Top 5 Ways To Manage Clutter In Your Home

One of the things that makes hotel rooms so appealing is that there is no clutter. Clutter in your home can be stressful, and I find that when I de-clutter my space it also helps to de-clutter my mind. After all, your outer life reflects your inner world so take a look around to see exactly how you’re feeling! A few strategies have worked for me to make my own home clutter-free, and I try to think about this in my designs as well.

1. Make Your Bed: Every Day! You will find that making the bed up in each room in your home is a perfect beginning to a new de-clutter mindset. Baby steps! And it’s a great lesson for kids. Like a hotel I use a few decorative pillows and a separate blanket for the foot of the bed – I like a duvet because it looks so cozy. The rest of the bedding is functional and useful. It’s easy to just pull up your blanket, put on your regularly used pillows and then cover with decorative pillows topped off with a pretty blanket at the foot of the bed.

2. Functional Furniture. Think multi-functional when purchasing your furniture. Wall units with cabinetry, storage ottomans and trunks are a few awesome ideas. This playroom-slash-guest bedroom has a decorative murphy-bed and I backed the wall unit with a contrasting wall paper which is fun yet sophisticated. Also you can see a hidden pull out desk in the corner for use only when the computer is in need otherwise it’s tucked away. Scale is super important. Don’t buy too big or too small, there should be plenty of wiggle room but no large gaps around furniture.

3. Clean Surfaces. I am not a big fan of having stuff out on counters or trays..like your remote and phone. Those items should be placed in an organized drawer. When designing a kitchen, think function and how appliances could be stored instead of left out. I love the storage that two islands provides. A small upper glass front cabinet can showcase some fun decorative items, otherwise items left out should be functional and pretty.

4. Hide technology. Put TVs and computers hidden in a piece of furniture that can be closed, especially in your bedroom. Get bedside tables that have drawers so you can put your phone away at night. If you have a small bedroom, the number one priority is functionality. Each piece of furniture should provide a service, and the most important one is to keep necessary items out of sight (and out of mind! There is a theme here!) Hide your phone bedside in a faux storage book, it’s important to avoid blinking lights and ding-dings throughout the night.

5. Hide electrical cords. For flat screen TVs, have an electrician hide them in the wall, or put cord covers on the wall and have them painted the same color as the walls. For lamps that are in the center of the room, either use battery LED powered lamps, or get flat extension cords and hide under the rug. If you are getting new flooring for your renovations, have outlets installed on the floor or other hidden spots. In one of the recent kitchens I designed, we hid the electrical outlets in drawers and under the cabinets.

1. Lacquer Nightstand  // 2. TV Stand // 3.  Duvet Cover // 4. Murphy Bed // 5.  Book Box Set //

6. Navy Throw Pillows // 7. Electrical Cord Cover // 8. Storage Ottoman //