Do you often think about how much stuff you have?
Every time you move home, does the amount of contents always surprise you?

A wonderfully, maybe a little overtly, organised Japanese woman is making a living out of creating home order and concentrating on possessions that "spark joy!  "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising” by Marie Kondo. You can even watch her Google Talk  and see her passion her simple yet effective method. Or take tips from Sarah at Spruce Up! for steps to make it easy and other hacks. 

The office is always needing a de-clutter.
Many would recognise the stripy bag syndrome.

I have always been fascinated by people who can minimise their wardrobe and remember reading a story about a person who lived in a high rise very minimal apartment with a lot of glass and views, in the bedroom was only 3 hooks, with 3 outfits consisting of white shirt, black pants and grey jacket variations. Recently, a young designer, started a line, called Elizabeth Suzann, out of her garage in Nashville based on "less is more".  Pieces are one size, basics, often in 100% cotton, and silk.  In one year it grew to a million dollars in sales. The designer says it is about "not cluttering your life with things you won't use."

Easy wearing Ma Te Sai outfits from a recent fashion show in Vientiane,
supported by ANZ Bank Laos.

This movement  towards "less is more" should bode well for more meaningful objects created by artisans and artists, objects that bring joy. Many customers come in to our store, with that sentiment.  They say  “I don’t want buy lots of cheap things. When I travel I like to purchase one unique piece, that gives me pleasure and captures the essence of the place I have been”.  

I have other friends, who when they travel, take and wear all of their old clothes, which they discard along the way, donating where they can, and replace the space in their suitcase with their purchases. We are happy to help with this in-store. There are always families of our makers who appreciate a new selection of clothing, that for them too is an item of curiosity from overseas, or something nice and warm for the short but cold winter.

Anyway I hope the "sparks of joy" approach helps you when you have to de-clutter. And if you want to really see how much you have, you could always take the photographer, Huang Qingjuan's approach, and just take out all your possessions from your house and capture you amongst them all.