Clutter vs. Collections
This year for Thanksgiving, my husband, brother, mother and I spent two night in an Airbnb in Kingston. We celebrated the day in Poughkeepsie with my in-laws and friends but because I waited too long to book, there was nothing closer that would accommodate all of us except for hotel rooms.
As one would imagine, I am particular about where I stay. If the photos don’t convey the vibe I’m looking for, I rule it out immediately. Obviously, clear space is important to me and I like to have good lighting and a functional kitchen.
The home we found in Kingston had simple and functional furniture which showed off the original wood plank floors and antique details of the home.
Our hosts Atsuko & Saturo, created a lovely environment full of gorgeous plants and an interesting collection of old tools which were displayed on mantle shelves on one wall and around the space in various locations. The diversity of the industrial tools, organic plants and streamlined furniture was a pleasure to experience and made the space feel balanced.
Seeing all of the wonderful things we created conversation around, which is generally missing from hotel environments, got me thinking about the difference between collections and clutter. Here are a few things I came up with:
A collection has a theme and is limited to a color or focus
Collections can be displayed as artwork
Collections don’t take up space on work surfaces
Collections are thoughtfully planned
We had a beautiful stay in Uptown Kingston, although it took every ounce of strength for me to not to take the enormous fern and my brother to leave behind the giant cutters above the fireplace ;)
