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Collecting Without Cluttering
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Ah minimalists...every object is perfectly curated and no item is brought into a room without a lot of justification and a few nervous beads of sweat. It doesn't have to be that way! Stop worrying about winding up on Hoarders and get your collections in order.
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| These shelves show the importance of spacing. The empty space is very easy on the eyes. I don't even know what these things are (do I see a group of marble chalices? What am I looking at?) but it doesn't matter, because they are all made of the same material and this room is seriously sexy. |
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| It is possible to be a collector and not a clutterer! Because all of the objects are the same color and literally kept in line by the shelves, they work together as a group. |
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Play around with arranging groups of similar objects, like these curvaceous vases. I doubt the person who arranged them nailed it on the first try.
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| Grouping a variety of items in similar containers is another way to keep things looking orderly... |
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| ...even when it's a group of wacky Pez dispensers in an eclectic office. |
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Have a place for everything, and keep everything in its place.
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The peacock hues from the vases are picked up in the coffee table books.
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Specific pieces of furniture were made for collectors. If you've got a sideboard with plate racks, bring out your goods and show them off. They don't all have to be the same color like this photo.
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These wooden bowls come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, but the material they have in common with each other (and the shelves and the table) keeps things copacetic. I think that's the first time I've ever used the word "copacetic" on Houzz.
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The people who lived in this house are architects who filled their home with artfully arranged collections. This wall of masks stopped me in my tracks.
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| Sometimes a vertical line is the way to go. |
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A repetitive pattern is created like these cups. It emulates the pattern of the beautiful Heath Ceramics tile above.
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This designer knows how to have fun with a bathroom. Vintage oversized perfume bottles and vintage pharmacy ephemera all work well together. The key here is the empty space; it keeps things in balance. Again, arrange take a step back, fold your arms, contemplate, and re-arrange until it feels right.
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Ideabook updated on Nov. 1, 2010.
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Years of living on the coast with sporadic earthquakes has me afraid to do the shelving thing with my glassware, even though I have lived for ten years where we don't get the shakes. Maybe time to just go and do it... away from beds and seating areas :)
Nikki
DirectBuy
Thanks everyone for your kind words! You made my day!