More clutter

Don’t get me started on what’s in the loft space that’s not mine

My dear friend's house is always looking perfect, no bits and bobs anywhere, just one drawing of her granddaughter on the wall in the sitting room. Everyone had to remove shoes once inside. Each room is beige, brown and black. Not one room is welcoming. To me it is horrible but each unto his own I guess.

I never thought about in that way, but I agree with gillyg and love looking around people's living rooms (or other rooms they wish to share) which are filled with interesting 'clutter'! I spent several years decluttering, but only clothes, things I wasn't really interested in anymore etc. Now my clutter is well presented, dusted (ahem), and I love telling people about my ancient family photos, treasures from trips abroad and displaying my small library of much loved books.

My lovely Mum was a hoarder. I suspect partially caused by wartime depravity. However, I had the job of house clearance. She loved me deeply and, had she seen the physical and mental misery this caused me, she would have done the needful to some degree. This painful memory has certainly helped me to be minimalist but not entirely. I just like it.

My house was always minimalist as was my mum's but I seem to have gathered more in the last 10 yrs or so.
In the lounge/diner it's family photos 3 of DGC and ones of other family nembers. I have a shelf unit that contains my dolphin ornament collection, a couple of art deco ladies, two lamps and a vase of artificial flowers and 3 paintings on the walls. It's not cluttered really as it's a big room.

Feeling very virtuous, I took about about 40 books to the charity shop this weekend. Would like to get rid of another 40-50, that’ll leave me with a manageable number of about 40 and those on my kindle. Clearing out my MiL house had a real affect on me and made me want to clear out my own useless ‘stuff’ On the other hand my SiL has just spent £90,000 on a huge kitchen that reminds me of an operating theatre. We used to sit and chat in her cosy old kitchen. No more it’s too cold and clinical looking for me now. I’m hoping to be a bit middling just enough to be welcoming and not too much to be overwhelmingly cluttered. Wish me luck I only started two years ago

I decluttered and only kept things that were personal, sentimental or gifts from a loved one. My accumulation goes back 25 years and into my childhood. I managed to declutter 4 things !!. I couldn’t part with anything else. Hopeless or what ?!!

I love the clutter I have on display...damn pain cleaning it though...sighs. They say that dust is just a country accent...hahaha

My place has been on the market for some weeks and I have sent a lot of clutter, books and clothes to charity shops, but I never give away anything my family has given me and I always keep holiday souvenirs as just seeing them around brings back happy memories. Most other stuff can go. No point keeping books once they have been read.

I have over 1500 books, hardback fiction & history & paperback fiction. Over 100 Enchantica dragons, 65 other dragons, buddahs, gargoyles, 1000+ cds, uncounted dvds & bluray films & series, dozens of pics of DGC, 2 cats, a tortoise &me.
A visitor a few days ago who had not been inside my home previously, smiled & said he could see that I have lived here a long time! Messy, cluttered & I love it. Nothing of any value to anyone but me & taken me years to accumulate my lovely mess.

We've spent many years collecting antiques, so our house is far from minimalist!
I feel very uncomfortable in minimalist homes, and far prefer my warm, homely, ever so slightly cluttered look!
We do have a lot of 'stuff' but also have display cabinets in which to store it, so it's not all over open shelves or suchlike.
Well, apart from the collection of celery jars on the Walnut chiffonier in the dining room, they're out because they have battery operated tiny fairy lights in them, giving lovely subdued lighting!
DGS isn't old enough yet to be making/giving us assorted crud, but I suspect it won't be long!

When my mum died there were bags of very old Christmas cards. Luckily I went through a few as she had hidden things in the cards. I ended up having to check every card!

My father died in an accident and her second husband had wanted her to destroy anything from him as he was jealous. She had hidden letters from my father and it was very good to find them.

I hate clutter and clamour as it makes me uncomfortable and anxious. Luckily the DH is the same as me and we are tidy-warts. We never leave a room untidy.

We do have things and stuff. But it is pared down to a minimum and we chose carefully the beautiful things we like to have visible and carefully placed. On my mantelpiece is some gorgeous eighteenth century Worcester china and a lovely clock my DH's grandfather made. It give me pleasure every time I look at it.

I don't mind other people's clutter, though. It is temporary (for me, at least) and interesting.

It's home, SillyNanny.
A lot of my collections have been handed down through the years not just for the sentimentality of items but their value too as my family can sell on if they so wish, I won't be caring once I'm not here.
I sit and " grieve " sometimes about all the items that I did throw out after my in-laws died. I daren't think about what went on the tip ! 100's of books ( whatever they were ) a heavily beaded flapper dress and other clothes from the 20's/30's-------before ebay

I have an antique glass cabinet in my hall containing lots of small collectables - ornaments, glassware, silverware - many of them inherited. My GD asked me what I use them for (they don't really have collectables in their home). I said I don't use them I just enjoy them, either for their own beauty or because they hold a memory of someone or something. I told her about a few of them and she was fascinated. I asked her what item she would keep to remind her of me. She thought for a moment and said 'a cotton reel' (I sew a lot). I love that idea. Yes I have lots of 'clutter' around the house but each time I look at them or pick them up to dust (not very often) they make me smile. I can't think of a better reason for keeping them.

In my book clutter is all the stuff we don't use, don't like, don't want but are too lazy to get rid off.

If I like it, it isn't clutter, but a keepsake, an ornament etc.

I have a few ornaments and photos, but mainly books, books and more books (neatly on shelves) and in the kitchen I've a shelf with at least a dozen cups and saucers and mugs.
I asked my sister, "Do you think this room is cluttered?"
"Well, you've got a lot of books" was her response.
I don't consider books to be clutter, do you?

William Morris all day long .... I hate clutter ..hate it! My kids ‘stuff’ they made me at school is in a big box in loft. My Grand Children’s stuff is up on wall in kitchen (confined to one wall ) I don’t call it clutter. So far they’ve not brought me ‘ashtrays’ or clay models of Eiffel Tower . Knowing I or their granddad don’t smoke maybe I’ll be saved that. My kids did make me an ashtray each even though they told teachers we didn’t smoke.i use one for trinkets on my dressing table...and one for messy spoons on worktop ( it was a very big ashtray), and it’s lasted 25 years. My loft is even reasonable free of junk. If you have anything you treasure from kids or grandkids then take a photo of it and keep the photo.

my heart rejoice now I know there is people like me
I do have clutter (that's to other people not to me) we love it lol

you just need to get rid of the things you never use and probably never will.......

I have had a bit of a clearout. But I love little china bowls and I am looking for a laughing Buddha have seen one in a local charity shop but he’s not really smiling. Apparently they are lucky.

I personally dislike minimalism, (no disrespect to those of you who do, we are all different, thank goodness), so my home has “things” in it, but each thing has meaning to both me and DH. It might be seen as clutter to some, but I don’t care about that. All these “things” hold special memories, either of places we’ve been to, family ( living and dead) and friends. In addition, they make my home just that - home. ?
I suppose the problem arises when clutter becomes hoarding and can lead to health and safety issues, but that is, I think, different to “things” that have a designated place but aren’t obstacles to getting around the home.

I think if something gives you pleasure, then it's not clutter. If 'stuff' makes you feel agitated and unhappy, then it's clutter.

My 91yo mother was minimalist before the term was invented. I recall coming home from school once to find that she'd given most of my toys away including some beautiful fairy story books with illustrations by Arthur Rackham. The day after my father's funeral she phoned me to say she'd managed to get rid of all his clothes to a charity shop and had found people to take his personal possessions, too.

She's still a minimalist today and I'm pretty sure has thrown away unreplaceable family papers etc which I had expected to receive at some point.

Books, lamps, cushions, pictures, stuffed birds in glass cases (2) ornaments, photos in silver frames, those fragrance sticks in a bottle. Definitely no candles, make me cough and now I know why, they are polluting the air we are told.
A Tibetan singing bowl on its pretty cushion which I love playing with, sounds beautiful.

Ditto coconut. I Could never sponaneously invite my friends to my house as parents were hoarders so I vowed that when I grew up my children could bring friends home anytime without having to do a weeks’ worth of clearing and cleaning and then being blamed for not finding a newspaper cutout from 8 years ago. My parents throw nothing out and everything “will do” and “might come in handy”. I don’t have much furniture to put things in or on but I do love books - my one weakness. However I have now learned to even get rid of some of my books. It has helped that I have moved many times making sorting compulsory.