Weird New Trend by Designers Is Recluttering Our Homes in Louisiana

Minimalism and decluttering have been huge buzzwords in the last ten years, but now that trend is changing for our homes.

This is probably great news if you're a packrat, and even if you are not one of those people who have everything you've ever acquired in your life jam-packed into your home.

The new trend is about enjoying what you have.

Let's Timehop Back to the 70s

I submit I can deeply understand this new concept because of something I gave away years ago. In an effort to purge my home of items that I just didn't need or thought I didn't want anymore, I let go of a treasure that most people would not consider a treasure, but to me it was priceless.

In order to give perspective on this story we have to go all the way to the 70s for me to put things in context. In August 1977, New Orleans was one of the handful of cities in America that featured an exhibit on King Tut. There were over 800,000 who saw the exhibit, and one of those lucky ones was my sister.

I was just a little kid when she went to the exhibit, and she was the only member of our family who was able to go. It was part of a school trip. What made it so exciting for me was the glass blue pyramid about 3 inches tall that she brought home. She ended up giving it to me because even at that tender age I loved history and Egypt in particular.

Fast forward to buying my first home years later, and realizing it was time to purge my belongings, what made me think it was okay to part with this item, I have no idea, but I have longed for it for years. I've not been successful in tracking another down. It breaks my heart to this day.

So, this new trend of recluttering is very powerful in my mind because it's about loving the things we already have in our homes instead of adding new things. There is also the idea that we need to really think about "our treasures" before we part with them so we don't have years of regret for giving up something truly sentimental.

The item has no value to anyone but me. And, I gave it away.

I learned about recluttering today from an article in the Sprice by Evergreen. I also remember the first time I heard about Marie Kondo's advice. The idea swept the nation, and the idea in a nutshell was to hold all of the items in your home, and if they don't bring you joy or it's not useful, then discard them.

I thought that was great advice, and did that with many items I just didn't know why I was keeping a hold of any longer. Ahhhh, but I should have thought harder and deeper about my sentimental attachment to some of the items I donated or sold.

What is Recluttering?

According to the article, it's a simple concept as well,

It's all about learning to love your stuff rather than constantly focusing on decluttering and organizing. As Apartment Therapy reported, 'recluttering is a celebration of your stuff.

I wish I could celebrate and cherish that little blue pyramid, but recluttering is a concept I think I have been slowly adapting over the last couple of years while still being able to get rid of things I never use.

It speaks to a better concept. Do we declutter and purge for ourselves, or do we do it so that our homes look better to other people? It's terrific to have a lovely, organized home to share with family and friends, but when it becomes more about status and less about what we truly love, are we really making ourselves happy?

New York Times journalist Rob Walker wrote an editorial about the topic of the things we really lose when we declutter. In his article, 'Clutter is Good for You' he says, "Today's decluttering victim is tomorrow's lost object, and lost objects are forever."

Cluttercore Is Also A New Trend

This trend is simple. You don't get rid of all of the things you love, but you jam them all in together and display them so that you don't get rid of the memories. Check out this article.

Southern Living magazine delves into this topic in detail, and one expert explains that following the pandemic, we all want to feel comfortable and safe. That makes perfect sense. These are our homes and shouldn't they be filled with things we treasure?

The website even offers ideas on for Cluttercore, and some examples of things like collage walls where you can display items you love, but in a manner that makes them feel orderly.

They also recommend checking out comfort decorating which is something I think most of the people I know have mastered.

While I don't have a showplace of a home, I do know that I am surrounded by the things that I love, and I am glad that the trends are heading in the direction that "less isn't always more".