PURGING OF ALL THINGS BIG

source: ElleDecor.com

“Nobody wants to be inundated. There is so much
out there. What we need is fewer things, better edited.” – Anna Wintour

As a teenager from Queens Village, I have always
dreamed of living in New York City {I felt like I was always that kid behind
the fence watching all the other kids playing…having fun, while I was missing
out}.  Especially after going to school and working in the city for many
years, it made this desire even more alluring.

This city never sleeps and is full of
stylish people that care about fitness. People enjoy an outdoor
lifestyle and walk everywhere, which seemingly makes them happy…
more serotonin I suppose. It’s a city that thrives on a social life. The
idea of meeting a friend or colleague for cocktails or a meal at
restaurant or simply for coffee or tea at a cafe is beyond
attractive to me – that is what I call ‘Joie
De Vivre’.

After years of comfortable living in the suburbs with
the acres of land, the cars, the garages, driveways to park the cars, the
walk-in closets, the central air, I can go on and on… I still had
the burning desire to be in NYC even knowing the fact that NYC apartment
spaces run on the smaller side with just your basic necessities. Those who
have the perks of a house with full amenities are the millionaires
{…and I am not one yet, maybe
soon;}, yet, I still opted to give up the almost 2,000 square foot living space
I had with a water closet, jacuzzi tub, separate shower stall, massive
walk-in closet with walls
of shoes displayed, etc… for a 700 sq ft mini-me NYC
apartment {that’s astronomical
in price}, which means purging of all things big. So needless
to say, we had to get rid of a lot of things, and are still in the process of
purging larger pieces of furniture. As insane as this might sound to some,
there are perks to downsizing:

1. It
helps you to be creative in curating what you have. For instance,
many of my necessary products that I used to have conveniently stored away in
cabinets either underneath the bathroom sink or medicine cabinet now had
to be stored in prettier containers to be displayed on shelves.

2. Less to clean and maintain. In reality, this saves you money because now no
housekeeper is needed AND I
will have more time to do what I really love.

3. It
helps to keep only the things that I truly love, and/or have meaning. For
example, there’s this antique retro buffet table that we purchased almost 14
years ago which is now being used as a counter/bar space in our current mini
kitchen. Will show pictures in my upcoming post: ‘City Living: Creative
Displays…’

4. It
curbs impulse purchases. Now I have to stop
and ask myself ‘do I really need this?’

5. Less
clutter and STUFF to worry about. If you like
to travel as much as we do, it means less to worry about when you are
away. Also, there is something to be said for having a home that does not
suffocate you with stuff all over the place.  Simple, yet tasteful pieces
go a long way and can make a big statement.

6. No more bulk purchases at the well-known
warehouses. In
our case, although we have the membership card, I was never into buying in bulk
specifically for the purpose of not seeing all that STUFF!

And the best perk
of all is…

7. City living pulls you into the outdoors. Being surrounded by restaurants, parks, oceans, and
bays, there is always something to do in the outdoors instead of staying cooped
up in an apartment. Usually, we picnic in the park and enjoy free concert music echoing in the background. Other times we just head out to
enjoy some cafes steps away from our building.  The cafes are great
here because they let you lounge for a while, sipping on a favorite drink while
watching passersby.

We chose to live like this since we’re the
type that live like free birds. It makes for a much less
overwhelmed life. I will be sharing some of my creative photos on
how I have stored some essentials in a much prettier way. Stay tuned!