In Defence of Clutter

It is all the rage for the masses to rant against 'hoarders' and to attempt to shame individuals who collect things as they move along the path of life.  I find this new catchphrase not only judgmental but as absurd as any new cult or fashion.

When I was a little girl, one of my favourite places was a wonderful bookshop named 'John Cole's Book Shop'.  They had all the classics. They had a room where children could play, a rocking horse one could ride, other playthings that spoke eloquently of an idealised childhood.  What drew me back again and again, however, was a marvelous enormous antique desk with a multitude of cubbyholes and drawers, each crammed with tiny items that were for sale.  They had fur mice from Germany, both dressed and undressed.  Made of real fur, these little mice appeared real and the undressed ones held a kernel of dried corn in their hands.  The dressed ones ranged from bride and groom to chimney sweep.  They were adorable.

They had tiny nuts with ivory lids from India that when opened spilled out a tiny set of ivory elephants.  You still can find these, but no longer at John Cole's.

They had other treasures too numerous to list but nothing was expensive and one could find exotic items from every corner of the globe in that desk.

That desk represents my ideal even now.  I love clutter.  I love to go to a bookcase to find it crammed with books I love and in front of the books, to find my own life history and interests in concrete form. Whether it is a porcelain figurine or a carved wooden camel, a vase filled with dried flowers or a mohair miniature bear or rabbit.. As much as life itself, I personally abhor a vacuum and will fight to the death to keep my clutter, because it is my own life story.

Unfortunately, the tendency is to have large, empty spaces, homes that are devoid of soul, in my opinion.  Yes, the Japanese have perfected the art!  A single vase in which one flower abides at the end of a long empty corridor.  To me, that is interesting only for a moment.  How much more fascinating were the homes of my great aunts who had collected rare and curious items from their travels round the world!  I loved to visit my great aunts.  I loved to hear the tales of each miniature cup, each doll, each figurine.