Embracing the Art of Curated Clutter
I’m a big advocate for what I like to call “curated clutter.” Clutter may be an unfashionable thing to celebrate, but frankly, who cares? To my mind, it’s what makes a room, lending it depth, intrigue, and most importantly, personality. How else are you meant to show off who you are if not through your lifetime collection of Sylvanian Families or Clarice Cliff pottery?
The truth is, I don’t think I will ever come close to being a minimalist. I often flirt with the idea of what it would be like to live in an Axel Vervoordt interior, or a John Pawson house, then I quickly come to the resounding realization that I wouldn’t last five small minutes. I’d be down the car boot and in and out of charity shops faster than you could say “minimal,” desperate to fill every single serene, stark raw plaster surface with my displays of nonsensical clutter.
But with the sweet smell of spring finally lingering in the air, it’s once again that time when we reach for the duster and roll out the bin bags in readiness for the annual spring clean. Only last week, I took four bin bags of clothes and two boxes of never-seen-the-light-of-day, what-the-hell-was-I-thinking market finds to the charity shop. It got me thinking: What if the answer for doing a spring clean was not to think of it as a de-clutter, but a re-clutter?
Rethinking Shelf Displays
Reimagining how you display your possessions can breathe a new lease of life into your home—and with a few simple display ideas and canny arrangement tricks of the trade, I hope to have you seeing your clutter in a whole new light. Perhaps the most obvious place to start is with shelving, which—as we know—comes in all shapes, sizes, and finishes.
For those of you old enough to remember the great British television show that was Changing Rooms, you’ll surely not have forgotten the episode when Linda Barker had Handy Andy install a swinging center partition shelf suspended off a plasterboard ceiling, to display the homeowner’s beloved lifetime collection of china teapots. Sadly, but somewhat unsurprisingly, Linda and Andy returned the following morning to find the shelves lying broken on the floor and every single teapot smashed to smithereens. So a little insider’s tip? Absolutely never hang a suspended swinging shelf off a plasterboard ceiling. And even more importantly: don’t put your precious china on it.
Let’s start instead with a more conventional—and infinitely safer—option: the humble wall shelf. (It’s okay to play it safe sometimes). Although I love clutter, I think it is most effective when confined to one area. First of all, think long and hard about what it is you want to display. Bulkier objects always tend to look best on solid chunky shelving, of course, whereas finer, more delicate items always look lovely on glass. But what constitutes a bulkier object, I hear you ask? I would say sculptures, ornamental objets d’arts, ceramics, coffee-table books—and it’s all about how you group them together.
The second thing you need to do is set yourself some rules. (This may be the only time you ever hear me say those four words.) Sticking to one color or material will always bring visual impact, and grouping objects around their textures can also tie an otherwise random set of objects together. At home, I have a shelf dedicated to dark, glossy pieces, like my bonkers cat and wire insect collection, which is laid across a similarly glossy off-white shelf so the objects really pop.
Elevating Your Shelf Game
Come to think of it, the shelf is just as important as what’s actually on it. If you want to make your own shelves, try sourcing old off-cuts of wood from a local timber merchants; go for vintage hardwoods like oak or ash if you can find it, then finish with linseed oil to bring out the grain. Offcuts of marble also make for a great display shelf. Head to your local marble dealer—and remember this is a good opportunity to pick something special, since you’re only buying a small piece. (It could also be a fun moment to introduce an unexpected or irregular shape, like a triangle, which I’m always partial to.) I love it when you can see the raw edge of the marble; once your objects are displayed, it looks like a modernist art installation.
It’s also worth considering shelf bracket options, and for me, it’s always either keep it very simple, or really going to town. I particularly like the simple Knotted Shelf Bracket in Beeswax by Jim Lawrence. (I also make my own zigzag brackets which are made to order, should you be so inclined—they’re rather fetching, if I do say so myself.) Wall sconces, sometimes referred to as wall brackets, seem to be having a bit of a renaissance, too. (And for the record, I was a fan even before they became fashionable.) They are a fabulous alternative to the full wall-to-wall shelf and perfect for that small, awkward, and unsightly spot where seemingly nothing will fit. If you’re on the hunt for a piece, Lassco of London‘s classic plaster cast bracket by master plasterer Peter Horne (and inspired by Sir John Soane) will work perfectly in most settings.
Curating Your Wall Art
When it comes to displaying wall-mounted pieces like artworks, I think it’s a case of trial and error—basically, hold it up there and see what looks good. I’m a firm believer that more is more, but as I mentioned earlier, try and stick to one or two key wall moments. I would begin by hanging the largest piece first, and work outwards from there. (Stacking, otherwise known as Edwardian hanging, is another nifty way of making the most out of your wall space, especially if it’s somewhat limited, like mine.)
Hanging your artwork on a chunky vertical chain is a sexy little trick that looks very expensive and costs surprisingly little; you can buy chains by the meter from most DIY shops. If you’re lucky enough to have a picture rail then you can hang your chain off that, although a classic wall hook will always work—just hang your pictures off the chain with small S hooks. And if you want to keep things simple? There’s nothing wrong with trusty, old-fashioned Blu-Tac. To me, that can still allow National Gallery-level curation.
Finding Inspiration in the Unexpected
On a recent trip to Paris, I visited the Ikea artist-in-residence show by Annie Leibovitz, which featured photographs of people in their homes from around the world. One image in particular, of a bedroom belonging to teenager Silvia Ragusa, who had covered the walls with all her favorite things really captured my imagination. It reminded me of my own adolescent bedroom with posters all over the wall. And it made me think: maybe all our interiors could do with a little more of that haphazard punk spirit.
Re-cluttering—you heard it here first, folks. Head to your local ABC Home store to find all the shelving, brackets, and display pieces you need to curate your own unique, personality-filled space. Whether you opt for floating shelves, wall sconces, or a mix of textured woods and marble, the possibilities are endless. So don’t be afraid to embrace a little clutter and let your shelves tell your story.
