Pretty useless
By Never teh BrideAs dedicated to simplicity as I am, I’m still guilty of keeping some things around just because they’re fun to look at. For example, I found a vintage matchbox in my (currently) non-working nineteenth century vintage sewing machine, and I decided to place it in a prominent spot atop my bookcase. I have pitchers I never use and Japanese bowls too small to serve any useful purpose. And yet I keep them all because they bring me joy or inspire me or remind me of relatives far away.
So, yeah, just what I need…more glass, knickknacks, wall decorations, and balls. If I had to choose just one of the pretty things above, I think I’d go for the pears, though my cats are currently gathered around my desk begging me to get the vetiver balls instead. I suppose I could put them in the empty hand turned vase that right now does nothing but serve as a receptacle for handmade paper eggs.
What can I say? I’m a slave to my eyeballs.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Those pears would be my first choice, too — they’re quite wonderful.
Most people — or most women, anyway — probably have stuff like that around. My current apartment is so small that I’ve had to store some nifty things, but one of my favorite objects I have here is a big bunch of 1950’s-vintage clear acrylic “grapes” wired to a driftwood “stem.”
I don’t intend them to be all ironic-retro-chic, either (that’s not my style at all). I just think they’re cool — and utterly useless, of course!
April 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I love looking at pretty things, but my house has been overrun by toys, and it is too small to keep much of anything. I also suffer from a complete lack of horizontal space in which to display things.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”
–William Morris
Pretty things give your home beauty. Functional things give your home brains. Sentimental things give your home a soul.
– me
April 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Alas, I have as many pretty things as my apartment can comfortably hold–and definitely more books than shelf space. Maybe this means I need to get more bookshelves to corral the books and display pretty things.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I like your quote even better than I like Morris’ quote, La Petite Acadienne.