Farewell, Christmas…

Just a little tour of our house decorated for Christmas:

It’s funny what you see when you photograph or video tape your house. It probably looks a little cluttered to some of you. Part of that will be gone when I put away the decorations but the truth is that, despite the fact I like things tidy, I’m in no way a minimalist. If you could see my parents’ house you’d probably understand. If they were to hang an “OPEN” sign on the front door and set up a counter with cash register, you’d start looking for price tags. It looks like a cross between an antique store and malt shop. They have a lot of really cool stuff and while it’s a bit much for me to live with personally (I hate to dust!) I do feel comfortable there.

While I can appreciate those perfect houses with just a few careful chosen objets d’art and lots of open space, I’m personally more comfortable with a little cozy clutter. My favorite design style is an English country look complete with wellies by the door and a dog snoozing in front of the fire. Or how about the cottage in the movie, “The Holiday”? Take a look at this photo tour of Rosehill Cottage and tell me it’s not delightful and charming.

Still, I always do some decluttering after I put away Christmas, or at least when spring arrives. It might be a little later this year since we apparently have some frigid weather heading our way later this month and for some reason I feel warmer with a bit of cosy clutter.

What about you? Are you a minimalist, clutter bug, or somewhere in between?