Artful Clutter.

 (Image: http://weheartit.com/entry/9835385)

My home style is certainly cluttered. I have several reasons for this.

1. I like to know, by looking at any corner or surface, that a house is my home.
2. I like a lot of stuff.
3. I tend to be messy.
4. For me, mildly cramped equals cozy.

The mere title of A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life: How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc... and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place by Mary Randolph Carter is very validating for me. It's on my Amazon wish list, and if I ever get it, I will lovingly add it to a teetering book stack until I get to it. 


Josh has very little stuff besides books. He regularly purges his clothes with a vengeance, taking any excess to Goodwill. I've saved his high school notebooks from the trash. So it's strange that's he's content to live with me. He says, though, that he loves seeing my stuff everywhere. 

 (Image: http://mysteriesofthecosmos.tumblr.com/page/6)

Getting settled in a new place takes me a while because if I don't find places for everything the first time, I never will. A junk corner a month after I move in will remain a junk corner a year later. A good set-up (by my definition) to start with at least provides a mold for my messes to conform to, more or less. I plan to share some photos of the house with you once I crystallize it (that plan is giving me some motivation to get going despite my desire to lounge incessantly while I can). 


I love how every house we've had ends up with a different system of organization and decor. It's not just because we gain and lose stuff and furniture. Of course, the changing size of our homes has something to do with it--two bedroom duplex to one-bedroom apartment to three-bedroom house to two-bedroom duplex to five-bedroom house to two-bedroom house. The vignettes morph. The poetry books don't stay on the same shelf. The pictures move. The cabinet that held stationery holds cosmetics and then holds candles, soap, and Wallflowers. The plastic drawers that held office supplies hold cardigans. The desk that held inks and pens is now a vanity. The bistro table moves from kitchen to balcony to sunroom to dining room to canning room to side porch. It's a fun evolution. 

Sometimes, I see Josh smiling at a pile of stuff on or next to my side of the bed--books, pens, notebooks, little projects. He seems to be memorizing the collage even as it annoys him. 

Is your clutter out in the open, or do you have secret treasure stashes?

(Image: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/li)