ShareThisEver wonder if you'd enjoy your home more if there were less in it? Rita Stollman-Levin doesn't have to wonder. She knows.
Since clearing her clutter and rethinking her space with the help of a professional organizer, she's loved living in her century-old Victorian home in St. Paul, Minn.
"It's so pleasant to walk in the door, and that wasn't the case before," she said.
She and her husband entertain more often, enjoy it more and even have a more harmonious relationship now that they're no longer sharing one crowded office. "I was driving him nuts," she recalled. Now she has an orderly, functional home, with a place for everything. "It's empowered me to do more with my life and still have a more leisurely lifestyle."
A fresh start like Levin's is appealing, especially this time of year, when many of us resolve to pare down and spruce up. But this year, the economy has put a different spin on that annual ritual.
"People are really nervous and emotional; there's a lot of instability and fear," said designer Cy Winship (www.cywinship.com).
Many homeowners seem reluctant to part with items they think they might need in lean times ahead, noted Lisa Wendt (www.homesthatwork.net), the organizer who transformed Levin's house. "When I say, 'Let's start donating,' you can tell they're thinking twice," she said.
Wendt said she's fielding more questions about refinishing furniture. "People say, 'It's not so bad -- maybe I'll hang onto it a little longer.' " And more of those who do pare down their belongings are interested in getting cash for them, she said, or donating them to benefit someone in need, rather than merely getting rid of them.
While most retail sales are down or flat, consignment-store business appears brisk. At Hope Chest, which sells upscale secondhand furniture, home accessories and clothing, sales rose by 20 percent last year, said Susanna Franklin, manager of the St. Paul store. "People are working on stretching their dollars."
Clothes Mentor, a national consignment-store chain that pays cash for women's clothing and accessories, saw a 28 percent rise in sales last year, according to Chad Olson, chief operating officer and owner of the Minnetonka, Minn., store. (There are five in Minnesota, with two more opening this spring.) "Honestly, the economy has been a huge positive factor for us," he said.
More people also appear to be selling secondhand goods themselves; Craigslist reported a 20 percent increase in furniture postings for 2009, according to spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best.
Even those who do have money for home-improvement projects appear to be watching their wallets, according to Winship, who sees a new practicality emerging. And that's not all bad. It's contributing to better, smarter design.
"People are interested in new green products, and they want quality," he said. "They don't want to waste money on (junk). They're asking better and more questions. That's been really heartening to see."
Homeowners also appear less drawn to high-priced trophy gadgets and materials, he said. They're more interested in comfort and function. "It's not just adding pretentious things but thinking about how we use things. Rather than trying to impress, people are putting their money into things that work better for them."
(kpalmer(at)startribune.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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