What you gonna do with all that junk?

I'm working on a post I'm excited about.  A fellow French expat I just met gave me a tour of her incredible house.  Oh what a house!  I'm still under the shock.  But I'm waiting for pictures so not yet.

 Meanwhile, Karey m. of Mackink heard my whining distress and urged be to go to this  A Cup of Jo post, (with a guarantee that there would be no nymphet threat whatsoever)  which led me to this Cookie Magazine article and Karey, you must know my virtual self pretty well because I love this house.

I wonder what's going on with me?  The more I read about architecture, design.  The more I look at Etsy and drool, the less I actually want stuff in my house. The more my personal stuff feels like an tar-coated albatross around my neck. This morning I packed boxes and boxes of objects I could not separate from, could not live without, in an effort to create more visual space.  It's a matter of sanity suddenly.  And now I want to let go of it completely.  I don't even want it in boxes.  I don't want my former precious collectible--now junk--near me.

Is there a shrink in the house?

So these rooms, clean and pared down to the essential, yet warm and cozy. (Is this another way to say 'Swedish?' ) are like (mmm..  oh well...) a visual oasis to my parched corneas.  

What do you do with your unwanted decor stuff?  Do you sell it on e-bay?  Give it away?  Do you sell it on etsy or at garage sales.  Or are you of the hoarder persuasion? 

Comments

[AnnieG]

Having my garage sale tomorrow. How did all this stuff accumulate? I blame the basement. When we lived in 1400 sq ft? Lack of stuff meant sanity.

[muralimanohar]

I'm of the hoarder persuasion. But then I move so much, usually overseas, that I am forced by luggage constraints to pare way, way down, so it all balances out. :p

[Nikella]

Oh, I love the Swedish/Skandinavian style...have you ever read/looked at the book "Nordlicht" by Dorrit Elmquist and Birgitta Wolfgang? It was published a few years ago in Danemark ("Nordlys") and Germany and is now my favourite book. After looking through that book I realized I had to get rid of half of my possessions! I sold a lot on ebay and yardsales and fleamarkets. The funny thing is, my head is clearer since I don't own a million things anymore. Life seems simplified.
Thank you for your blog! I get a lots of inspirations from it!

[karey m.]

oh, i was hoping you'd love it! i'm the same way these days...seeking all-white and no clutter.

i'm always like this on the cusp of summer, though...

[anrosh]

My friends think I am "limited" when they see my extremely spare home. The definition of clutter is when one looses's ones breathing space.The bottom line is everybody should be comfortable in one's home, doesn't matter what the style magazine say. I am sucker for everything pretty. I remember seeing the picture of your garden/lawn in some other posts - I will like to keep it just that way - pretty and full of flowers and those bricks resembling provence,?!

[anne]

Stunning is the word I would use!!!

My husband needs to "de-clutter", he can;t stand the word, I use it a lot with him, and we need to spend money and sort this house out!!!!

[melissa lewis - off the wall]

I am right there with you Corine. My home seems to always be changing thanks to the inspirations I receive on the blogs and Etsy. Seems I am always changing and updating:)

[Di Overton]

Remember - one man's junk is another man's treasure. I know this :)

[Cat]

C: So how did you like it when you de-cluttered. Brilliant idea putting it all in a box. Here are the problems and possible solutions for moi:
1.) I continue to buy beautiful things b/c I LOVE to look at them. AARRGGHHHHHH
2.) Of course when they are all out it looks total hodgepodge
3.) I spent my hard earned $$$ on it so I want it out.
4.) Put everything in boxes and put out a few things for the season...then change it out?? How about that?

[mrs. french]

Oh my, I really love this house too.