Cleaning Out the Clutter
The last two weeks have been a little crazy around the Witemeyer homestead. After raising three children on carpet that was probably 15 years old when we purchased the house in 2000, our previously “white” carpet had become so stained that I was embarrassed to have people over. However, with one child married and the other two at least temporarily moved out for schooling, our house had the least amount of furniture it had had in years. Now was the time!
So we went shopping, spent about a week deciding on colors and plushness then made the plunge. But that was just the beginning. Next came all the packing. Any loose items on furniture had to be boxed up, closet floors had to be cleaned out, breakables had to be stored. This was the perfect time to get rid of things we really didn’t need. I donated several boxes of books to our local library book sale, we filled at least three large trash cans, and we hope to give away some furniture that we’ve been storing just in case we might need it someday. But after more than a decade, I think it is safe to pass it on to a new home. As we begin to unpack, I’m finding that I want to get rid of even more.
Clutter stresses me out. Seeing all this open closet floor space and wall space has created an urge in my soul to do what I can to reduce the stuff taking up space in our home. One of the plans we’ve come up with really excites me.
I’ve never had a home office. I’ve always just written from my bed with a lap desk. But now that the nest is emptying, there is room for new possibilities. So when the carpet installers started moving furniture back into place for us, we had them put a few things in new locations. One being a desk and bookshelf being moved to my boys’ old bedroom so I can have an actual writing office! We will probably still have a twin bed and dresser in the back half of the room should it be needed for company, but I’m giddy about having a place not only to work, but to store all those boxes of books, promo items, and shipping materials that had overrun our study for the the last ten years. Now I have a closet with a currently empty floor where I can organize and pile all those boxes!
I’m already scheming up ways to decorate and get comfy in the space. I’ll be sure to post the finished product when I’m through. The Star Wars poster will need to relocate, and I’m sure I’ll need some cute bookish décor to liven the space. Eventually, I’d like to paint as well, but with brand new carpet, I don’t think I’m brave enough to go there just yet.
The other project my husband and I are really excited about is the change to our front room. It’s technically a formal dining room, though we’ve never used it for that purpose. For years it was the “Play Room” where we kept all the oversized toys for the kids. It morphed into a study room with three desks for the kids to do their homework. I’ve always dreamed of turning it into a home library, however, and with the new flooring, we’ve taken the first step.
We opted to put in wood-grain tile as our base to build upon. After I recover from the sticker shock of the new carpet, I’ll start gathering estimates for having custom shelves installed. Maybe even with a window seat! I have visions of cozy reading chairs big enough to snuggle up with future grandkids. A table to hold my tea cup, and an accent wall with a bookish cross-stitch design I hope to make in the next few years. I even talking to my daughter-in-law about painting a couple of my favorite bookish quotes over the two doorways in the room. (Can you tell I’m been dreaming about this for a while?)
This will be a long-term project, but having the floor installed, helped it take the first step out of dreamland and into reality. So exciting!
Do you have dream projects you’d love to bring into reality in your home?
