minimum-alist or maximum-alist??

[forHISglory]

Forget the spellling. The question is whether you like to decorate with lots of stuff, or very little stuff, or somewhere inbetween.

I grew up in a home where every square inch of every wall was covered with some sort of picture, knicknack, sconce, poster, etc. Every square inch of countertops and desk/dresser/bureau/buffets/etc. were covered. I hated it.

In my own room, I kept very little on my dresser, and only a couple of items on the walls. When I left home, it was the same. So my mom kept giving me stuff to put on the walls, saying that I just didn't have enough there. Sigh....

Can you guess that I'm a minimalist? I'm sitting in the family room right now as I type. One wall has a matted and framed copper pressing of a maple leaf, hung between two sets of windows. The next wall has nothing hanging on it, but a nine foot shelf displays 9 pieces of vintage pottery. A third wall has built in book shelves that are filled with our books and the fourth wall has a copper and oak wall hanging of the 10 Commandments. I guess I could probably get even more minimal, but this is where I am.

I'm more comfortable with less on the walls and surfaces. My mother is more comfortable having all of her pretties out where she can see them. She once told me that she likes to have it all out and then be able to look at each piece and remember the person who gave it to her. We neither one are wrong.

How about you?

[Nishu]

My mom's place was like your mom's place, and my place is more like your place. My mom tries to give me stuff, too.

I like to travel light, and since we move a lot I try not to accumulate anything and I try not to make any more work for myself than needed. Taking down and putting up decorations is a lot of work.

[IntlMom]

hardly any stuff. I tend to decorate with my furniture choices. I go for the Early American/farmhousey type look.

[madhen]

My walls are pretty bare, more out of a lack of interior design savvy than choice.

[2ndGenGranola]

I have more things up. I cannot stand bare walls. I don't like my dresser/cabinets cluttered but bare would drive me nuts. The sounds are too loud when it is bare and shoots right through my head. Stuff absorbs the sound and makes it bearable.

[Kitten20]

This is a constant battle at our house; I am a minimalist (to an extent) and my fiance loves "stuff". Our walls are mostly bare. I do have some knick-knacky type stuff sitting around, along with some pictures, but I prefer bare/clean surfaces.

ETA: I grew up in a house with a lot of "stuff".

[wanderlusting]

in some ways, we're both. As for decorating: we're minimalist. We have a few things hung up on the walls and hardly and knicknacks. If I have too many knicknacks, it stresses me out because things start to look cluttered. I have toys strewn everywhere from my twins, so I figure that's enough "decoration"

I do have quite a few things in the attic and in our garage- camping equipment, books, baby things we're holding on for future children, etc. But they're out of sight until they're ready for use

[ladykemma2]

hardly any stuff. I tend to decorate with my furniture choices. I go for the Early American/farmhousey type look.

i can't say it any better than that. me too.

[imagine]

I grew up with a barren wall house. Maybe a picture or two on one wall in each room, like one over the sofa, or bed or one along the dinning room wall. White walls. No family photos on the wall. Ready to sell at a moments notice.

I have a few more on the wall now especially family photos. I don't have a wall of photos or anything like that and people still wonder when I will decorate as I'm more of a minimalist then most but less of one then the house I grew up in.

[McD]

We have minimal decorations. Even around Christmas time, I typically put up only the tree.

Both my parents and grandparents have stuff everywhere. My gramma has two hutches plus four different shelving units in her dining room table to showcase her 'treasures'. At last count, there were 35 pictures hanging on ONE WALL in her living room.

[cab54]

We have minimal decorations. Even around Christmas time, I typically put up only the tree.

Both my parents and grandparents have stuff everywhere. My gramma has two hutches plus four different shelving units in her dining room table to showcase her 'treasures'. At last count, there were 35 pictures hanging on ONE WALL in her living room.

I'm getting to be the same at Christmas. I bring up maybe an armload of stuff that my adult sons like, but otherwise, it's the (small) tree and a wreath on the front door. If it were up to me, that's ALL there would be.

[shoiji]

I think living in places with barely any furniture much less pictures made me go a little nuts when I was finally able to. Now I think I have a happy medium. There are two walls in each room that have paintings hanging on them. The other walls I keep bare. This way I do not feel crowded in but still homey.

[jas]

Not into lots of knick knacks, but do have things on the walls appropriate to their size. IMO anyway. I hate clutter though. Dh has his spots that he can have his junk, but I don't want it where we do our daily living.

My mom was much like me in that sense. After my mom passed my dad became a pack rat. He might have always wanted to be but my mom kept him in check I suppose. He had stuff on most every surface minus the kitchen. (thank goodness)

[imagine]

I find it interesting that people seem to be saying that they tend to be heading toward the opposite direction of how they grew up. Not totally switched over but tending to the opposite direction.

Grew up minimal now more max

grew up max now less minimal.

I grew up with tons of clothes I'm a minimalist in that area now.

A lady on Harding said she had two skirts to shirts when she was little now she "had way to much clothes" her words not
mine.

Makes one wonder how our children will turn out. and will it be nature- Who they are or nurture - the environment they grew up in because of us.

[TigerGirl1226]

I do have family pictures and wall art. I wouldn't say it's "cluttery", but not minimumalist at all.