For me, the last few weeks of August consist of re-organizing and getting rid of all the clutter that has built up around my home. I don’t really understand where it all comes from and how it accumulates but it does. I drove to the donation center with a truck full of stuff which included a table that I dearly love. I was on the fence about donating the table even though it was in the truck. The nice young man asked me if the table went too and I said I had to think about it so just leave it. I drove back one hour later and asked him to take the table out of the back of my van while I did not look. He looked at me like I was a bit crazy but he took the table. I drove away and did not look back, never look back! I love the feeling that I get when I have decluttered and I feel like the space is lighter; but in the world of decorating you can’t get rid of everything. To make a house feel like a home you need stuff and often that stuff is collections of things. Let’s take a peek into a few spaces in which we conquered clutter by creating great displays for the homeowners to enjoy somewhere in the heart of The Villages.
• Disney Dining This homeowner owned several collections that she was proud of and we decided that the Disney collection could take up residence in the kitchen nook of her Begonia. In this space she would be able to eat breakfast and enjoy seeing things that mean something to her.
• The collection The collection of Disney things was pretty big so we chose three different items that would work. We used pictures, kaleidoscopes, and Disney figurines. The way to make a collection like this come to life is to incorporate decorative shelves. We purchased small rustic shelves from an online retailer and hung those first, by staggering them on the wall. Secondly, we hung the pictures keeping in mind the items that we wanted to place on the shelves so were sure to leave enough space to display those items without hitting the frames. After the pictures were in place we chose only items that would fit on the shelves without crowding. The great thing about shelves is that items can be rotated as much as you like. If your collection is greater than the space allotted, rotate every few months and it will never get old.
• One more collection Interesting people have interesting things and often interesting collections. We incorporated one more collection that coordinated well with the Disney items into the kitchen area. The common connection of the two collections was the colors; all the items shared similar colors so they blended well in the space. The second collection was ceramic vases with vegetables on the front and bright needle point art. We added the collection of vases at the peak of the cabinets with matching greenery on each side to work with the symmetry of the cabinets. The artwork was displayed in a grouping above the long even cabinetry that runs over the stove. We finished the display with a large basket of greens over the pantry. The kitchen feels very homey and inviting!
• Gardenia hallway The Gardenia has a great hallway that leads to the laundry or to the master bedroom. This wall is a great place to display things and use shelves. For this Gardenia hallway we created a family photo display. There was no place in the house to display photos in which they could really be looked at and the homeowner wanted to see pictures of her granddaughter and enjoy those memories every day. We used three shelves that were not too deep. We staggered the shelves around one central large photo and filled in the rest with pictures from all over the house. Now the story of her granddaughter can be seen in one place and appreciated every day!
• Library nook For this Grandview office, the homeowner wanted to enjoy the family photos without adding in more furniture. We accomplished this by hanging shelves. We used three shelves to start and hung them in a staggered pattern. We filled in the spaces with photos to create a great looking display. This display has room to grow and as the family grows they can add more shelves and more photos.
P.S. –Attention, club presidents! I give free decorating programs! It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.