Over the weekend, I continued working through the house, thinning out areas and setting things aside to sell or taking them to the thrift store. I have unearthed an entire closet in the guest room that was embarrassingly piled floor to ceiling with stuff. At the bottom of the pile was a bin of clothes I hadn’t seen since our move. It contained some of my favorite pairs of jeans that I thought I had donated! I keep calling Jeff over to look at a closet or a cabinet, drawer, or shelf I’ve thinned out and organized. It feels good.
As I was pulling stuff last week, I decided to thin out the items on my kitchen counters and hanging from the potrack. As a collector, I sometimes have a hard time putting the brakes on when I have enough! I was trying to fit way too much in a finite space, so I went through all of my utensils, cooking implements, molds, and copper, and just kept my favorite things. Here’s how it looked next to the stove last year around this time…
And how it looks after some thinning. It’s not minimalist, nor would I want it to be. It’s mediumalism, I thought, momentarily proud of myself for coining a new term. Apparently, someone else beat me to it, and that word has been around for a while. I got rid of the wooden spoons we never use and sold eight sets of antique flatware that were in jars and crocks around the kitchen. It’s a small difference, but it is cleaner and it’s easier to find what we actually use.
And I thinned this side out even more…
I think the same look is still achieved without looking overly crammed.
I cleared off the shelves last week, too, and I’ll take them down this week to patch the holes and figure out what I want to do next. I always thought I needed to replace these shelves with other shelves that would hold the same amount of stuff, but what I really needed was to pare down the stuff to make the whole room work better.
I find it highly unlikely that I will ever be a minimalist, but I so feel like my maximalist days are winding down, and I appreciate space a little bit more.
I’ll be doing more organizing this week, but I do need to turn some of my attention and energy to the yard. Not only do I need to do normal spring chores like weeding and mulching, but we had a rogue storm come through late Saturday night that hit our area with microbursts. We had 70-100 mile an hour winds for a few minutes that took down trees and large limbs, ripped off decks and mailboxes, and knocked out power for thousands, including some of our neighbors. The sound was incredible as it hit. We were fortunate that we didn’t have any damage to our house or six large maple trees, but our yard is a mess from all of the debris. So, we need to clean up branches and everything that was blown onto our property.
20 Responses
Oh, I was just about to congratulate you on coining a new term! Mediumalism is where I live and where I will likely stay, but I probably am on the minimalistic end of mediumalism.
Glad to hear that you fared well in the microburst! They are truly scary and destructive events.
Keep going because you’re inspiring me to keep going. I’m loving empty space.
I say I’m in the medium as well, although there is more that can go. I just delivered 4 large boxes for a church rummage sale, and it felt good letting go. Thanks for all the posts on purging. Perfect for Spring.
I SO need to do this. What avenues are you using to sell your goods? Not that I want to buy, but I need ideas as to where and how to sell things that aren’t junk but not antiques either.
She made a whole post about it a few posts back
Congratulations! I don’t know if you do this, but with cell phone cameras nowadays, I take pictures of places I’m cleaning/sorting before I start. I sometimes also takes pictures of that really messy part in the middle of organizing, and then I take after pictures. I share the pictures with people I know who will be happy for me, like my sisters and some of my friends. I also like to look at them when I am feeling inadequate or overwhelmed, so I remember what I have accomplished. I’ve always loved before and after pictures, so now I make my own!
I love Mediumalism – perfect word for “just right.”
I think as we get older we don’t want to be ‘responsible’ for so much, (as in caring for dusting and finding a place for). Why a lot of older people have super modern homes.
I like what you have done. It allows the eye to appreciate each piece.
Great information, thank you for sharing.
It’s looking so nice! I think that I also am a mediumalist. I enjoy your collecting and displaying style very much!
It is your home and you can and should do whatever you like but I can’t tell you how happy I am you are getting rid of those shelves! I always felt like they were a “needle scratch” in your beautiful kitchen.
Mediumalism is something I need to work towards. I have too much stuff and am scared to get rid of things. I have to accept that I’m not going to be able to sell it for what I paid and get over it. I’ve kind of shut down. I’m retired now and have thinned out some to Goodwill. But I need to take that next big step. Thanks for the inspiration.
I find I’m most successful in paring down during the spring/summer months. When autumn and winter are here, I tend to accessorize more. Go figure.
😊💙
Karen B.
You, Marian, are not thinning for the purpose of not leaving lots of “stuff,” for others to go through and dispose of but in my 70’s I’m thinning with that in mind.
I’m currently disposing of my mom AND aunt’s things. I helped them dispose of their mom’s collections. I become more of a minimalist with every box I take to thrift stores.
Love your thoughts as you become a mediumist and I know others understand my generation becoming minimalists.
Bonnie
I could have written your post almost word for word. My mother and my Aunt both had scads of stuff that I had to deal with after they were gone. I vowed NOT to leave that to someone else so have worked very hard at keeping pared down. I am not a minimalist but try to lean that way when I can. That said I so wish I wasn’t on the opposite coast and could take advantage of your purging Marian. Thanks for the posts.
As I get older, I find I need to keep things pared down. I only want to keep things I use. I do love pretty things, but how many sugar bowls and soup tureens does one need? I’m also curious, how does your family feel about all of this clearing out? Congratulations on all of your hard work!
I love the term “mediumalism” as it sounds like just the right amount! It doesn’t look too bare, but it doesn’t look too cluttered. I guess you could also call it the “Goldilocks” look which is just right.
Like so many, we too had the job of cleaning out parents and grandparents’ homes that never wanted to get rid of anything and it can be stressful. You have feelings of guilt but know full well you can’t keep everything. So, this is why I have made the choice to go through closets, attics, etc and sell or donate items I know I will not use in the future or clear out some of my collections to a managable amount such as yourself. We told my son he can thank us later….lol.
So glad you survived the wind storm! Also happy you’re taking down the white shelves and brackets! (I know you’ve had lots of comments about those since you installed them 😆). Happy spring! We’ve been doing those outside chores out here in California for awhile now, including building a new garden with raised beds this time. So fun!
Dear, that looks really good. Well done. I will soon make some closet space empty of the kids’ clothing. I can put my yarn in it, so the living room looks emptier. You are an inspiration.
Great Job! Too much stuff – can be just TOO MUCH. Your house is beautiful and curated wonderfully. It is such a nice reflection on you.
I think the changes you have made, make your house look so much more comfortable and “cleaner”, by paring down your collections.
My home is my home, – I do collect some items and love to have them around. It just makes me feel good to have my “favorites” around. But for me, it is my home first – not a store front or antique store. There comes a time when there is so much “stuff” that collections lose their appeal, you really can’t see what you have collected.
There are those that too much “stuff” can make people anxious (like me). And I can’t help but think of so many better things to do with my money.
nice