OrganizingLA Blog

Vincent Kartheiser: 'Mad Men' Star Madly in Love with a Simpler Life

AMC's critically acclaimed Mad Men has more going for it other than great actors and terrific scripts.

It's quickly become a hit gathering awards for its historical authenticity and visual style of mid-century 1950's design. What's particularly interesting to hear today is that one of the stars of the show (in real life) dumped all his belongings recently to live a simpler life.

According to the New York Daily News, Vincent Kartheiser (above left), who plays Peter Dyckman "Pete" Campbell, has radically downsized his home to next to nothing:

"In an interview with London's Guardian, Kathheiser says he decided reject life's little luxuries, including a car and a lavatory, after going to "Golden Globes  type events." The actor started giving all the free gifts he got to friends and charity stores, because he didn't want them."

"I liked it so I didn't stop," he tells the British newspaper. "Like, I don't have a toilet at the moment. My house is just a wooden box... I threw it all out."

We've always toyed with the notion of "throwing it all away." In fact, there is a certain "less if more" organizing philosophy. In the system, absolutely no organization system is necessary because you have such a minimal amount of possessions. You don't need fancy containers, boxes, bins or labels because you live such a minimalistic life. For the record, we have indeed worked with clients who maintain a extraordinary minimal standard of living.

So what do you think? Is living like it's 1960 do-able? Certainly Kartheiser does not have children. And at age 30, he can still afford to make a statement. Share your thoughts below!

image above courtesy Famooz

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'Mad Men' star Vincent Kartheiser has given away most of his worldly goods, including a toilet (New York Daily News)

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Shoes That Look Like They Came Out of a Hollywood Prop House

Hollywood does have its share of extravagant set and costume design.

But these shoes didn't come from Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Paramount or MGM. They're fresh from France-based Louis Vuitton. The LV Spring/Summer 2010 runway line features these gems. We're not going to talk about the prices, but rather how functional they are in your stable of shoes. We ask you: what do you think of these treasures? Keep reading...

DJ ATB Can Organize His Desktop In a Song

Hailing from Germany, DJ ATB (aka Andre Tanneberger) is a talented DJ, musician and producer of electronic dance music. On his Facebook page today, ATB snapped the shot above of him in his office and quipped "this is my real desktop. Disarranged as always." We think he can do better.

If DJ ATB is listening (and you really never, ever know), we'd suggest these quick office organizing tips. He should...

1. Remove anything that isn't office-related.
2. Snag appropriate containers to cull small or large items.
3. Separate items into general categories (electronics, supplies, cords, paper, etc.)
4. Label all (like he did with his binders behind his desk).
5. Spend time each day (or better yet) each week to maintain the new system.
6. Continue reviewing, tweaking and purging as the year goes on.

If you're still not sure who DJ ATB is, check out his very popular song I Don't Wanna Stop. He filmed it in various Los Angeles locales, including Mulholland Drive and Julius Shulman's photographed modernist masterpiece above the San Fernando Valley.

ATB - I Don't Wanna Stop (on YouTube)

DJ ATB (Official Website)

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