Moving house is a lot of work, but it does provide you with the opportunity to re-visit your stuff. I don’t mean in a ‘throwing out’ kind of way. More in a ‘Oh it’s nice to see you and appreciate you again’ kind of way.
I have a lot of stuff. Memorabilia, inspirations, personal stuff. Some old and some quite new. My latest labour of love was painting my 40 year old pine bookshelves in this sumptuous green Autentico chalk paint from Plain Jane Furniture. I think it’s the perfect background against which to display some of my stuff (and books of course).
In the top right corner is my wooden artist’s figure that I’ve had since I was 16. She has found a perch in every house I’ve ever lived in. On the far left of the top shelf is a jar filled with sand and shells. Not from some summer holiday, but a prop from the Stephen Sewell play ‘The Father we Loved on a Beach by the Sea’ that I directed in my 20s.
Below this is a pedestal bowl from IKEA filled with tropical shells that my Nan collected on a bus tour to Queensland in the 1960s. They used to be on display on her mantlepiece and I was fascinated by their exoticism as a child.
Below that is a clay figurine of Godzilla created by Ben Trotter who owns my favourite Mid Century store My Modern Nest. He’s been venturing into pottery of late and I love his work. As I was moving and had excess Mid Century dining chairs, I swapped the chairs for this figurine. I think it’s important to incorporate a little whimsy into daily life.
For me it’s not about money. I’m not a collector of stuff that you buy as a financial investment. It’s more like a visual and tactile diary or a jigsaw of life. Memories from important times and people. I find it to be comforting and nurturing to keep them on daily view.
If you’ve got precious stuff tucked away in your drawers and cupboards, I urge you to consider putting some of them on display. They are part of your story, part of your life. Maybe they also deserve a freshly painted bookshelf to show them off!