Refuse, Reduce & Reuse
A subject that is dear to me is decluttering. Being a minimalist and having to compose with what I have, often pushed me to become more creative! Raising three children, in Hong Kong, is challenging when your mantra is “Less is more“. After every birthday party or family visit from abroad, I see children accumulate “stuff” and become like Dudley on his birthday feeling unsatisfied with 36 gifts and yearning for more.
Stack of books, Stanley
As a designer, I like to create or refresh a space by composing a new dialogue with belongings that are dear to your heart and also removing the ones that have served their purpose. I do not believe in long-term storage: I emptied and transformed our storage room into a yoga room - I will write a piece on that soon.
Here is a list of my favorites places in Hong Kong to donate furniture, appliances, clothes, and books.
Crossroads Foundation
Large furniture like beds, household goods, and electrical home appliances are either sold or redistributed to other charities or programs in need. I use their app Good City, to upload pictures and a description of the items then book a Gogovan to transport them to their warehouse in Tuen Mun. If you want to know more about this foundation, co-founder David Begbie shares his passion in this TEDx talk.
Crossroads Village, 2 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun
Castaways Charity Shop
Tucked away in the beautiful surroundings of St. John’s Cathedral in Central, this charity shop accepts clothing, handbags, household linens in good condition.
St John’s Cathedral, 4-8 Garden Road, Central
Kids Dress Smart
You can buy and sell your clothes on their website. I found pre-loved clothes from Bonpoint, Jacadi, and Petit Bateau. You can schedule a free pick-up for your bag and they will sell the clothes on their platform for you.
https://kidsdresssmart.com/
reBooked
This website also sells pre-loved children’s English books and accepts books in good condition. You receive store credit for each book you donate. You can either drop off the books at their shop in Central or contact them to arrange a pick-up.
1/F, 9 Mee Lun Street, Central (between Hollywood Road & Gough Street)