There’s a Yiddish word for it…
“Tchotchke”
Meaning something inexpensive or frivolous. Also known as Trinkets, Bric-a-brac or simply clutter. Whatever you choose to call it, every home has some version of it.
You know what we are talking about – the decorative teaspoons on their own little mount, the Kruger National Park shot glass, the little porcelain house, or the coloured glass animal statuette. The souvenir Eiffel tower, the decorative salt and pepper pot, the tiny little Turkish tile, or some other bauble.
What in the world is a tchotchke even?
We can talk and talk about de-cluttering, the value of minimalism and how you should only keep things that spark joy. But in the end, we are human animals and as much as we want to believe we are hunters, we can’t get away from our gatherer ancestors.
That is why we are asking the important question.
If you still have a couple of these thingies lying around in your home, or even if you can’t help buying them whenever you travel, can they ever, really, be cool?
Of all the words that we use for these space wasting thingies, Tchotchke (pronounced Chatch-key) is the one I like most because it sounds all foreign and special.
There is no real rule about what a Tchotchke is. As long as its relatively inexpensive, small(ish) and of dubious use, it falls within the tchotchke realm. Think tiny vases or bowls, paper weights, decorative pen holders or even just little glass, porcelain and resin statues of animals.
How can I decorate with Tchotchkes?
They like company.
Space your Tchotchkes around your home. having a group of them hidden in between your books on the Livingroom bookshelf, or on your guest bathroom windowsill, will make them a conversation point. You can even take to hiding them in your indoor plant pots, creating a fun little treasure hunt for any visiting little humans.
Reach critical mass.
Like the South African National treasure, Nathaniël, says:
“Too much is too much, but way too much is just enough.”
This means, that for your tchotchke collection to have an impact, you need to scale up. Two little porcelain doggies are just that – two weird porcelain animals on a shelf…But twenty of them becomes a feature. Adopting a maximalist approach will allow you to build your collection and embrace your newfound passion for collectable nonsense.
Be seasonal.
Another fun way to embrace this is to be seasonal. If you can’t stomach the thought of having a house full of bric-a-brac 365 days a year, bring them out at Christmas or easter. Snow globes, nativity scenes, bunny infestations and decorative little easter eggs are all ways to bring a bit of kitschy cool joy to your home.
You’ll be easier to shop for… (your loved ones will thank you!)
As soon as people realise which tchotchkes you are into, you’ll be amazed at how they pile up. Believe me – the next time someone travels and see’s a porcelain doggy, they’ll be bringing it home for you. No more worries when it comes to that – “I was thinking of you” gift…
Break the rules!
The world is too crazy not to embrace your own quirkiness. We don’t say this often enough, but who makes the rules anyway? If trinkets are a firm no for you, so be it, but if you are even remotely interested in them, or even have a secret stash of all your granny’s kaggelk*kkies that you have been hiding out of shame even though you have fond memories of them, then this is your sign to stop caring what the world thinks and proudly display those nonsense thingies, loving each of them and smiling every time you see them.
