On August 26, 2015, there was an article on msn.com titled, “The Décor Pieces You’ll Regret Not Owning by 30.” Since I was just a few years older than 30 at that point, my curiosity was piqued.
The article said I should own a nice sofa. I had recently purchased my first house. Before buying the house, I didn’t really have much for furniture. I had a butterfly chair, a wooden rocking chair that was missing the head rest cushion, and a hand-me-down chair with a matching ottoman. It wasn’t until I bought my house that I bought a new matching couch and chair. It is nice furniture but not as nice (expensive) as the article suggests. I was older than 30 when I purchased the furniture.
It was also suggested that I should own nice linens. I don’t own particularly expensive linens but I have no trouble sleeping on the linens I currently own. I don’t see any reason to purchase the more expensive linens suggested in the article when mine are just fine. Mine are clean, comfortable and in great condition.
The article then told me I should own a timeless rug. What is a timeless rug? I own some rugs but I doubt they would be considered timeless. The article said that a person is more sophisticated if he/she owns a timeless rug. I guess I’m not very sophisticated then, if a rug is a measure of sophistication.
The article said I should also have a signature scent, encouraging me to stop buying cheap candles with little or no scent and start purchasing more expensive ones with a scent people will come to expect at my house. I rarely buy candles, and I am pretty sure my house doesn’t stink. Is a signature scent really required after the age of 30?
Then the article made the claim that nothing says, “I’ve made it,” more than a headboard. Should I carry the headboard around with me so people know I’ve made it? This one really confuses me. I have no idea what a headboard has to do with showing my success. I have a headboard that I made myself with the help of a friend, and I love it. I didn’t have one at the time of the article’s publication. Believe me, it was not the article that inspired me to make a headboard.
Other items the article said I should own include something antique (there are very few antiques I like), a piece of silver (silver is not my favorite), meaningful art (I have a wall full of random coat hooks that I use to hang my keys on every day and I love its character and quirkiness. That is meaningful art, right?), and fresh flowers (they are nice periodically but I don’t think I am home enough to purchase fresh flowers very frequently).
If I were to take this article seriously, I should be very regretful. The article is promoting a rather shallow life in my opinion. Life is so much more than the things we own. I don’t want someone else to dictate what I should own by what age. Maybe I never want a signature scent or a rug that’s anything more than the one I currently have at my front door. I’d rather have a happy life, full of experiences than a life full of stuff that makes someone else’s list. I’d rather know I have a retirement account building up than know I am on par with some arbitrary list that doesn’t apply to me, and really shouldn’t apply to anyone. How boring that we might all strive for the same things instead of doing what makes us happy. Do what makes you happy and don’t let articles or others tell you who you should be and what you should own.