There is a phrase often used in the visual art and design worlds, coined by Italian art and literature critic Mario Praz: horror vacuii. This (somewhat dramatic) term was originally used by Praz to describe the overwhelming chaos of Victorian interior trends and translates from Latin to ‘fear of emptiness’- a wonderful use of language to give depth to the dwindling trend that more is best. More patterns, more textures, more trinkets and more belongings in general. Today, in stark contrast, we are seeing less and less of this need for more and a growing love affair with that, previously feared, empty space.
When it comes to the average cutlery drawer (an area in your home we feel we can lay claim to expertise), this Victorian fashion of overcrowding has sneakily hung on. Everywhere else in a house might be spick and span, but take a peek into the shut away and we are likely to be confronted with that same chaos. You may think ‘what I can’t see can’t hurt me’, but Decluttering professionals believe otherwise. As with all, the reality of something out of sight being out of mind is far from the truth. If a cupboard or drawer is bursting with unnecessary items and you know about it, you will always have that knowledge niggling in the back of your mind.