Curated
simplicity
83Home
Words
CLARISSA SEBAG-MONTEFIORE
Photograph
PAOLO DE SANTISOn a recent Sunday, I found my-
self sitting on my bed, surrounded by
small bottles of perfumes, creams,
and soaps I had pilfered from various
hotels. Agonising over what should
stay and what should go, I put them
into ever-smaller piles.
Finally, irritated, and bored but
filled with fear that I might one day
need a tiny-sized shampoo bottle, I
moved them (wholesale and once
again jumbled) into the bathroom
cabinet, promising this time that I’d
make a point of using them all.
With next to no space for my
collection of travel toiletries, why
didn’t I just throw them away? What
made me keep them? And why, I
kept thinking to myself, was I wast-
ing time over each and every small
decision when I could have been do-
ing something more productive?
For years while living abroad
as a journalist - hopping between
countries, stories, and shared houses- I existed in a different way: a way
you might term minimalist. My fur-
niture was sparse. I had just one or
two (large) cases of clothes. Even my
duvet, pillow, and sheets were hand-
me-downs from friends.
As I’ve grown older, I found my-
self repeating the lessons learned in
my childhood in the English coun-
tryside. Our house - an old farm-
hand’s cottage - was full of heart
and knick-knacks: clocks in the
shape of chickens and framed doo-
dles made when we were kids. Myr-
iad treasures were proudly displayed
in the drawing room.
But it was also a house with a ga-
rage crammed with battered suitcas-
es (just in case!) and drawers filled
with one too many pairs of scissors
(you never know when you might
need them!). All that stuff, at times,
made me feel crushed. In contrast,
having less - even when that less
was a tattered cheap bin and an old
towel - felt liberating.
In the west today, we are inun-
dated by an abundance of material
goods. Such excess feels not only
natural; it seems to be our birthright.
Yet as author Yuval Noah Harari
points out in his bestselling book Sa-
piens: A Brief History of Humankind,
for the vast majority of human histo-
ry (millions of years) as a species we
owned very little.
Hunter-gatherer tribes lived with
just the essentials they could carry on
their backs (tools and animal skins to
keep warm). During the Agricultural
Revolution, around 10,000 years ago,
humans settled down into villages,
creating new concepts of property
and ownership but still with vastly
less than we own now.
In the 21st century - an age of
technological revolution - the ‘stuff ’
around us has multiplied. Today,
the average person owns millions of
items in their lifetime, from the ma-
jor (a house; a car; a laptop; a smart-
phone) to the minor (a nail file).
According to the Los Angeles
Times, there are 300,000 items in
the average American home; mean-
while, research conducted in the UK
in 2010 revealed that the averageCURATED SIMPLICITYHome
Words
CLARISSA SEBAG-MONTEFIORE
Photograph
PAOLO DE SANTIS
Ona recentSunday,I foundmy-
selfsittingonmybed,surroundedby
small bottles of perfumes, creams,
andsoapsI hadpilferedfromvarious
hotels.Agonisingoverwhatshould
stayandwhatshouldgo,I putthem
intoever-smallerpiles.
Finally, irritated, and boredbut
filledwithfearthatI mightoneday
needa tiny-sized shampoobottle,I
moved them (wholesale and once
again jumbled) into the bathroom
cabinet,promisingthistimethatI’d
makea pointofusingthemall.
With next to no space for my
collection of travel toiletries, why
didn’t I just throw them away? What
made me keep them? And why, I
kept thinking to myself, was I wast-
ing time over each and every small
decision when I could have been do-
ing something more productive?
For years while living abroad
as a journalist - hopping between
countries, stories, and shared houses- I existed in a different way: a way
you might term minimalist. My fur-
niture was sparse. I had just one or
two (large) cases of clothes. Even my
duvet, pillow, and sheets were hand-
me-downs from friends.
As I’ve grown older, I found my-
self repeating the lessons learned in
my childhood in the English coun-
tryside. Our house - an old farm-
hand’s cottage - was full of heart
and knick-knacks: clocks in the
shape of chickens and framed doo-
dles made when we were kids. Myr-
iad treasures were proudly displayed
in the drawing room.
Butit wasalsoa housewitha ga-
ragecrammedwithbatteredsuitcas-
es(justincase!)and drawersfilled
withonetoo manypairsofscissors
(you never know when you might
needthem!).Allthatstuff,attimes,
mademefeelcrushed. In contrast,
having less - even when that less
wasa tatteredcheapbinandanold
towel- feltliberating.
Inthewesttoday,weareinun-
dated byanabundanceofmaterial
goods. Such excess feels not only
natural;it seemstobeourbirthright.
Yet as author Yuval Noah Harari
pointsoutinhisbestsellingbookSa-
piens:ABriefHistoryofHumankind,
forthevastmajorityof humanhisto-
ry(millionsofyears)asa specieswe
ownedverylittle.
Hunter-gatherertribeslivedwith
justtheessentialstheycouldcarryon
theirbacks(toolsandanimalskinsto
keepwarm).DuringtheAgricultural
Revolution,around10,000yearsago,
humans settled down into villages,
creating new concepts of property
and ownership but still with vastly
lessthanweownnow.
In the 21stcentury- anage of
technologicalrevolution- the‘stuff ’
around us has multiplied. Today,
theaveragepersonownsmillionsof
itemsintheirlifetime,fromthema-
jor(ahouse;a car;a laptop;a smart-
phone)totheminor(anailfile).
According to the Los Angeles
Times, there are 300,000 items in
the average American home; mean-
while, research conducted in the UK
in 2010 revealed that the averageCURATED SIMPLICITY