As we are moving in September, I have started the process of getting rid of stuff and restyling our current house in a more minimalistic simple way for the next six months, getting it ready to rent. The process has been very therapeutic but also hard – take our book situtaion as a case in point: I’ll never throw away books but I also struggle to give them away too. But I decided to be ruthless, and so every paperback was donated, every children’s book under the age 8 was donated (save for our firm favourites and ones I’m keeping for the grandkids!) and then that’s where I stopped. I should have done a critical look at all my non-fiction party/entertaining books – but for me it is a collection in its entirety and to start dividing it up would be impossible. I think I do still need to do this, but for now getting rid of a third of all the books in our house is what I am calling a “good enough” start.

By doing this, the sideboard that I had in our living room was now empty, and so I donated that too. Thus creating the perfect spot for my desk that has been sitting pointlessly in the gym area downstairs. Now it is upstairs where all the action is; and the view of the lake doesn’t hurt either. As for decorating it, I only really need a spot for my laptop, so I ended up covering every other part of the surface with plants – the idea being that this DOES NOT become a dumping ground for all my paper work and junk – and so far it is working great! I throw away every piece of paper I don’t need, I pack all my stationery into one drawer and everything else has to go downstairs into my storeroom off the garage. Long may it last!

And the details: Desk and pot plants from Interio, Chair, Lamp, Pot Plants and Hay Cushion from IKEA, Typewriter was my Aunt’s and that monkey? My favourite new buy from the Finnish Design Shop and it’s by Kay Bojesen and I fear a new collection coming on… and how cute is Bailey’s styling!