What’s in a name?  Why do we feel the need to “Label” everything.  Farmhouse, French Country, Grand Millenial, Minimalist, Maximalist now Cottage Core & ClutterCore.  I don’t know how I feel about the need to put a label on everything.  Why, as humans can’t we just except things for the way they are.  A beautiful space, room, table or table scape should just be appreciated for what it is.  By putting a label on everything we are allowing society to point their fingers at us and judge us.  Is this good for us?  I don’t think so.  Or am I just being too sensitive?

So what is ClutterCore, well it’s all over IG and TicToc.  Not that I ever go to TicToc.  Apparently it is the 20 something revolt against the all white minimalist lifestyle of every “perfect” home in the design world in recent years.  ClutterCore is a nod to the over excess of the Victorians, picking up on the more “Goth” aspect.  But the most important thing here is surrounding yourself with things that have value and meaning to you and celebrating those things.   It’s about collecting.  Going into a junk shop and finding the perfect oddment, you may not even know what it is or it’s significance but for some reason it speaks to you.  Bringing it home and organizing it in a hap hazard sort of way, but everything has a “place”. All perfectly arranged in way that only makes sense to you.

The last vignette put together by my mom at the age of 92.

So what do you do if your heart is in the “Country” but your style is “Grand Millenial” but you are a “Maximalist” and love/hate “ClutterCore”!!!  Do you see where I’m going with this?  I understand someone who is not design savvy having the need to put a label on what they think they like.  Honestly as a designer this labeling is helpful to me because it does give me a direction to start, but as a lover of my own style I am offended by labels.  I don’t want to be defined by a label.  Labels don’t give you the opportunity to evolve, to change your mind, or to even blend your new style with your old style.

Last week while caring for the grand boys the six year old said to me “Nanna everything here is old fashioned”. I was quite impressed with this astute observation from the six year old.  I wasn’t surprised or shocked I just said “Yes it is on purpose.”  He asked me why and I told him that I love old things that tell a story.  Things that have a history and are unusual.  Things that make me smile.  I told him that it was my job to make beautiful rooms for my clients so they feel at home in their homes and can live their vision, but when it comes to my own space I want to surround myself with things that I can’t see everywhere, things that I have collected.  I also realized at that moment that there were plenty of things in this house that I am sure they have no idea what they are.  I said this to them as they were eating PB&J and we decided that each week they could pick out an item and we could have a conversation about it.  The first thing they wanted to know about was the Irish Stick Barometer that is hanging in the kitchen that I brought from my parents home.  Well this wasn’t exactly easy because I had to explain mercury and barometric pressure on the fly!  I did a really lousy job.  I will research this and give you an update. 

 And then they wanted to know about the frog spear in the living room.

Because everyone needs a Frog Spear hanging over their Welsh Cupboard!

A French Printers Block, my Great Grand mothers Collection of Charles Dickens stuffed in a wicker suitcase with wonderful travel stickers.  A cloche with a nest that I found in the grill that still had eggs in it.  Does it make sense, no, but I love it!

A collection of crazy pewter spoons with a marvelous touch mark I p/u on ebay in an old marmalade jar with an English Anchovy Paste Jar I picked up in Texas sitting on an antique pewter platter.

To me design should be an evolution.  A constant opening of the eye and seeing something in a new way.  Having the courage to change, and the courage to stay the same.  Not always liking where you’ve gone, (believe me this has happened to me), and the courage to change it back if you don’t.  In developing my own style I have always tried to buy only things that grab me by the throat and say something to me on some level.  I can honestly say I now have a home of only things that I love.  My home has become a scrapbook of my memories, places that I have been, with people that I love having experiences that are meaningful to me.  This is my philosophy of what a home should be.  

Just so you know as the husband and I were having a conversation about ClutterCore and labels he said to me “That’s it, you are ClutterCore”.  I just went UGGGGG

Tell me how you feel about this new phenomena.

Thanks for stopping

Shelley