The Editing Process
Editing your interiors can seem like a daunting process. We collect and accumulate a variety of items over time that may no longer be relevant, styles have changed, or perhaps you’ve inherited furniture from family and friends. There is such an emotional attachment associated with shedding items. However, if we look at it from a more informed perspective, the whole process might be a lot more liberating than you could ever imagine.
Editing is about assessing what items are important to you. It’s not about the guilt of keeping everything or the other extreme of getting rid of everything. It is looking at the end outcome and visualizing how you want to feel in the space you live in.
What are the important factors to consider when assessing items during the edit? I like to make sure the following key areas are all part of the decision process:
Scale – Size is such an important factor when trying to place items in a room. Always consider if the scale of your item is right for your current or new home? There is no use in taking a 10 seater dining table from the family home into a newly downsized apartment…unless of course you’ll be entertaining this number of people regularly in which case clever storage options would be good for the table leaves when they're not being used, assuming you have an old or antique table. Cleverly, modern extention tables tend to have storage for additional leaves just under the table top.
Shedding items you feel obliged to keep – Inherited items can weigh you down with guilt. If you don’t like a particular item, see if another member of the family does or even a friend. What might not be your taste could be someone else’s treasure. Don’t keep it out of obligation…it’s your life, not someone elses.
What do you want to take with you that fills you with joy – It might be a sentimental item given to you as a present, an antique statue from an amazing trip to Europe, or an old armchair which you can bring back to life with re-upholstering. There are a variety of reasons why some items bring us happiness, but it's important to keep the really special pieces because these will imbue your new home with character and soul.
Will it go with the rest of my scheme – Do you have an item that you truly love but are worried if it will look out of place? It tends to be my belief that anything you love can be worked into your interiors. For example sometimes a colour in a painting can be picked up in another item and give balance to a room.
In my own experience, I was given a family heirloom mahogany table and chairs from my cousin who found the dining setting too impractical for his purposes. The setting was a little old fashioned, but once the chairs were re-upholstered in plain neutral linen, it was transformed into a more contemporary look. In many instances mahogany can be too red for my liking; however, in this instance it wasn't so. On the upside, the table and chairs are able to stay in the family and have been put to good use ever since.
So, going back to your items, be brave and take it room by room to avoid being overwhelmed. Assess each item on it’s own merit, including items in storage. You shouldn't keep paying storage fees if you don’t even miss or eventually want these pieces in your home? Look at placement of furniture and objects with other items, working to a cohesive theme with visual appeal and most importantly, create a positive living space surrounded by only the pieces you love.
If you would like any further advice on editing your pieces in your home, please contact me at LUXE domain info@luxedomain.com
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