Why is it so hard for us to let go of “things”…?
One of my biggest challenges with clients is helping them get rid of things they simply don’t use, need or even want anymore. With the rise in popularity of Marie Condo and her Japanese art of organizing many people are throwing caution to the wind along with years worth of stuff out the window. This phenomenon, while cleansing and uplifting isn’t always the most practical approach. Throwing things away simply for the fact that they no longer bring you joy is great, however it isn’t the only reason one holds onto something.
Often times clients hold onto pieces of loved ones no longer with us, items they are convinced they will one day use, or something that reminds them of how far they’ve come in their own life journey. It’s ok to hold onto things as long as they truly serve a purpose, even if an emotional one. The key is to keep things organized with a common sense approach.
While I do not recommend keeping the sofa you had when you were first dating your husband, things like a memory box can often house some of the more sentimental elements of your history. I love a well crafted leather case that hides little love notes, theater ticket stubs, airplane tickets and so on. The memories and “stuff” now have a home and can also provide a bit of styling on a bookshelf or console table as a conversation piece for the room.
Now grandmothers wedding dress is a different story. Totally understandable if you cannot part ways, you just need to be practical and organized about its storage. If you are lucky enough to have plenty of storage great, if not you need to consider a way to either put it on display as an actual design moment or pack it up and carefully place it with other year round storage such as holiday décor and travel necessities.
Closet cleanses and “stuff” bingeing is great, as long as it’s something you truly want to do. There is no need to feel sad or guilty about getting rid of things you actually do want to keep, just like design, organization can be fun as well as functional.