Comments on: Two Words for Simple Home Decor: Functional or Personal

By: Combine Home Decor Taste with Functionality | Meg Simplifies Life

Combine Home Decor Taste with Functionality | Meg Simplifies Life — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 06:29:52 +0000

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By: Links Worth Sharing – Week of August 14, 2010 | Simply Frugal

Links Worth Sharing – Week of August 14, 2010 | Simply Frugal — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 14:03:28 +0000

[...] Two Words for Simple Home Decor: Functional or Personal Leave a comment [...]

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:48:56 +0000

Great post – I am very anti-clutter, but I still have decorative things in my home that are neither functional nor personal. I think this is the perfect way of weeding out the unnecessary.

But the real reason I am commenting is that I used to have the same exact clock. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a little girl and seeing the picture of yours just brought back good memories, so thank you for that as well! (Now I wish I still had it…)

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:20:51 +0000

This is exactly the rule we’ve embraced in our own house! If it’s not functional, sentimental or smile-inducing, it’s gone. We have gotten rid of hundreds of items in the last few months. We’re heading toward 1,000. Where it all came from, I have no idea! We’re also highly allergic to getting free stuff just because it’s free. If it doesn’t fulfill one of those three criteria, it’s not coming through our door! I LOVE your blog. LOVE it!

By: HollY

HollY — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:50:52 +0000

I am SO with you on this. Functional and personal has always been my home decor style. This drives my extended family crazy. My dad often likes to gift what he believes to be clever jokes or sayings mounted in picture frames and I always roll my eyes and think…what a waste, because this will NEVER be on my wall.
My family is also the type to gasp whenever I get rid of things at yard sales or to goodwill because “they’re in good shape” or “It’s perfectly good.”
Growing up with people like this has made me so averse to “stuff” that I wonder if one day I won’t be sad at some of the things that I neglected to keep.

By: Tonya

Tonya — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:40:04 +0000

I love this post. My husband and I are getting ready to move from a very small apartment into a bigger one and we are still wanting to decrease the amount of things we take with us. This post will be very helpful in doing that.

By: Preeti @ Heart and Mind

Preeti @ Heart and Mind — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:49:39 +0000

Rachel,

I am sure my pretty side will not be as pretty. But, thanks for making feel little better

By: Jenni @ Life from the Roof

Jenni @ Life from the Roof — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:38:12 +0000

One item I have and use that fits 3 categories (functional, personal, and makes me smile) is a magnetic chalkboard from IKEA that I turned into a menu board. I always like walking into restaurants where they have the specials of the day written on chalkboards, so I got this one from IKEA for about $15. I also happened to have some small 2″x3″ clear acrylic magnetic photo frames, enough to make a label for each day of the week. I picked out some pretty scrapbook paper for the background, then made abbreviated days, and put them on the board vertically, leaving space to the right for each day’s dinner plan.

There was also some space below the chalkboard to put small pieces of artwork that I either like or have been made for us (my brother-in-law is an artist).

It’s fun to post the menu for the week – it creates a sense of anticipation for others in the family as to what we’ll be eating, and reminds me what I need to get prepared for that day or the next few. However, I have to admit that sometimes I have crazy weeks where I’ll look at the board and realize that it was a menu from several weeks ago!
.-= Jenni @ Life from the Roof´s last blog post ..How less can you dress =-.

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:32:29 +0000

I really like this criteria for decorating, rather than “everything should be functional with as few decorative items as possible” (because its only clutter anyway) philosophy that seems to happen once you have kids. I have many things that are very sentimental and not at all functional and some of them are even packed away or are about to be packed away for years because of sweet, curious fingers. But they are still special to me, no matter where they are located.

As for the functional items, my husband and I are trying to learn how to built, craft, sew, etc so our functional belongings have a more personal side to them. The investment of time helps us find that sweet spot.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:29:14 +0000

I have small children and a small budget, so simple has become a way of life. I’ve found getting rid of things (and not buying more) frees me up from a responsibility. It all about stewardship, of money and things. Rearranging furniture and picture frames is my release for decorating.

When things seem a little TOO clean and clear, I do have this one thing that I do. We have a mantle mounted on the wall (no fireplace). During Easter I put up a few chickens my Aunt had given to me in a box of yard sale stuff. I coaxed my family into a craft where I used food coloring, sweetened condensed milk and their fingerprints to paint and egg, then framed that. I wouldn’t decorate the whole house, but I can manage a mantle. It freshened up the place enough for me. I’ve rotated the picture in the frame for other seasons, but always with something free.

Someday my life will be different, and I may find joy in having more things around. Right now it would just be more stress.