House decor

I recently went to see a show on broadway and was so impressed by the set design. I was a little lost in the plot until I wikipedia'd it at intermission, but the costumes and stage props were fabulous. Not only was it elaborate and interesting, but it was specifically designed with space in mind. A wall would move and a door would open and there would be a set for an act in an office. Obviously this was specifically designed for short set up time between acts. What impressed me most was that everything on set was there for a reason. Whether it was a hook for the actor to hang his coat or a framed degree hanging in the corner to symbolize his education... whether it was decorative to show that it's a "real home" or necessary for the performance itself, everything on set had a purpose.

It reminded me of all the things in my house I don't use.  Clearly there's a difference between a house where people live and a set. I'm not going to throw out my shovel just because winter is over, that's a normal thing to store. But I know for a fact that there's a closet door in my basement taken off from the second bedroom by the previous owner that's just sitting in the basement taking space. There are boxes full of things... papers and notebooks and paper goods and who knows what else. I've gone through the basement a year ago and got rid of a lot of things, like a rug we were no longer using and could be enjoyed by someone else instead of taking up space in my basement. There's a broken lamp and old cleaning supplies.  Just stuff.

It's also not just the basement. Even though I take care to prune often, my closet has so many things that I don't wear. In fact, we've taken over the closets in the other rooms because there's no space in our closet. It's not only because our current closet is small, it is. But it's also because we're cramming it with clothes that we're just not using. I would say that at least a third of my closet is dedicated to "at home clothing" which I would never wear outdoors but don't want to get rid of for whatever reason. I also have a section of "future clothing" which are at least a size or two smaller than my current size.

There are drawers full of stuff.  What stuff? Other than old clothing, I've found scarves, laptops parts, old cell phones, papers, yarn, chatchkees (like things from health fairs that are useful but also useless at the same time). Nothing significant enough that I can't or shouldn't get rid of.

We decided to start the basement project: we're knocking down a wall separating two rooms to make one large room, and then adding built-in bookshelves. This is the first part in a multi-level overhaul job to make our house less cluttered and more functional.  Here are the phases as I see:

Phase 1. construction. Knock wall, build bookcase.
Phase 2. relocation. Relocate all books from over the house to
basement bookcase wall. Move futon up to guest room. Move couches from living room to basement.
Phase 3. purge. Sell old bookcases, donate clothes, clean out drawers and declutter in general.
Phase 4. upgrade. Buy new furniture for living room.
Phase 5. redesign. Move bedroom furniture to guest room. Master bedroom overhaul including new furniture, possible addition of bathroom and/or closets.

As for timeline, I see phases 1-4 happening within the next three months with phase 5 happening within the next 5 years. Bedroom remodeling deserves its own post in the future.