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| The Entertainment Center |
This is the entertainment center that is in the family room. It is something I assembled many years ago. It included a door for one of the lower cubbies (which now houses the games), and a horizontal shelf for the longer cubby at the bottom, but, I didn't install them. I needed the full height of that bottom shelf where I store my scrapbooks and old photo albums.
One of the decluttering books I read recently had asked if there were out dated furniture and items in the house, such as an entertainment center, DVDs and CDs (never mind VHS tapes!) and I remember thinking, yes, yes, and yes! LOL.
I like my entertainment center and it provides adequate storage for me, but, since it is all open to view, it adds to the visual clutter in the room. Besides, once we removed the pothos plant that was on the very top of the unit, we could see the water damage.
My daughter suggested getting rid of the entertainment center and replacing it with some sort of closed storage. I am thinking that if I can declutter the contents of the entertainment center and the bookcases, then, there might be enough storage space in the bookcases to accommodate what might be left of the items in the entertainment center. I might have to relocate my little stereo (radio/CD player, turntable, cassette tape player, all in one) and the CDs to another spot and a few of the decorative items might be moved around. But, if I can clear the entertainment center, then, I can get rid of it and there will be one less piece of furniture in the room. At least, that's the plan; how it will work out is yet to be seen.
Here's a close up of the water damage at the very top and the front of the top shelf:
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| Close Up of the Water Damage |
My daughter suggested getting rid of the entertainment center and replacing it with some sort of closed storage. I am thinking that if I can declutter the contents of the entertainment center and the bookcases, then, there might be enough storage space in the bookcases to accommodate what might be left of the items in the entertainment center. I might have to relocate my little stereo (radio/CD player, turntable, cassette tape player, all in one) and the CDs to another spot and a few of the decorative items might be moved around. But, if I can clear the entertainment center, then, I can get rid of it and there will be one less piece of furniture in the room. At least, that's the plan; how it will work out is yet to be seen.
I have begun decluttering the entertainment center, putting aside some of the videos and CDs to donate. I have managed to clear almost two shelves in the bookcase, too, so there's room for the board games and scrapbooks there. It is definitely a work in progress.
I will post an update on the decluttering, soon.
Any thoughts on my plans for the entertainment center?
What a shame about the water damage. I think your daughter is right to replace the unit with a closed storage unit. We have lots of DVDs and CDs but I am loathe to get rid of them although we never play them. My DVDs are stacked neatly in a spare bedroom and the CDs in the conservatory but are tidy so don't bother me at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, the water damage is unfortunate. I had a drip plate under the plant, but, hadn't realized that sometimes the water overflowed that, too!
DeleteThat's good that you have your DVDs and CDs neatly stored in a manner that doesn't bother you. :) I think it's fine to keep things as long as we have the space for them and having them pleases us. :)
If your goal is to get rid of visual clutter, then I think it's a good idea to get rid of the entertainment center - especially if you can relocate what you want to keep.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. Yes, the main goal is less visual clutter and a secondary goal is the reduction of the sheer number of things I possess. I think, once I edit the possessions, I should be able to store the remaining items without feeling that every storage space is crammed full of belongings. :)
DeleteSeeing the photo albums reminds me that we have even more than you, hidden behind doors in our large entertainment/bookshelf centre!
ReplyDeleteHaving them behind doors makes it easy to forget them, but there are 3 or 4 more on an open shelf as well. They are the hardest to deal with, even though many are just photos of scenery. I have weeded out photos in the past, and still so many remain! What will our son do with them all?
Photo albums are one of the more difficult things to declutter. I, too, have some additional albums stored elsewhere. Most likely, my daughter will not want them, but, I would ask her before I declutter them. :)
DeleteThey were great pieces of furniture in their day, but I'd be very tempted to get rid of it, especially now that the water damage is visible. Could it be useful as storage in your garage? Xx.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. Yes, I think it has served its purpose. I suppose it could be used for storage in the garage, although, I have been decluttering the garage, as well.
DeleteWell, when you mentioned the entertainment centre the other day, I had no idea what it was and I'd imagined something rather different. Now I know! My thoughts? Firstly, I don't think having possessions neatly on show is "visual clutter". I think they are precisely what make a place homely and personal. Having said that, I know you are on a mission to get rid of stuff and agree some of this can probably go. Good luck deciding what! I too like the actual unit but can understand why the damage is bothersome so if you can accommodate everything you're keeping elsewhere, great. Otherwise, perhaps a smaller unit of some sort (whether closed or not) would work in the space - not that I really understand where it stands in the context of the room/house. Looking forward to seeing how it all ends up - but don't envy you doing it! (Glad you asked?!)
ReplyDeleteActually, yes! I'm very glad I asked and you shared your thoughts. I appreciate you taking the time to do so and I find it very helpful to discuss options. :)
DeleteI, too, believe that displaying things that we love is a good thing. But, more recently, I have felt the need to edit what is on display. My family room is fairly large, with a seating area on one side and a dining area on the other. In addition to the two full sized sofas, coffee table, and the folding table acting as a dining table (since the dining table broke, last year), the room has one tall bookcase, three shorter bookcases, the entertainment center, and the sideboard (closed storage). Plus artwork on the walls. There really isn't a spot for the eyes to rest. I think I might have gone from "cozy" to claustrophobic and I'm trying to correct it. :)