the maximum minimum

good morning darling friends! i hope your morning is already off to a beautiful, brand new start. it’s pretty quiet around here. the day is still full of potential and nothing has turned it into a good or bad day yet.

just like the water can be so different, tranquil or violent, maybe it’s our own energy that makes a good or bad day. i’m going to try to harness and direct mine today. yesterday i was kind of clumsy, today i’m determined to be more mindful.

i’ve been feeling the need to hit the reset button and i thought it would be a good idea to start fresh this week with a post about the simplicity of white.

it’s official, my building’s been sold so i’m out at the end of august. i’ve been working pretty hard to scale down and just can’t believe how much stuff one person can accumulate. it’s truly staggering. there are papers and tear sheets from before the days of pinterest that are close to a decade old!

it got to the point where i had to ask: am i a hoarder?

i never would have dreamed it. in fact i thought i was a minimilist.

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now with the move, i’ve had to really look at where i’m heading and what’s worth schlepping…

my usual reaction would have been to start looking for a new apartment.

but i have a friend who always challenges me to look at things in a different way.

since i’m heading to paris at the end of august and into september, she suggested i just get something when i get back.

interesting concept, but where would i put all my STUFF?

sell it, she said.

and suddenly it was so simple.

so basic and yet a new and slightly uncomfortable idea. i sell all day long, but i’ve had a place of my own since i was 18 years old!

then again, what was i holding on to?

so i took it and ran with it, i’ve been liquidating like a maniac, selling everywhere from craiglist to ebay, realizing that it’s only stuff and i was somehow getting emotionally attached to things that were unimportant.

now i’m honing my collections, books, favorite paintings, linens, trays and special letters. those irreplaceables will always be with me. and now everything is out of the drawers, closets and file folders.

i know what every scrap of paper is and where to put the very last paperclip. what a relief! it’s still not finished but i’m enjoying the process watching something that was daunting reach the final stages.

i’ll continue to refine the stacks of papers but they are now a lot less scary. welcoming almost, cause they’re organized and that’s something i can control in an uncontrollable world.

so i guess there’s a little comfort in all this, getting back to basics, simplifying life to the max and clearing the way to be unburdened for adventures to come!

patbates.com

so with that will you join me for a faux house tour of what a white world of infinite potential might look like?

uncluttered

delicious

mismatched

scented

airy

comforting

organized

edited

luxe

natural

a place to reflect…we really all need the same few things whether in the tropics

in paris

or the garden

simplicity

quality

softness

and love

sending good vibes your way for a white hot great day!

all images via pinterest.com/parisapartment/white