thoughts from the Man Cave
The Pursuit of Decluttering A search for joy can start in the home
by Mike Savicki photography by Creative Imagery & Staging by Tiffany Walsh
Misty Molloy, owner of The CoCreative Home. JANUARY 2020
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Left: A decluttered space can help reduce the daily stress of life.
LAKE NORMAN CURRENTS
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his column almost didn’t happen. As 2019 was coming to a close, I was literally and figuratively struggling to carry the additional end-of-year weight that comes with holiday chaos, confusion, and commotion. And my house was a mess. Not yet having undecorated from Halloween and Thanksgiving, I caught myself stringing lights and hanging ornaments on whatever I could reach and that included an inflatable Halloween grim reaper, an oversized turkey, and a standee of Darth Vader. I found myself with a serious case of writer’s block. It was only when my editor, Renee, suggested I write about a topic that more closely follows this issue’s theme of home building, remodeling, renovation, and design that I found inspiration. To be more clear, I found
motivation while speaking with Misty Molloy, owner of The CoCreative Home, an expert in organization, design, and decorating our personal spaces. How fantastic would it be, I thought to myself as we chatted, if I could use the energy of the New Year as the catalyst to getting my home, and my life, organized and in order? Molloy began by telling me that the New Year is a fantastic time to declutter, design, and decorate as a way to eliminate stress and find purpose and intention in our homes and belongings. “Our homes have the power to inspire and improve our lives,” Molloy shared. “Most all of us know what we want and need to feel good in our homes, but we allow fear to paralyze us in our efforts to bring it all together. We don’t give ourselves permission to make the changes we know
we should.” As we chatted, my mind flashed to images of perfectly designed hotel rooms, trendy television home remodels, and catchy photographs of professionally arranged rooms in designer show houses until Molloy corrected me. “If design is to be successful, it should be personal. Design for yourself, not your space,” she explained. “Look less at what you see in a hotel room or show house, block out the overload of social media, and think more about what makes you feel beautiful, what brings you joy.” Molloy, who primarily works with women, then further explained her thinking in a way that resonated with this guy. She explained how being intentional, decluttering, and stripping design down to the bare minimum, then building around cherished items you already have, will lead to
success. Molly is a firm believer that we should do more with less, and that people only really need about 20 percent of the things we keep. We can look at things we already have— those small knick knacks we love, those personal items from trips and travels that we cherish, those special photos, those inherited furniture pieces that evoke positive memories and feelings — and focus on building around them rather than buying new and bringing more into our lives. So, after careful selfreflection, I’m giving myself permission to begin the New Year with the hope of using my energy to declutter and design. And from the clutter, once I put away the grim reaper, turkey, and Darth Vader, I hope to find joy.