Decluttering Your Home with the KonMari Method: 2 years later, did it stick and was tidying up really life changing?
The tidy gene is kicking in for thousands of people around the globe thanks to Marie Kondo and her fabulous books. But is it worth the hype and what does life look like after your decluttering journey has finished? Here is my home 2 years after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy. Decluttering with the KonMari Method: Key Concepts If you’re not familiar with the KonMari method I’ll summarise. Instead of decluttering by room, Marie Kondo suggests decluttering by category and in a specific order: clothes, books, paper, miscellaneous and finally mementos and photos. Split each category into manageable portions based on how much time you have to dedicate to the task. For instance, instead of starting with all clothing you could choose t-shirts. Gather every t-shirt you own in a pile on the floor and go through them one at a time, holding each item in your hands. Keep only the t-shirts that 'spark joy' and release the rest. When organising the KonMari Method recommends folding as much as possible and storing things vertically, as opposed to stacking. Items from each subcategory are stored together and in their logical 'home'. Did I Follow the KonMari Rules? 2 years ago I inhaled The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I was champing at the bit to get started. The promise of letting go of clutter was tantalising and spurred me on to be ruthless! If it didn’t resonate it didn’t stay. I re-homed at least
What Makes a Home Inviting? 6 universal tips to create a more inviting home
Our tastes may vary, but what everyone wants is an inviting home. Here are the 6 universal issues to be addressed when you're working towards a more engaging interior, no matter the style. Throws and candles are nice but they are band-aids compared to the core design concepts addressed here. So, lets dive straight in! Bring Nature into Your Home Lush greenery is incredibly soothing when brought into our homes because it offers smooth lined irregularity to our hard-lined, boxy interiors. However, plants are only enriching when they are happy and healthy, so it’s important to choose wisely. A wilted, dying plant will have the opposite effect on you and your guests. Even if you don’t have a green thumb there are ways to enjoy the breath of fresh air that indoor plants provide. Stay tuned for our our upcoming post which has helpful tips on easy care indoor plant species. What plant speaks to you is a matter of personal taste. I gravitate towards rounder leaved specimens and ferns as opposed to the pointy or spikey varieties. Any plant that makes you instinctively think “ouch, that would hurt if I touched it” is better left outside in my opinion. Consider the scale of the plant in relationship to the room size. The same presence can be achieved with either a collection of small plants or one large plant. A tall plant, I’m talking above head height, has the wow factor. By drawing your eye up to the ceiling they make the whole space feel cosier
Eclectic Interior Design Done Right: 8 tips on how to create your own symphony of texture and colour AND avoid a hodgepodge mess.
Eclectic home décor can be daunting but well worth the risk and if you like our store – chances are you like the eclectic look. These are my tips to get you started. How to Avoid Eclectic Home Styling Mistakes There are two mistakes generally made when shooting for eclectic home styling. Firstly, the term eclectic is mistaken as a free pass to mix and match everything and anything. This is not the case. Even an eclectic scheme needs a thread to tie it together. So, start with picking a theme or a colour palette. If you are trying to combine traditional, Victorian opulence with modern, clean lined minimalism under the guise of ‘it’s eclectic’ it will never fly because the themes are so very different. If you don’t know what theme you like - do some research! Houzz is a great place to start digging. Decide what ‘feel’ you wish to accomplish (fresh/ luxurious/ cozy/ traditional…) and search for examples to inspire you. An Eclectic interior is one that takes it ten steps further which means you’ve got to get comfortable with trying new and sometimes unusual combinations. This is where people generally fall into the second mistake: They stop too soon! If you want the symphony of texture, pattern and interest then you need to be brave and take some risks. An eclectic living room can have twelve or more different patterns. This level of complexity transcends the normal, “matchy-matchy”, safe schemes that