Bless This Mess
Elle Decor|May 2022
Raised as a hoarder, one writer finds beauty—and family connection in the knickknack chaos in her home.
By Sadie Stein. Photographs by David Lewis Taylor
Bless This Mess

Recently, a 17-year-old neighbor came by to babysit for the first time. As she was leaving, she said, shyly, I love your decor. Can I ask where you got the old things in your apartment?” I was very flattered I but didn't know how to answer: My family and stuff have a sort of complicated relationship.

People have used a lot of words to describe the apartment where I've lived for the past 10-plus years, first alone and now with a family: Layered. Maximalist. Quirky. Some assume-with the vintage-looking wallpaper, the gallery walls, old books, brass doorknobs stacked on the piano, and the mishmash of well-loved furniture and china-that my family has been here for generations. In a way, they're right.

What I usually say is some variation of: “A lot of it comes from my parents.” Or, I love flea markets and prefer things with history and wear. None of this is untrue, but the fact is, I come from a family of hoarders. I don't use that word loosely; I'm talking about the clinical term, often accompanied by a constellation of other psychiatric abnormalities, which is the focus of deeply distressing reality programming and both a source and a symptom of great personal pain.

Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av Elle Decor.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av Elle Decor.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ELLE DECORSe alt
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Elle Decor US

The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.

Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
Elle Decor US

Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?

It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
Elle Decor US

And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.

If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
You Stay Here
Elle Decor US

You Stay Here

At a Martha's Vineyard compound, Steven Gambrel and Tom Kligerman have made a guest retreat so good, visitors may never want to leave.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
WHAT'S IN THE MIX?
Elle Decor US

WHAT'S IN THE MIX?

Rayman Boozer brings his mastery of color and pattern to the renovation of a Harlem duplex for a young family.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
Now You See It
Elle Decor US

Now You See It

A modernist beach house's discreet profile hides killer views and knockout interiors by Rafael de Cárdenas.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
CIRCLE D'AMOUR
Elle Decor US

CIRCLE D'AMOUR

For an object lesson on how to design a Paris love nest, look to Pierre Yovanovitch.

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
PARK AND RECREATIONS
Elle Decor US

PARK AND RECREATIONS

With the rise of electric vehicles and a fresh focus on design, the once overlooked garage is becoming a future-forward source of joy and energy at home.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
But This is My Home - One writer discovers that living in an architectural icon can be a blessing and a curse.
Elle Decor US

But This is My Home - One writer discovers that living in an architectural icon can be a blessing and a curse.

One writer discovers that living in an architectural icon can be a blessing and a curse. My husband and I moved into the Kallis House in Los Angeles six years ago. It was designed in 1946 by the modernist architect Rudolph Schindler, and it's believed by many, including Frank Gehry, to be among Schindler's best. The house is eccentric, perched on the lip of a hill, with a butterfly roof and a shaggy exterior made of grape stakes. The interior is an unfolding series of surprising angles, with a wonderful wide view of the San Fernando Valley.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2024
A SISTER STORY
Elle Decor US

A SISTER STORY

Jewelry designer Brent Neale Winston and her decorator sibling, Ramsey Lyons, recast a historic Long Island home.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024