sparse and simplistic home. ever.
Looking back, I have always been this way. It is not that I cannot part with things. I threw away my first pair of chucks, something a lot of people are unable to do! I got rid of that Dennis Rodman poster I had in my wee younger days.. But ever since I was able to start collecting there has always been some group of items I just cannot part with. It changes over time. From Pokemon figures to Pyrex.. but the idea stays the same.
So, if you can't beat it.. join it?
I've seen other house tours that are the opposite of simplistic, and they still look GREAT! Like Jennifer from Naughty Secretary Club.. her home has some amazing collections. Tiki? Yup. Vintage hats/purses/sunglasses? Oh yeah. Bowling balls? You know it! It is super kitsch and super gorgeous.
images via Apartment Therapy.
So then I think to myself: I define the rules of my abode. If I truly want to have a home that is sleek and simple, I can work towards that. However, if I like my collections (which I totally do) then I can arrange them and present them in a way that doesn't feel cluttered but beautiful.
I know this isn't really a novel idea, but I have so many conflicting views of beauty in the home that sometimes they clash.. It is nice to come to terms with your design style, and find a way to make it work. Especially considering I'm in a rental home that is tiny and honestly a little ugly. I just gotta work with what I have and continue to evolve.
I'll still look at those simple tours with a bit of wonder, but instead of feeling inadequate I will take bits and pieces for inspiration to make my home a place I love.
You are a truly entertaining writer, and an inspiration to those of us that like old (vintage!) curiosities.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Lu
I know exactly how you feel! I see photos of minimalist houses and think, "yes! that's how I should go!" and then I look at my stuff and think, "Hmm..." But then I think that I have too much stuff and look at houses that are beautifully stuffed and wonder why mine doesn't look the same to me. It's all about perspective, I guess?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I'd look at minimalist design and think it was beautiful, but now it doesn't really appeal to me. To live like that, you'd have to be worried about picking up constantly. Leaving so much as a Coke can or a nail file in that carefully staged emptiness would destroy the effect, so your house could never really looked "lived in." I want to be more relaxed in my own home. I've also come to know my own taste well over the years (and, trust me, it's been through many incarnations in the 40+ years since I got my first apartment). In art terms, I like more positive space than negative space. It's more visually interesting to me. So while extreme minimalism is cool for some, I find it too stark and cold for me. Like you, I'm happy with my things. :)
ReplyDelete