Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Artful Clutter
In a recent House & Home section of the New York Times there was a great article on “artful clutter.” The piece intrigued me because so many of you have such amazing stuff, and such a strong aesthetic, and often it is unrealistic to try to make your places look like a Pottery Barn catalog. Not to mention, your places are much more interesting than Pottery Barn’s room sets. The Times quoted Ilse Crawford, former editor of Elle Decoration, who has recently written a book, Home Is Where the Heart Is. Crawford recommends that there be a theme to a collection. This is a technique I have often used, though generally I have thought: Which of these things is not like the other? For example, an atelier-style wall of artwork looked more artful when my client and I swapped pictures around from a more haphazard arrangement to a wall limited to just black and white photos and sketches. Similarly Crawford advises that things should be “touched regularly.” This makes sense to me; I always think a layer of dust is a good indicator that an area or arrangement has become stagnant.
If you still need to de-clutter, a recent New York Post story mentioned several interesting services. One is Garde Robe, a service for high-end clothes storage. They will catalog, inventory and store your clothes. The service is quite expensive, but if your space is limited and your clothes expensive, they may be a good solution. The Box Butler, it’s less expensive and it will drop off wardrobe trunks and boxes if your closet only has room for one seasons worth of clothes.
If however, you want to get rid of things, the Internet has made is easier and easier to sell your own stuff. Some of you have been successful at selling designer clothing on Ebay, but for those of you who don’t want to hassle, or aren’t so computer savvy, the same article in the Post recommended a service called Found Value, which will come to your house and do it for you. While you have to pay a commission, their experts will advise you as to what is and is not worth selling online and will handle the whole process for you.