Time to Get Ready to Start the Clearing the Process. Spring is Gone & Summer is Here - if you missed the opportunity to do your spring cleaning, don’t worry, it’s never too late. Summer is here, school is out, and it’s a great time to take a look at the rooms in your home, and see the clutter that has accumulated over the last year. Just as I tell my clients before redesigning a room in their home, they need to determine what furnishings they would absolutely like to keep in the room and what furnishings will be removed. The first step in that process is to de-clutter which only the homeowner can do; they are the only ones that can sort through those personal piles identify what goes and what stays. In most cases, people have too many ‘things’ in a room and it’s necessary to remove rather than add “more” furnishings. Although I would not consider myself a minimalist by far, I do believe that “less is more.” Many people get overwhelmed at the thought of de-cluttering and don’t know where to start. We often hold onto items or keep things in our environment that are no longer functional or aesthetically pleasing to us. I like to go through the items in a room with my clients and have them tell me about the accessories and the meaning that certain pieces hold for them. That way we can determine what furnishings will remain in the redesigned room and what will be not go back into the room. Oftentimes people hold onto furniture or personal items they don’t really like because someone near and dear gifted or bequeathed the item to them. There is absolutely no law that says just because a piece “that has always been there doesn’t mean it has to stay in that corner.” If you really don’t care for Grandma’s rocker and it is what I like to call “early ugly,” you are under no obligation to keep it in the room. There are lots of options for recycling old furniture. You may find it helpful to use this three-step process for de-cluttering a room.
1. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, don’t try to de-clutter your entire home in day. One room a day is quite enough.
2. Make three piles; what you will keep, what you will give away to family or friends, and a third pile for goodwill or the landfill.
3. If you’re really ambitious, don’t forget you can save your ‘valuables’ for a neighborhood ‘estate sale’ and get out, meet your neighbors and make some extra money at the same time!
Have fun and stay tuned for more outside tips coming up soon.
