Collector or Minimalist or Somewhere In Between?

Oznell · ‎11-08-2014

As far as these decorating mindsets go, I have to confess to leaning more "collector", although with caveats. I've limited my collections to things I really love, and the number in each category is not large.

I have very tiny collections of vintage blue pottery, glass paperweights, wrought iron, brass, amber glass, art, old black-and-white photographs, lanterns and candlesticks.

I love framed maps and globes, but have only one of each. Love everything midcentury modern, with a few items that combine surprisingly well with my antiques and traditional things. The only big collection is books.

It helps that we live in a small 1500 sq. foot 1920's frame cottage. Although we have a big walk-in attic, like a lot of old houses, we have a living room but no family room. The dining room is ahem, cozy, measuring only about 12 by 12. These modest dimensions keep me (somewhat) in check...

Minimalism is something I admire, but could not really aspire to. I never want to be materialistic, but am sentimental and susceptible to certain "meaningful' objects...

How about you? If possible, be specific-- I love to hear about other design philosophies.

MyGirlsMom · ‎03-09-2010

I'm somewhere in between. Every room in my home is decorated, including the bathrooms.

I lean towards a Mediterranean theme - colors wrought iron, pottery, etc. in kitchen, bathrooms, bedroom, and family room.

Keep Your Face To The Sunshine and You Will Not See The Shadow

Pqfan · ‎03-09-2010

I was "a collector."

We had so much stuff QVC could do some shows from our house and they would be on the air for days.

I tried to keep it organized as much as I could with some success and some failure.

Now I have very few possessions and I like it this way.

It is creeping back up on me but nothing like before.

I aspire to be a minimalist.

I love when you look around and see surfaces that don't necessarily have to have something on them.

Plus it is way easier to keep clean.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

I go for cosy. I have a few Hummels and some Seraphim's angels. I have a few pieces of things from my mother and my grammie. I have a shelf in my living room with a small assortment of dollstones.

I have some china bits and bobs, in an old step back cupboard, in my kitchen, that was my great grandmothers. Its filled with tea pots ,and tea sets

My house is wall papered and beamed, with shuttered window treatments.

My best china is Royal Doulton, and the pattern is Canton.It's a tailored oriental. That is in my hutch in the dining room. We have a Franklin fireplace in the dining room, and a tradtional one in the living room. I have a couple of small oils of my grammie as a young child, on the fireplace, in the living room, along with a weller vase filled with silk sweet peas

My everyday set of china, is also Royal Doulton. I keep it in the kitchen cupboards.

I love some of Mary Englebreits prints, and have them in various places, through out the house. My kitchen has a couple of bird houses ,and a mock chicken coop cupboard. It sets on top of the step back cupboard.

Oznell · ‎11-08-2014

I like something about all three of your design viewpoints, MyGirlsMom, pqfan and cherry.

cherry, thank you for being so detailed. I can almost "see" it, and you self-description of "cozy" is most apt!

Bri21 · ‎12-30-2016

I'm a cozy minimalist

I don't like clutter and a lot of chotzkes on every surface.

I have frames with family pictures on tables. I like big statement pieces instead of little collections of things

libbyannE · ‎10-27-2010

Our design style has generally leaned toward minimalism, and our style has been easy to create with Baugaus classics, colorful rugs, and a few antique furniture pieces. The trouble is, life keeps walking in! Like my mother, I have to have my books, although I have finally given away boxes of books in recent years, I have an issue with collecting handbags, and we have too much paper around from investments, etc. so we live with more stuff than our style sensibilities would prefer. We currently are purging our home of unnecessary paper and clothing we no longer wear. We already got rid of a lot of unnecessarily kitchen gadgets and appkiances that only ate up counter space and pullout storage bins. Wish us luck. The handbags? A custom grid of clean-lined floor-to-ceiling cubicles corrals about 30 bags, but I have more in my handbag closet in my office. And that is AFTER selling more than 20 bags on eBay!

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

Minimal compared to a lot of people I know, but I'd say in between.

gulf coast girl · ‎03-10-2010

Guess I'm a collector, I have 12 Tiffany style lamps, I love them. I have stained glass window panels, I just love all the different colors. I once collected tea-pots, then decided I hated dusting them, I had about 40, they were pretty, but I gave them away. I think I'm more of a minimalist these days.