Re: Is my decorating just clutter?

Marsha2003 · ‎03-12-2010

Considering how many times that woman's mother picked up the woman's clothes and toys when the woman was a child and teen, I think the woman should keep her whining to herself. As for your decor, @traveler, surround yourself with beauty, whatever that may mean to you.

hoosieroriginal · ‎03-04-2012

Enjoy yourself - my house is my castle - no one tells me what to do to my home!

mousiegirl · ‎03-09-2010

@traveler wrote:
I was happily decorating my house for Spring with Silk flowers, items from Pier 1 and Michaels. DH and Son don't care. They say, whatever makes you happy.
Then I was talking to a woman who always comments on my being her mother's age. She was going on about her mother's decor and how how much will need to be trashed. On and on so now I'm wondering if my decorating style is old, too much stuff. Making me wonder if I need to clear clutter.

@traveler I never toss out items I love and make me happy. Just ignore this boring person.

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and decorating is a part of beauty. Everyone is going to have different ideas about how to do it. Different means different and different is not the same as wrong or bad.

If you love it, be proud of it. Other people have different taste and may not like your decorating just as you may not like their decorating. There's absolutely nothing wrong with having different taste in decor. She doesn't have to like your decorating for you to love it and vice versa.

The fact that someone else doesn't like my music, clothes, books, decor, or whatever has no impact on how much I love my music, clothes, books, decor, or whatever. You're allowed to love whatever you love and don't need that woman's approval.

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SHOPR · ‎04-17-2013

@traveler, I hope you continue with your Spring decorating and don't let her over-sharing, opinionated, and inconsiderate comments stop you.

I don't think that age (being the same age) necessarily has anything to do with how we decorate. Two ladies very close to me are almost the same age, but their decorating (as in the amount of things displayed at once throughout the home) is very different.

Someone here, I think, once suggested taking photos of rooms in the home to get a better visualization. I do that sometimes, and I think it helps to see everything I have out at any given time from a better perspective. A few times it has prompted me to minimize what I have out in an area, or altogether change things up in that spot. This tip may help you, too.

Happy Decorating! :-)

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

@mousiegirl wrote:
@Nightowlz wrote:
Do what makes you happy. I cleared all the clutter years ago. I got tired of dusting it all every week. It's so much easier to clean now that I don't have to move so much stuff.

@Nightowlz You dusted every week? How about once a month, lol. What I can't see, doesn't bother me.

Yes I have dusted once per week for the past 40 yrs. LOL!!! I dust some things more then once per week. I'm a clean freak so I could not wait a whole month to dust. I clean some every day & start all over the next week. So I better get off here so I can clean the dining room & take everything off the kitchen counters to clean.

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

This thread reminds me of a girl our son once brought home from college. When she noticed I was seeing her glance all around our living room, she commented, "I cannot believe how sparse things are in here." I have art on the walls, a few select pieces on tabletops, and fresh flowers in our rooms, so I must have given her a perplexed look. She pulled up a photo of her mother's house to explain.

I'm not exaggerating -- every inch of that room was covered with "knick-knacks" and artificial flowers. Every inch of wall space was shelved (and filled) and every table top was covered to capacity. It would have smothered me in no time.

I'm like those here who dust regularly/frequently. We dust, sweep and vacuum our home from top-to-bottom every week. With a house as "decorated" as I saw in that photo, it would be time to start over by the time you got through the last room.

To each her own.

@traveler, my thinking has always been that when I question myself, it's time to re-think. If you are seriously doubting yourself now, why not take away a few pieces and see if you miss them? You could always put them back up if you do. Whatever, I hope you take to heart the good advice you've been given here, i.e., do what makes you happy.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

Scooby Doo · ‎03-14-2010

I say to each his/her own. I used to have lots of decorations around the house. Then one day all of a sudden I decided it was clutter and got rid of quite a bit. My house now seems more organized and bigger. I like just a couple of "conversation pieces" sitting out now.

It's easier to dust (my least favorite chore). I just hate it when you dust everything, then two months later you have to do it all over again.

Reba055 · ‎06-23-2014

I agree you should do whatever makes you happy, but if you are seriously asking yourself if it's too much, then try to step back and really look from another prospective. Another good idea is to take pictures on your phone and then look at them and see if it still looks appealing to you.

I'm a bit of a neat freak but I do decorate with things. Some people can get carried away. My kitchen counters are that way. I'm not too happy, I have too many appliances out, a Keurig and cappacino/latte maker, etc., but I finally said the heck with it. I have back issues and I'm not hauling stuff in and out of cabinets. I even have decorative soap dispensers out (would never had in the past) and *gasp* hand lotion, but you have to "live" in your house. I do try to keep everything else put away. I have seen some people that have all kinds of stuff on their counters. If you're not careful they will take on a life of their own. I tried leaving out supplements so my hubby would remember to take them, next thing you know, the pile was morphing into all kinds of things!