Clutter vs Collections

I was at the grocery store yesterday and I picked up a home decorating magazine while I waited to check out. The cover featured a breathtakingly beautiful room, the walls of which were filled with floor-to-ceiling open bookcases. The shelving was painted a bright white and held a collection of blue and green vintage pottery.

The vases, bowls and other pieces were artfully arranged, with lots of room between them. I was instantly hit with the idea that I wanted to live that way, surrounded by those beautiful ceramic objects. I could find them at flea markets and thrift shops and I could display them on open shelving in my living room.

Then I snapped out of it.

What was I thinking? I don’t want to live that way. I don’t like to dust stuff. I don’t want to have things, even if they are beautiful, that I don’t use on a regular basis. And I can’t see myself spending time sitting in my living room, admiring the walls.

I actually have a few pieces of vintage pottery, but I use them; I don’t see them as a “collection.” The idea of starting a collection of things just to look at makes me feel uncomfortable. I used to have lots of collections, from teapots to baskets to quilts. I got rid of most of them, keeping one or two things that I really liked. The problem with collecting is that you always need to have “one more.” Now I am satisfied with what I have.

Do you have a collection? What do you collect? How do you display them? How do your collections make you feel? Click on Post a Comment, below, and tell us.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!
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