The blanket on the back of my reading chair is older than most of the furniture in the cabin. It's been mended at one corner, it's faded on the side that faces the window, and it's the first thing anybody reaches for on a cold evening. I own other blankets. Nobody uses them. Somewhere along the way I realised that this is how most of my favourite things work, and I've been slowly trying to live more that way.
Use the good things every day
Most of us have a "good" set of something — plates, glasses, a jug — saved for occasions that come round twice a year. I've stopped doing that. The good bowl is the bowl I eat soup from on a Monday. If it chips, it chips. A thing that's used and a little worn is worth more to me than a perfect thing in a cupboard, and using it makes an ordinary meal feel slightly less ordinary.
Mend before you replace
A button, a seam, a loose chair leg, a wooden spoon gone rough that wants a sand and a rub of oil. Mending is slow and a bit fiddly, and I find it one of the most satisfying things I do. Each repair makes the object more yours. The mended corner of that blanket is the part I like best.
Let things go gently
This isn't about clearing the house in a weekend. I'd find that more stressful than the clutter. It's more that when something leaves — worn out, outgrown, never used — I take a moment before replacing it, and quite often I find I don't need to. The house gets a little lighter each season without any great effort.
Fewer things, used more, looked after properly. That's the whole idea, and it's made the cabin feel more like home than anything I've ever bought for it.