You're full of it, so is your house!

When your house is so full of who you are it’s hard to imagine getting rid of those objects you love. Real estate advice suggests that you get rid of all the things that mean so much to you and cleanse your house of your very personality so that the majority of people can see themselves living in your home. What if you are not of the majority of people? My friends and the people I love are not the majority of people. There isn’t a picture dead center over the sofa, two end tables with matching lamps and tulips planted one red, one white, one red, one white, one red, one white.

In the past 5 years I have sold two homes. Both real estate agents told me to put all my pots, books, folk art and treasures in tote boxes in a storage unit. The house was to be void of personality.

In the past year I have lost some friends and seen another that is now living in assisted living. They had beautiful objects surround them and now what? What is a treasure to you is trash to someone else. It is one thing when you have a guardian/partner, friend that knows the value of what surrounds you.  In my case  who would know the unsigned slip decorated bowl is Yi Dynasty Korean and perhaps the most valuable pot in my house?

How would anyone know the value of my Windsor chairs, my Outsider art, my pot collection, and all my crazy nonsense that means something to me and only me? My life's treasures!

  Try to think of taking your life and putting it into a small room. What would you keep and what would you sell, gift to friends or give to the local donation centre?  

The sponge is the real estate agent of pottery. I have seen people scrubbie, scrubbie , sponge, sponge, sponge and then sand their pots till they are what we call Dutch clean and looking so tidy they look machine made. Look at the beautiful Korean rice bowl foot ring. There is life in the marks.  I guess it’s like vacuuming under the bed. Some would do it almost daily. I do it when the bunnies start showing themselves under my bed.