A friend of mine called me to her house the other day. They were having the house painted and she wanted my advice on what to hang back on the walls and what to change. She had a shelf of cups/saucers that she thought maybe should be boxed up. For as long as I can remember, that shelve has been 100% used for cups/saucers. I said that she could pull a knick-knack from another room, and put that on the shelf. Keep maybe two to three of her favorite cup/saucers on the shelf and maybe put one or two sets elsewhere in the house. She wasn't sure, as she felt they belonged together. She wondered if it would look strange to have them scattered around the house. I told her that the things she sees around her house should bring her joy. Didn't matter if that meant your house was not perfectly decorated. Like items didn't need to be grouped together. Joy was more important.
This conversation made me realize how often we modify our stuff to look "correct" for our guests. Or, what we think will look right from the eyes of others. Why do we do this? We should be embracing the stuff that brings us joy and make sure they are front and center in our daily lives.
To this end, I pulled a few old toys from my keepsake box and put them in my office. I put some of my flamingo items in my bathroom, even though the bathroom is decorated with a Paris-theme. I added a fun bird pillow to my office guest chair, that totally doesn't match anything else in the room, but brings me joy when I look at it.
I am guessing, that when I have friends over, they might look around and think "wow... she has no decorating style." Honestly, I am okay with that. I know in my heart that they won't stop being my friend or stop coming to my house because my style is weird. I know they probably won't even say anything about it. And, if they do, I will tell them that I am surrounding myself with joy and give them a big smile.
So, if the stuff in your house doesn't bring you joy... it is time to replace it. Or, if the stuff that brings you joy is hidden from your daily view ... move it. Everything doesn't have to be perfect or matchy-matchy. Embrace the "joy" concept and see how much more you enjoy spending time in your rooms.
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