I Removed 17 Things From My Living Room at 62 — Cleaning Became Easier

I moved nine objects from my coffee table to clean a surface that took less than twenty seconds to wipe. That was when I realized the table was not creating the work — my idea of what a finished living room should display was creating it. I am Eleanor Brooks. At 62, I tested seventeen living-room objects, from magazines and decorative bowls to organizers, small furniture, an extra chair and one respectable storage bench I had defended for years. This is not a plan for an empty room. It is a practical test of whether an object is used where it stands, whether it justifies the cleaning around it, and whether removing it improves the route through the room. Which living-room object makes you repeat the same unnecessary movement every time you clean?