Clutter and Space
Because I'm reading Homer & Langley, E.L. Doctorow's fictionalized account of the Collyer brothers, and because the brother's home was filled with tons of newspapers and found objects, I am stuck on the subject of clutter and space.
When does a collection slip into clutter?
Someone I know collects flamingos. Her bathroom contains flamingos holding a soap dish, two flamingos on either side of the toilet paper dispenser, and small drawings of flamingos as ballet dancers,flamingos as tennis players, and flamingos attired in suits seated around a table.. Everything is in order, each to its own space. The species has not invaded the tile floor and the flamingo shower curtain stays in its place. They have not migrated out of the bathroom.
Migration is what the knick knacks and stuffed animals do at one of my favorite lobster restaurants in Maine. Beanie Babies, piled in a higher and higher pyramid, outgrow one of the tables and take over another table. Customers must make do with less seating.
Salt and pepper lighthouse shakers, lobster magnets, potholders with recipes for clam chowder, wooden lobster shacks, tiny lobster buoys, aprons emblazoned with directions on how to eat a lobster, napkins with fir trees, fir trees for miniature dioramas...spill over the sides of a plastic coated lobster tablecloth.
Paintings, wood plaques, two-dimensional depictions of Maine life and photos cover the walls. Everything is for sale. Each year the wall loses out to more hangings.
This year knick knacks migrated to the tables. The salt and peppershaker shared space with a painted puffin.
How many is too many? If the collection is orderly and everything has a place then the question is ignored. Yes, I know that people like the Collyer brothers suffer from a diagnosed disorder and that they cannot throw anything away even if it means that they lose their sleeping space.
But what about the other collectors? I once had a friend Dennie who wrote poetry and lived in a small apartment with her husband and son. She and her husband were neighborhood organizers. Placards filled their hallway— ready for another picket or demonstration. They believed that no one should take up more space then they needed when people were homeless.
The definition of hoarders may need to be expanded.
When does a collection slip into clutter?
Someone I know collects flamingos. Her bathroom contains flamingos holding a soap dish, two flamingos on either side of the toilet paper dispenser, and small drawings of flamingos as ballet dancers,flamingos as tennis players, and flamingos attired in suits seated around a table.. Everything is in order, each to its own space. The species has not invaded the tile floor and the flamingo shower curtain stays in its place. They have not migrated out of the bathroom.
Migration is what the knick knacks and stuffed animals do at one of my favorite lobster restaurants in Maine. Beanie Babies, piled in a higher and higher pyramid, outgrow one of the tables and take over another table. Customers must make do with less seating.
Salt and pepper lighthouse shakers, lobster magnets, potholders with recipes for clam chowder, wooden lobster shacks, tiny lobster buoys, aprons emblazoned with directions on how to eat a lobster, napkins with fir trees, fir trees for miniature dioramas...spill over the sides of a plastic coated lobster tablecloth.
Paintings, wood plaques, two-dimensional depictions of Maine life and photos cover the walls. Everything is for sale. Each year the wall loses out to more hangings.
This year knick knacks migrated to the tables. The salt and peppershaker shared space with a painted puffin.
How many is too many? If the collection is orderly and everything has a place then the question is ignored. Yes, I know that people like the Collyer brothers suffer from a diagnosed disorder and that they cannot throw anything away even if it means that they lose their sleeping space.
But what about the other collectors? I once had a friend Dennie who wrote poetry and lived in a small apartment with her husband and son. She and her husband were neighborhood organizers. Placards filled their hallway— ready for another picket or demonstration. They believed that no one should take up more space then they needed when people were homeless.
The definition of hoarders may need to be expanded.
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