Most homes you see splashed in the pages of interior design magazines are not real. Like perfectly sculpted models on the glossy pages, they do not exist in the world of normal human beings. Or if these homes do, they are most likely owned by people who have no kids, no pets, or have a cleaning lady under their employment.
However we try to organize our homes, it will never come close to those homes but there is no harm in trying, right? Here are some tips that can help you come close to that beautiful uncluttered home on the latest edition of Homestyle magazine.
Have A Place for Everything
Truly, the greatest enemy of any home improvement attempt is the all mighty clutter. Clutter are those little objects that seem to appear out of nowhere and multiply, gathering into any unused space and creating an overall look of disorganized chaos everywhere. They make looking for objects virtually impossible and give your space a tired and not put together.
The solution? Have a place for everything. Old photos go into photo albums or consider saving your future digital images into the best photo storage application of your choice. Going this route will definitely save you a lot of space.
Assign a drawer for all paper, another one for all tech-related stuff, a box for all small toys, a bigger box for the bigger ones. Having a system in place will save you time on cleaning. Teaching this easy to follow system to your kids will have them helping along with you. You get a beautiful, uncluttered home. Win-win.
Toss Out Unused Items
Here’s where it gets difficult for most, but it’s a necessary step. Gauge how much (or how little) you use an object in your home. If it hasn’t been used in the last six months, have the courage to throw it in a garbage bag and look back no more. This will be harder for personal items like pictures, books, mementos, but there are methods to make letting go of kept objects easier. Try it out and you’ll have a strangely freeing sensation after.
Once you’ve freed up your space from clutter and unused objects, you will have a clearer view of your home space. Now you can start moving furniture around to create a better flow for your home. Flow means how easily and smoothly you move from one place to another. Simulate yourself doing the activities you usually do in your house and take note if there are any difficult areas. Is there a chair blocking your way to get to one point to another? Would your knees knock into the corner of a table if you tried getting up from a chair?
Move your furniture around until you get an arrangement that makes the most sense and allows for the most freedom of movement. If there is any furniture that does not belong in the overall flow of things, consider giving them away.
You see that a good chunk of improving your home comes just from buckling down and getting rid (or the putting away) of clutter. Once you can breathe and move again in your own space, peace will settle in.
