STUFF

I overheard a great conversation yesterday while installing one of our home stagings. One of the handymen working on the home said to his co-worker, “I wish my house looked like this. I don’t know how I ended up with so much stuff!” Stuff, stuff and MORE stuff accumulates over the years in all of our homes. That’s why we work frequently with a de-clutter expert/home organizer prior to staging occupied homes. The handyman’s reaction coincides with so many of our seller’s comments post home staging.

“Why didn’t we edit our life ten years ago?”

“Why has it taken us 12 years to have a garage sale?”

“Why have I saved all of this stuff for so many years?”

Many people don’t take time to think how they COULD be living. The days pass, the months pass and life continues. One of the rare gifts of our 2020/2021 pandemic has been the closer look we have been able to take at our immediate surroundings. At my house, we finally changed the front exterior house lights that we said we hated two years ago but ignored. My husband remarked, “Those look great! Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

The hot days of summer can also be useful for projects inside the home. Enjoy cool air-conditioning as you de-clutter the kitchen junk drawer, re-organize the pantry and make a give away pile of ill matching mugs from your kitchen. Recently, I discovered how many drinking glasses had broken over the years and treated myself to new Crate and Barrel tumblers. They will be put to good used this summer, holding cool cocktails for warm evenings on the patio.

We often get asked, since we are in the business of simplifying and reviving spaces, if we “hold onto anything?” The answer is yes. We hold onto what we can use – items we KNOW we will use. I treasure a vintage wicker cooler we own that has a galvanized interior. I haul it out for summer parties, loading the inside with ice and cool drinks.

Editing the items you have stored away can be incredibly rewarding. Often, getting rid of excessive accessories allows you to use your favorite pieces more often. We often forget about the stuff we own that resides in the attic, or that hard to access cupboard above the fridge. If we have less to store, we become more conscious of what we own and can be put to use.