Seller Story: George Kotsiopoulos, Los Angeles, CA

“When I’m shopping for myself, I have to ask myself, “Self, where are you wearing this?” I might love something but if I have no answer, I don’t buy it. So if you’re shopping for things in a home you ask, “Where am I going to put this?” And if there’s no place to put it, you can’t buy it. Which is sad. Normally I would hold onto things, but there’s only so much space one has. And then what? One thing I learned from decorating my first apartment was that once I was done, there was nothing else to buy. It was no fun.

The skeleton was strapped in the backseat of my car for a while–which valet drivers appreciated–but it came from the 2011 MOCA gala directed by artist, Marina Abramovic. Her installation consisted of naked women rotating on these big round lazy susans in the middle of the dinner table, draped in life-sized skeletons. It was twisted, it was insane, it was really cool. We all had to wear these white lab coats, so everyone was on the same level; everyone was equal, which I’m sure was infuriating to the women who paid thousands of dollars for their gowns that evening.

The vintage Moroccan shag rug is from a chic gallery in Tangier, where I purchased all the fabric for the drapery of my new home. I planned to use the rug in this house, as wall art or on the floor, but I just couldn’t find a place for it. It was one of those things where I figured I should just sell it because I knew I was going to want to go back to Tangier and buy more things.

There’s a vintage dentist’s cabinet in the sale that I got from my friend Lorca Cohen’s shop 15 years ago. I had it stained three different colors and added the lucite panels. It was in the dining room of my apartment, and then moved to my Laurel Canyon home, and now that I’ve moved into my new house, it’s just sitting in a garage. I figure it’s had enough of a life with me, I’ve loved it a long time, and while I could keep it in storage, I’d rather let someone else enjoy and give new life to it.”

A portion of the proceeds from the George Kotsiopoulos sale will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign.

How do you know what to keep and what to sell?

For me, it’s all about how much I will regret getting rid of it, or how much space it takes up. With clothes, that’s always difficult because I try things on and if it’s nice, it fits and looks good on me, why would I get rid of it? Editing is really hard with clothes. With furniture, it’s easier because if there’s no space for it, there’s nowhere to put it.

What’s the rule of thumb for splurging on home décor? What items are worth it?

You’re not doing yourself any favors by buying a super inexpensive sofa. It won’t hold up. You can buy a vintage or antique sofa and spend a lot getting it reupholstered. I splurged on custom pillows for my house. You’re buying really expensive fabric but you don’t need to buy a ton of it, so it elevates the furniture pieces they accent.

After your sale, what are you shopping for?

I found an awesome 1960s Italian modern table for a great deal and then spent a lot having it refurbished. There are two huge wingback chairs and three industrial stools in front of it so it looks more like a cozy seating area for two. But I want to have dinner parties! The table has leaves that make it really big, so I just need like eight ballroom chairs to convert it to a big dining situation. I also don’t wear glasses but I want vintage pince-nez eyeglasses, the kind that have no arms and pinch onto your nose. They’ll live in my suit handkerchief pocket with a chain attached to the buttonhole. I’m not bringing reading glasses out to a restaurant to read the menu because that’s ridiculous, I’m sorry.