Skip to main content

Cluttered. . . Style?


It's amazing how the interiors of so many adults' homes resemble that of a particularly sloppy teenager.


Work-related Zoom and Teams meetings in the time of Covid-19 the last ten weeks or so have provided interesting, albeit unwanted, insight into how an awful lot of families apparently live their daily lives.  In a word, clutter seems to be the rule rather than the exception.  But a cluttered living space has adverse effects contrary to what a lot of people might claim.

Now, before you protest and point out that we are not living in 'normal' circumstances, hold on a second.  Living amid mess is not a recent phenomenon by any means, but something I began to notice about 20 years ago when The Grand Duchess and I, not yet married, or parents, and still relatively carefree young academics, began to accept a lot of dinner and party invitations from work colleagues for Friday and Saturday evenings. 

Almost always, I kid you not, the living spaces of most of the homes, to which we were invited, were in a state or disarray although the gatherings had been planned for some time.  That was the case whether there were any children in the picture, or not.  Whether the dwelling was a house, condominium, or apartment.  Whether the household consisted of a single, or two adults cohabiting.  It was unusual when someone's home was relatively straight.

Almost invariably, the entryway and dining areas served as dumping grounds for shoes, coats, bags of stuff, books, mail, assorted crap in those cheap plastic organizing racks (in full view) that you can buy at places like Target or K-mart, you name it.  Kitchens and living rooms weren't much better.  Stuff always seemed (and seems) to occupy every single corner, surface, and middle of sometimes expansive floors.  How can people live like that?  What gives?

It's bad enough to exist from day to day in the midst of a what is essentially a junk heap, but when you cannot even be bothered to straighten up before entertaining guests?  How hard is it to put things away when you have finished with them, hang coats and stow shoes in the hall closet by the front door, and quickly run the vacuum cleaner around any rugs or carpets every 7-10 days?  It really makes you wonder about a litany of things having to do with people, the way they think, and behave day to day. 

Lest you think otherwise, I am far from being a neat nut -- I like a stack of several books in-progress and recently arrived magazines on the floor by my side of the bed for example -- but general upkeep around the house really doesn't take much time when you make a habit of it.  It's no different than making your bed, showering, and brushing you teeth every morning before you dress, or loading and running the dishwasher after dinner each evening.  Come on.  It's not that hard, people.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

  1. I do not understand the clutter people seem to be able to live in, both at work and at home.

    We live in a time where there is a time saving "app" for everything and yet we cannot wash the dishes (or get our kit ready for the morning) before bed and rise, as my training Sergeant used to say; S**t, shave and shower before breakfast.

    I like neat and tidy - perhaps that's why I like my toy soldiers standing in neat lines?

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is nothing quite like the prospect of guests coming to your house to get you to clean up the clutter in your home. Good reason to host a party at least once a month.

    Jim

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Popular Posts

The Problem of "Business Casual" Attire. . .

This is how it's done.  Business Casual the RIGHT way, ladies and gentlemen.  Even during the summer months.  A photograph (taken by Studio B Portraits ) which appeared in 425 Business Magazine in May 2017.   T his post on the problem of business casual dress began as a quick postscript to a previous blog entry last week but quickly grew and grew as additional thoughts occurred, were developed in more detail, and revisions made.  So much so, that it seemed, eventually, like a better idea to make the initial P.S. afterthought into its own entry .  Are ya ready, Freddy?  Then, here we go. . .  ------------ U nless you actually plan to sell beach snacks and trinkets on Cozumel, become a serial barista, or greet customers at a fancy nightclub after taking out huge student loans to attend university somewhere for four or five years, plus an MBA afterward, it's really a better idea to err on the side of (somewhat) more formal work attire any time you head into the

The Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style Now on Ebay!!!

Another great old Laurence Fellows illustration of menswear from the classic era, the 1930s. T he Average Guy's Guide to Classic Style is up and running on Ebay.  -- Heinz-Ulrich

Friday Tweeds, Cords, and Coffee. . .

  I made the sojourn into campus this morning to have some coffee and talk shop with a colleague.  We had an enjoyable discussion for an hour in the recently opened library branch of the global abomination that is Starbuck's .  Can someone explain to me. . .  Why on earth do cities like Vienna and Rome even need them? I am of two minds here.  Starbuck's is handy in a lot of instances.  The coffee isn't bad.  Somewhat better than what is sold in the competing, campus owned and run Sparty's .  And the space in the library, occupied by a branch of Sparty's until early last May, is redesigned, bright, airy, and clean with plenty of new tables, chairs, and outlets for  laptop computers, tablets, and recharging phones.  All very convenient.   Yet it is locally owned, non-corporate cafes that have the character and quirkiness that makes them interesting places in which to kill time, work, and people watch.  Why the campus town adjacent to my employer does not have a bette