DECLUTTERING
Oct 11, 2009
Hi all
I haven't posted anything for a while, I know - but I'm keen to get back to it as I've missed sharing some of the great new design products and tips I've been gathering for a while now. There's no doubt that the recession has brought challenges to all, and my focus recently has been on helping clients design for less.
Despite all the gloom, there are lots of bargains to be had - there are lots of sales on furniture at the moment. Subcontractors are charging much less and it's a great time to get some work done if you have some spare cash. I'm keen to pass on some good advice to you over the next few weeks. However one of the first easy steps you can take in terms of redesigning your space is to declutter.
There are so many benefits to decluttering. Most of us are familar with the feeling of being out of control- of allowing clutter and mess to take over-not being able to find car keys, losing bills or not finding that essential item as we're running out the door. Home life becomes an extension of the stress we experience at work. Clutter creates stress, therefore decluttering helps us reduce the stress in our lives. Our home should be our sanctuary - a place where we can shut off, chill and relax. Once we have our house in order, then we can get on with living our life, focussing on the things that are really important to us.
You will be amazed at how effective decluttering is, not only in giving us some control back but also in terms of creating much more open and ordered living spaces. The simple process of moving furniture and accessories around, getting rid of old tattered looking pieces and displaying some key pieces will give a space a new lease of life.
I know some people have a major block around decluttering and if you feel the clutter is overwhelming, then give me a call, I'm available (with a team) to help. If you decide to tackle it yourself , then it can be very straightforward, the following guidelines should help or listen to the interview I did with Michael Comyn on 4fm (October 11th). http://www.4fm.ie/.
Where to start:
1. Plan and be realistic - you're not going to get the whole house decluttered in a weekend. So set aside a morning to begin with - it's often easiest to set aside some free time on a Saturday, when someone else can look after the children. It's important to plan as you're going to have to pencil in a few dates over time to get the whole house sorted.
2. Phone a friend. Draft in the help of a friend - someone you can trust, who can help you be objective and make the difficult decisions. It'll be more fun and you'll get twice as much done. Tackle the most difficult room first - it'll feel like you've broken the back of it.
3. Start on one room at a time -start on the superficial surfaces first, anything on the floor, bed etc. Once that is sorted you'll have space to sort out the drawers and hidden areas.
4. Have a method to your sorting. You'll need three bags - one for rubbish, one for keeping and one for recycling. The recycling bag will hold all the items that need to go to the recycling bins or centres and also items you can send to charity shops. The good news is that you can also make some money out of your clutter. Set up a stall at the dublin fleamarket or Blackrock market. You can also sell online through ebay or gumtree. http://www.ebay.ie/ and http://www.gumtree.ie/ And also there are auction houses such as Buckleys in Sandycove that will take standard furniture. Or if you have some nice clothes that you haven't gotten any wear out of, you could try your local swop shop.
Management:
Once you have the whole house back in order, the key to keeping on top of things is to have some systems in place. My key tips are as follows:
1. Effective storage- a place for everything and everything in it's place. This means investing in effective storage, ensuring that you designate a place for all items and making sure things are put there. A filing cabinet is a must for bills, paperwork and documentation. Good clothes, acessories and shoe storage is essential. Ikea, Heatons and Howards storage offer very good storage options. However you need to limit the amount of storage you have also e.g. limit the number of books to the size of your bookcase check out http://www.ikea.ie/ http://www.howardsstorage.ie/ http://www.heatons.ie/
2. Stop impulse buying This may mean window shopping, leaving credit cards at home. If you've got cash on you , you need to ask yourself the question - do I really need it and do I love it? When you buy something use the rule - one in two out, this means that when you buy one item, you get rid of two.
3. Get buy-in from the whole family Everyone needs to take responsibility. Each activity e.g. playing , must include putting away also as part of the activity, so the children take responsibility for their toys. Likewise clearing away must be part of the dinner activity, and chores must be fairly distributed.
4. Seasonal decluttering. Hopefully , you won't have too much to do on an ongoing basis, but clutter does build up easily unless it is managed effectively. And even when it is, clutter can creep in imperceptively, so there's no harm to carry out a small decluttering every so often.
Best of luck with it. I'll be following up with lots more tips and some more details on products and websites, so check back with me over the next few weeks. And please email me your thoughts, suggestions or questions, (I'll answer as many as I can!) I'd really like to hear from you.
I haven't posted anything for a while, I know - but I'm keen to get back to it as I've missed sharing some of the great new design products and tips I've been gathering for a while now. There's no doubt that the recession has brought challenges to all, and my focus recently has been on helping clients design for less.
Despite all the gloom, there are lots of bargains to be had - there are lots of sales on furniture at the moment. Subcontractors are charging much less and it's a great time to get some work done if you have some spare cash. I'm keen to pass on some good advice to you over the next few weeks. However one of the first easy steps you can take in terms of redesigning your space is to declutter.
There are so many benefits to decluttering. Most of us are familar with the feeling of being out of control- of allowing clutter and mess to take over-not being able to find car keys, losing bills or not finding that essential item as we're running out the door. Home life becomes an extension of the stress we experience at work. Clutter creates stress, therefore decluttering helps us reduce the stress in our lives. Our home should be our sanctuary - a place where we can shut off, chill and relax. Once we have our house in order, then we can get on with living our life, focussing on the things that are really important to us.
You will be amazed at how effective decluttering is, not only in giving us some control back but also in terms of creating much more open and ordered living spaces. The simple process of moving furniture and accessories around, getting rid of old tattered looking pieces and displaying some key pieces will give a space a new lease of life.
I know some people have a major block around decluttering and if you feel the clutter is overwhelming, then give me a call, I'm available (with a team) to help. If you decide to tackle it yourself , then it can be very straightforward, the following guidelines should help or listen to the interview I did with Michael Comyn on 4fm (October 11th). http://www.4fm.ie/.
Where to start:
1. Plan and be realistic - you're not going to get the whole house decluttered in a weekend. So set aside a morning to begin with - it's often easiest to set aside some free time on a Saturday, when someone else can look after the children. It's important to plan as you're going to have to pencil in a few dates over time to get the whole house sorted.
2. Phone a friend. Draft in the help of a friend - someone you can trust, who can help you be objective and make the difficult decisions. It'll be more fun and you'll get twice as much done. Tackle the most difficult room first - it'll feel like you've broken the back of it.
3. Start on one room at a time -start on the superficial surfaces first, anything on the floor, bed etc. Once that is sorted you'll have space to sort out the drawers and hidden areas.
4. Have a method to your sorting. You'll need three bags - one for rubbish, one for keeping and one for recycling. The recycling bag will hold all the items that need to go to the recycling bins or centres and also items you can send to charity shops. The good news is that you can also make some money out of your clutter. Set up a stall at the dublin fleamarket or Blackrock market. You can also sell online through ebay or gumtree. http://www.ebay.ie/ and http://www.gumtree.ie/ And also there are auction houses such as Buckleys in Sandycove that will take standard furniture. Or if you have some nice clothes that you haven't gotten any wear out of, you could try your local swop shop.
Management:
Once you have the whole house back in order, the key to keeping on top of things is to have some systems in place. My key tips are as follows:
1. Effective storage- a place for everything and everything in it's place. This means investing in effective storage, ensuring that you designate a place for all items and making sure things are put there. A filing cabinet is a must for bills, paperwork and documentation. Good clothes, acessories and shoe storage is essential. Ikea, Heatons and Howards storage offer very good storage options. However you need to limit the amount of storage you have also e.g. limit the number of books to the size of your bookcase check out http://www.ikea.ie/ http://www.howardsstorage.ie/ http://www.heatons.ie/
2. Stop impulse buying This may mean window shopping, leaving credit cards at home. If you've got cash on you , you need to ask yourself the question - do I really need it and do I love it? When you buy something use the rule - one in two out, this means that when you buy one item, you get rid of two.
3. Get buy-in from the whole family Everyone needs to take responsibility. Each activity e.g. playing , must include putting away also as part of the activity, so the children take responsibility for their toys. Likewise clearing away must be part of the dinner activity, and chores must be fairly distributed.
4. Seasonal decluttering. Hopefully , you won't have too much to do on an ongoing basis, but clutter does build up easily unless it is managed effectively. And even when it is, clutter can creep in imperceptively, so there's no harm to carry out a small decluttering every so often.
Best of luck with it. I'll be following up with lots more tips and some more details on products and websites, so check back with me over the next few weeks. And please email me your thoughts, suggestions or questions, (I'll answer as many as I can!) I'd really like to hear from you.
Labels: 4FM, decluttering, design for less, effective storage
posted by elaine@homeinteriors.ie at
12:06
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