On a home styling shopping trip in Ikea last week I spotted a beautiful set of linens for just $18. I wasn’t there for myself and I wasn’t looking for linens …but it was a beautiful set, complemented my room perfectly and was only $18! I don’t own too many linens and I couldn’t resist, so I popped two sets into my cart along with a gold potted fake plant for only a few more dollars.
Of course the minute I got home, I made the beds with my new linens and added the plant to the night table. It was a striking new look for my room that I was going to enjoy. It was that ideal purchase – the right price for the right product… Except , what happened? Now I noticed the shoes thrown in the corner of the room and the winter slippers no one was wearing sticking out from under the bed. The papers on the small desk looked very misplaced and the old books hanging out on the night table didn’t belong.
I treated myself to a free professional organizing session. I hadn’t done any real maintenance in my bedroom since erev pesach. I threw out the garbage, put the books I finished reading back in the bookcase, the pens back in the drawer, the warm fuzzy slippers away with the winter boots, threw out some socks and stockings with holes, gave my other drawers a quick check, and wiped down the room with a baby wipe. I rejuvenated my room and also myself and it all started with some budget-friendly home styling.
And then a light bulb popped up over my head. This is an incredible decluttering technique that I must share with all of you! Design your way to declutter! Who is ever in the mood to declutter? Or to organize? We all want beautiful spaces but most of us don’t want to work so hard to get there. That instant gratification that came from a new design element in the room can actually get the room organized as well.
Try it yourself. Purchase a new centerpiece for your dining room table and watch yourself spend the afternoon creating better homes for all the items that live on it. Get a new tablecloth for your kitchen table and find yourself clearing and washing up sooner than usual. Buy new window treatments for the bedroom and you’ll be there picking up the dirty laundry and making the beds. Splurge on stylish paper organizers in your office and you’ll get inspired to plow through your papers. Design your way to declutter. I like that. It works. Try it ! Let me know how it goes.
