De-Cluttering?

Are you embracing this latest trend and decluttering by any chance? My husband and I downsized a year ago and offloaded quite a few possessions. That felt fine, and I'll soon be sorting a few more things and items of clothing to go out the door. Not that I don't regret the loss of a couple of the latter, but still... I think I read somewhere that you are likely to regret 20% of what you throw out.

Ah well.

So I was thinking... How bare do you want to go? Or shall we rather say, how stark? When I put my mind back into friends' houses that bring me the most pleasure, I have to say that you could probably consider them fairly cluttered. To some extent, the amount of leeway probably depends on the size of the dwelling-space. But even then... an artist friend of mine who lives in a small bungalow always has lots of decorative 'stuff' around, and I love it. Being in her home is a true delight.

Perhaps therein lies the clue. If the clutter actually beautifies, adds to a homely setting, then surely it's justified? Decorative items, books, framed photos, intentionally and meaningfully chosen, emanate a certain atmosphere that can be uplifting.

Always supposing you're willing to spend more time dusting!