I've always defined minimalists as people with really great closet space. As one's apartment gets smaller, the minimalist ideal becomes less and less likely. The ten-by-twelve-foot living room of designer Harry Heissmann throws minimalism out the window and packs in character with a meaningful and well-edited collection of furnishings, art and personal style...
A collector at heart, Heissmann admits he had to give up on ebay as his Brooklyn Heights apartment couldn't hold any more stuff. I'm fond of the way everything in the small space is packed with pattern, except for the white sofa - it gives the eye a break. For the notations on the photo and a description of Heissmann's posessions, see Packed With Care from New York Magazine.
(Pics: Russell Gera)
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I was recently a guest at a rambling Victorian house owned by a couple of English Shakesperian actors. They had 30 years of theatrical memorabilia on display, heirloom furniture, dozens of paintings and drawings by artist friends, overstuffed floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, oriental rugs, and more. As soon as you walk through the door, you know that smart, interesting people live there. It made me long for all the "clutter" I've been throwing out.
view Lisa Hunter's profile
I have a friend who lives in a 300sf studio in NYC that has a similarly beautifully packed apartment. Her wonderful display of amateur portraits is for me the highlight. I love her apartment and love visiting it, but to actually live with all of that stuff always seems like something I couldn't do. If nothing else, dusting and cleaning would be too time consuming for me.
view SFGail's profile
The possessions look very interesting and personal. For me what makes it too much is the wall paper - makes it all too busy for my taste. I know some find it boring but nice white painted walls would look good here I think.
view Gallivant's profile
I'd always feel lilke the room needed to be cleaned...and it's not even dirty. No thanks. Give me a clean open space anyday. I like for my mind to be free of clutter and that means that my surroundings needs to be free of clutter. With that said, this particular room is not actually cluttered, but all of those different patterns make it seem so which is just as bad imho.
Some people live completely on the outside and crave lots of things, possessions, memorabilia and some live mostly on the inside because they know you can't take that stuff with you when you die.
I keep my collected items to a minimum. I simply don't see the need to own everything. Every book, every magazine, every playbill, every poster, every art piece. I have a few shelves dedicated to those things. Only the most important things get to stay.
view orangejuce's profile
May I please, however, have that herringbone throw that's slung over the back of that chair??
view orangejuce's profile
Actually it's houndstooth, GIMME!
view orangejuce's profile