Why We Move Things Around
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Have you ever thought about why we move things around?
My post title is actually a rhetorical statement. Because I truly don’t know why we have this tendency to move our furniture all over the house.
I’m happily divorced now. I think I’ve learned my lesson after failed marriage #3. Maybe I’m a slow learner when it comes to such matters. In hindsight, it sure looks that way.
So Many Perks To Living Alone:
There are perks to living alone. If I want to, I can move every single thing off the shelves and rearrange them. I can move the couch and every other stick of furniture, and there’s no one to moan and groan about it.
Heavens, I can even move the TV, and there’s no man around to grumble that his ball game is about to start. I especially like the fact that there are no ball games endlessly droning in the background every weekend.
I’m so glad to have found women like me. Online friends who “get me.”
Decorating Bloggers Perhaps Move Things The Most:
Decorating bloggers drag boxes of things out of wherever they’re stored to decorate for the seasons.
We buy different-colored slipcovers to change up a room’s look. And we purchase dishes we don’t need because the price was simply too good to pass up. Plus, they will look so pretty in a seasonal or holiday tablescape.
We constantly change up our mantels, and often every other surface in our homes.
We lie in bed, unable to sleep, and conjure up ideas about how we might try a little something different in the guest bedroom. Or the home office, or the living room, or wherever.
No nook or corner is left alone.
Upcycling Is A Trend:
We thrive on using things for different purposes. And we change out lamps and lampshades and move paintings around from wall to wall.
Then we have to deal with the nail holes left behind. Sometimes we fill them in; sometimes we just put something over them to hide it.
That is one of my maxims: If all else fails, cover it with something to hide what you don’t want to see. Out of sight; out of mind. I ascribe to that notion.
To lend a bit of reasoning to our pursuits, we usually dust while we’re at it. Which falls under the “it needed cleaning anyway” explanation.
I like to think it is just part of the nesting instinct. But then I doubt that mama birds move their nests all over the neighborhood while they have baby eggs in them.
We Simply Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone:
Or perhaps the answer is as simple as: We simply cannot leave well enough alone.
We are just creative souls who need more stimulation in our environment. Or we know we need the exercise.
And it’s somehow more fun to shove furniture around than endure an hour on the stationary bicycle.
I married in 2017 and never really had a home until then. As a child we moved around a ton. I always shared a room with very little to call my own as we shared everything. Decor wasn’t on my mom’s top list raising 4 children on her own.
After finding our perfect 1945 Italian built home my senses were in overload. Wanting to love and mend our house to it’s full potential. I have moved literally every piece of furniture. I tried my bed in every room. I thought I was crazy but I couldn’t stop. Luckily my husband was supportive and he encouraged me. It always looked better each time. I’m so grateful for that. Now, things aren’t moving around as much but there is always something to do in our house that leaves a little overwhelming feeling. I just have to remember it all takes time. Especially in the older homes. I love our house. I feel as a♋ Cancer rising it’s probably inevitable. These people are all about home and family.
Speaking of family.. I would also be embarrassed by my obsession. They would come over and want a tour to see what I have moved around everytime. I guess looking at it in a positive perspective it’s like a beautiful museum of our life collection. And now I just perceive it as such. Happy nesting birdies.
🙏🐦
We live in a small tall house. I have limited furniture and because of cords or weight and lack of strength. I feel no real need to move things around. I have cleaned up clutter to try to move. And closets are full all rearranged. But my daughter who has young kids and strong people and much bigger rooms makes fun of me bout being the same.my whole life my homes been the same no moving most small.
I am always moving furniture and things,I moaned and whinged at my partner to move his computer upstairs he did,very grudgingly now I want it back downstairs,I wanted a new dining table and chairs he got me one now I can’t decide where to put it,it drives me mad,the amount of times I’ve moved furniture is ridiculous,but i can’t help it it’s like a obsession.im sitting here thinking of rearranging my front room again it makes me depressed not happy.i feel like I’m going mad.
Just an FYI, clearly not a female only trait.
I am 31, male and have never had a room last more than 6 months (since i was 5! -my mother tells me that watching me try and push my bed around was hysterical)
I am recently new to your blog, and am reading the archives to familiarize myself with what has happened prior to the present. I love this posting, you sound exactly like me, I live in a one bedroom apartment. I have bins taking up 1/2 of my bedroom closet. I have stuff under the bed, and things stored in the bottom of my hutch and my armoire tv cabinet. I am addicted to the thrift stores. I love dishes, and enjoy changing things around. I just finished rearranging my bedroom and then after one day, hated it and put it back to what I had before. You are a breath of fresh air. thankfully, I also am divorced and loving the freedom to do as I please and spend what I want with only myself to blame if I run short at the end of the month. (I am a senior woman on social security.)
I have this problem but not just in the house I am always moving things outside , like chairs , plants , rocks , dirt .
I think the reason why I do this is because my brain needs stimulation . and when I move something to me it's new and exciting , but then that feeling wares off and I need to move something again to get that feeling of happiness .
Wow at the comments. You know I am always changing things up around my home. It is because we are creative and we can't leave anything the same for a long time. We grow bored easily.
BTW, I love your new blog design. Cute!
Thank you Brenda! All this time I thought I was the only one that rearranged, moved, redecorated and then started all over again only to start over the next day. It is true, there were years of not having $$ to buy anything new, but that didn't mean I couldn't recreate! Now at seventy, have I slowed down you might ask, well no, I just rearranged my dining room, decorated for fall, climbing up on my ladders, and adding so many pretty displays on top of shelves & hutches, and more………… I have this illness, redecorating & recreating! I enjoying our 2600' two story home, without hired help, just hubby and me, don't even suggest downsizing, grrr Happy to hear so many other ladies young and old are also afflicted! Your blogs are my favorites. Keep writing please.
My affliction is genetic, apparently. My Granny Jones was the wife of a Baptist preacher, and he used to say he didn't dare come home after dark because he wouldn't be able to find his bed. I have been moving stuff around since I was a young child, and I suppose only being really old and infirm will bring a halt to this malady. I laughed all the way through the post and really enjoyed all the comments. Just today, we swapped coffee tables with the ManCave and the LR and let's don't talk about what I have piled in the garage.
guilty of all of the above, but no I have no wisdom to impart as to the reasons. maybe it is all about nesting. xo Laura
Unfortunatly I've moved into a house that does not bode well with re-arranging. I think that is why I'm compulsive with changing out things for the seasons. I have shelves and ledges and cubies and spots and table tops etc. Drives my husband nuts…LOL And like you Brenda when I replace something it just kind of throws everything off kilter and I have to go about changing everything usually…LOL Oh well…no one can say that we're boring that is for sure!
I simply think we do because we can! And, I'm thankful we can!!!
Brenda, I loved this post! I don't re-arrange furniture so much but I'm always tweaking and re-arranging wall displays, mantel displays and creating new vignettes. I'm always making changes in the garden. The comment above mine makes sense. Just watch the birds, they're always fluffing and re-arranging their nests. For me, I like making small changes that I can control. I'm not big on other huge changes in my life but it's fun to change things up in the home. I'm sure some psychiatrist or psychologist would have a code in the DSM and call it an illness but I call it creativity. Us creative types are always changing things around in our home. And the best part Brenda, you can do exactly what you want! My hubby doesn't give me too much trouble but now he wants to have more of a say in our design elements. He does have some good ideas though.
I guess that's why I thought of Tweak It Tuesday. Because we bloggers are always tweaking!
You got it Brenda! I love your Tweak it Tuesday series! This is a great post and I'm having a great time reading all the comments.
My daughter calls this nesting. I don't move things around anymore but she does. Every time we visit the great room has been rearranged. I decorate for the seasons but that's about all.
Don't know if I'll "age" out of moving things around or not. Guess it depends on my health.
Yes I am about 10 years older than you. In good health but trying to downsize. I do love your blog and was able to read all the back from the beginning before you unfortunately lost most of it. Things have not been easy for you I will agree but you have bounced back so beautifully.Your home is beautiful and I love the way you decorate it daily. I too love my home and enjoy it the way it is. But age and health do make a difference. Your blog is the first one I check everyday. Blessings to you in the future. Ann
That's me..I have to keep moving things until it's "perfect"..and it does get to that point..might take years..I'm known as "the tweaker"…When my husband went away on business, he used to say that he was never sure he was in his house when he came home..
Yes, when my husband went out of town, I already had half the room arranged in my mind and couldn't wait till he got out the door to start.
I think we just like to "feather our nest". I've been married three times as well. My 1st ex pretty much let me have run of the house for 28 years. We had 5 houses in that time that I decorated and took care of. The 2nd ex moved into the house I owned after we married. He didn't say much about my house, but one day I asked him for assistance in hanging some drapes and after he finished, he said, "I hate hanging f—king curtains. We were only married 18 months. Good riddance. The 3rd ex and I built a cabin in Costa Rica, I sold everything I had to go down there. But he shipped everything he had down there. Long story short, he had everything his Mother owned and HE decorated the cabin with her stuff. We were only married a year. I like living by myself with my own things and doing exactly what I like. I'm the proverbial Free Spirit and I like it. 🙂 Good post, Brenda. I enjoyed it.
Guess I'm like you. And the older I get, the more I like to be alone. There will be no more picking up after a man for me. Oh, the joys of being single again!
I think we all have this in common. It would be boring if we left everything the way we arranged it when we moved in! My home is my nesting place and if you've ever watched birds long enough, they are always trying to rearrange their nests. They either add straw and sticks or they're taking some away. It's kind of like spring cleaning except we actually do it all year round. With Christmas coming, I'm already mentally rearranging the furniture to decide where I want to put the tree! In actuality-we're a sisterhood and one that I'm proud to be a part of with the rest of you! When I visit your blogs, I always get new ways to do a vignette, or move a chair or try that lamp on some other table! I hope we always keep it up and are constantly learning from each other! Have a blessed day each of you! And happy rearranging!!!!! P.S. When my husband did marriage seminars, he would tell the men, "Guys, whatever you do, don't ever come into your bedroom in the dark and try to jump in bed. You could very easily land in a potted plant or stradle her sewing machine!"
I love what your husband told the men. Sage advice. I'll have to watch the birds more closely. I too get a new idea every time I visit a blog.
You brought up some good theories. I think we just get bored with the way things look and want to refresh our surroundings. Just like our clothes. Plus, moving things around gives a new look without costing anything!
I think you're absolutely right, Kelly. How can you beat a new look that doesn't cost anything?
You said it yourself…I'd rather think we are creative souls! I've done everything you've described…except hot glue something to my ceiling…I used to move furniture all the time, when I was younger…now I move accessories around constantly. And whenever I'm invited to someone's house, I take in every detail, and mentally move it all around! Kindred souls…you bet! 😉
There are so many of us! So nice to find out I'm not alone. Yes, we are indeed kindred souls.
It's just human nature to move things around. Someone is always moving something, somewhere. Construction workers move the earth with big machines, cars, trucks, planes and trains move people and products all over the world, and home dwellers grunt and groan while moving big pieces of furniture from one room to another. It's been going on since Eve decided to decorate by bringing in a few apples from that tree out in the garden. (She violated one big interior design rule — Don't eat the decorations!)
You explained it very well. Men like to use big machines to move things around. The only decorations I admit to eating is the candy corn in the mason jars.
Brenda, you seem to be so comfortable in your skin now, compared to a few years ago…While I don't have the answers to your questions, I do know that it's good to see things in different places, almost like redesigning your interiors.
Jen
I guess it's like playing house. Except it's real. And I thank you for saying I seem more comfortable in my skin. I am more comfortable. More comfortable than I've been in many, many years. And I love my blogging friends who helped me get there.
I think there is always the possibility that it will look better, some other way. According to my husband, as we're talking I'll go into this staring trance, not looking at him but rather some spot in the room. So he stops what he's talking about and says, "Oh, you're rearranging the room again…" And so I am.
Mary
Oh, Mary, that's hilarious!
Brenda
Lady, I think you have one serious problems.
Then, as you can see from the comments, I'm in good company.
Yes, indeed you are not the only one with this aberration. I wonder why some don't get out and do some good in the world with so much energy rather than move things/furniture around relentlessly. Sorry for my frankness, but seriously, it just doesn't make too much sense to me. Too much self focus on self and self's surroundings. Not for me.
I definitely identify with you. The last major move I made, switching bedrooms, was made when Steve headed to the doctor. I knew I had 2 hours to get it done. He would have thought up a dozen reasons not to make the move, but now he loves it.
Steve says he thinks my furniture moving is my adult version of playing with my doll house. When our daughter went away to college, I really started going to town on the house. Steve's philosophy is that I no longer had a doll at home to dress so I started dressing up the house.
Well, Steve's idea does make sense. I use to wait till my husband went to work too. Otherwise I'd have had to hear him complaining about it. Once it was done, if he said he liked it better the other way, I'd say: "Then feel free to move it all back." Of course he didn't!
Haha Brenda, I have found my 'family'!!! All of those people (usually bloggers!!) who just keep shifting things around must belong to the same family I'm sure…..I think I am one of your 'sisters'!!
Suzyq
We are the Sisterhood Of Revolving Furniture Arrangements!
We move our furniture because we have always had more ideas than money and we keeping hoping it will magically be something new if we do. But really because it is fun.
Oh Elaine, you're so down to earth and smart! I think you're right. I think it is new to us for awhile, because it's in another spot. And when the new wears off, we move it again. Your husband decorates. Does he move furniture about too?
I move my fur outré a out twice a week I have to vacuum under everything anyway so why not. My kids and hubby have learned things are never in the same place so make sure and turn the lights on before moving forward.
Do your menfolk help you move things? I never had a husband that was willing to do that. So I just waited till they went to work. Sometimes they weren't even out of the driveway yet. And I'd start moving that stuff all over the place.
I found this hilarious, because I do the very same thing, my husband has gotten to the point he will come home for lunch now just to I interrupt my rearranging grrrr because by the time i get started I’ll be about in The middle and he comes home after that I quit because I’m irratied, I actually go nuts when he’s off 2 days I know this sounds selfish, he hates when I move things but I like my house clean it doesn’t bother him to have a dirty house so I gave him his own room its dirty mine is clean
Oh, how I love this post! I remember having a sleepover when I was ten and we all slept in the living room. I don't know how I convinced them, but some time during the night I enlisted their help in rearranging the bookshelves on either side of the fireplace! If I'm not rearranging, or planning for changes…I'm sick. Literally, it's the only time I'm not doing this and I am my happiest when I am rearranging, moving, tweaking. I think for me, it brings new energy or even peace to a room to do this and therefore does the same for me. Not a child, or my husband may notice but I do and I feel better, freer, happier, and if I don't ,,,I change it back just like you. You are a kindred spirit to many of us as you can see by the comments. I say, move to your heart's content and when it's not…move something again!
I'm happy and feel this energy when I'm moving things around. I feel that creative surge. I say whatever floats your boat!