More clutter

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.

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!

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.

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

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 ?!!

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

Far to many bits and pieces everywhere reflecting the fact that I used to potter round junk and antique emporiums, now I find them hard to part with. Also three generations of books because I never get round to sorting them out. Yes you can just about move in my house.

I have a collection in a display cabinet and a few vases here an there. However the cupboards upstairs have a lot of things that I don't use so I am going through them. I took a lovely patchwork coverlet to the charity shop on Monday it was too big (I guessed the size ) and I always imagined that spiders would have an easy up! Someone will have a bargain!!

I love to declutter! Yesterday I was in the garage and decided many of the pots for indoor plants could go. Many were gifts at various Christmasses and were gold or red. Not my colour scheme at all. I hate ornaments, so does my husband. I love plants and have a couple of candles on show. Books go straight to the charity shop after they're read. Paper is our problem. It seems to end up everywhere.

Oh goodness. I feel so sorry for my poor family when I'm no longer here !
3 display cabinets filled to the gunnels with a huge assortment of " delicacies ". 1 cabinet in my bedroom houses old Meissen and Venetian drinking glasses, along with Dresden figurines.
Other 2 cabinets in the living room choc-a-bloc with " ancient artifacts " and scattered around the place are figurines, birds photographs of my granny and great granny family and great grandchildren.

Get the picture ? No clutter though, ahem ! Gillyg you'd be welcome any time.

I'm trying to declutter yet again and plan to try a suggestion I saw on a previous Gransnet post: to photograph those items you love for sentimental reasons but don't use....as I write I find myself less convinced, but will give it ago. I think my hoarding is rooted in childhood when we moved around a lot with my RN dad so possessions were kept to a strict minimum.

Provided you are happy with it then that is surely all that matters? If you have a dh like me who has filled practically every single room with hoardings and clutter that it is driving you mad then that is another thing.

I have a very minimalist home gg and I certainly don't find it all boring and nor do my friends who visit regularly. It is certainly easier to dust (dust?) and the feel good factor is in abundance.

I absolutely love going into other people's 'cluttered' homes. There is so much to look at and be interested in and admire, sometimes perhaps to think oh no, not for me, but to me it says so much about the person. We can't all have minimalistic homes, it would be so BORING!

Unless your cupboard under the stairs is filling up with the stuff you are buying pre Brexit Alima

Less is more to me ! Minimalistic, clutter free, open spaces. Think I am traumatised as my Mum is a total hoarder !

Never been overly cluttered and latterly paring down even more. Making a collage of loads of photos in one frame instead of individual frames all over the place. Do find a cupboard under the stairs comes in handy though. Just bung things in there out of the way. (The extra hessian bags would be useful in moving stuff from one place to another. Problem solved.)

Sounds welcoming and pretty MissA so very much ticks Morris' criteria.
What do you do about old coats and jackets? If taken to charity no-one would want them but they are in the porch for energencies.
Another rapid breeder are useful shopping bags. Since the demise of plastic is it acceptable to have 10 20 hessian bags?

If you like your stuff just dust x