We all want to live well. We may have different definitions of what that means, but it's safe to say that we all want to enjoy our home. We spend so much time at home that it should be the best place we know.
Shouldn't a home be as enjoyable as a nice hotel? Perhaps even more so. That takes some effort.
We think the secret to this is home editing. For us, home editing is about 2 things. First it's the "clean up" and then it's the curation of beautiful things. Today's post is about the clean up. Everything should have a purpose and a place to be stored. We are constantly making adjustments to get closer to our goal of using all we have.
Expansive Storage is Key to a Well Edited Home.
A fine hotel is designed to enjoy every space, not to publicly house the stuff one has acquired since college. That's what we've been working toward. The Mrs. spent a decade designing storage solutions and enjoyed seeing clients marvel at the difference in their lives. Over the years we've also created some order out of our own chaos and we've enjoyed it so much that it is now part of our mission to help others do the same.
If we focus on the areas that potentially have the most clutter we can make the biggest difference.
Areas that could potentially acquire the most clutter:
1. Kitchen Counter/ Island - In most modern cultures this is now the heart of the home, but it is often treated like an extension of the garage.
2. Bathroom Vanity - That deodorant packaging was not intended for home decor.
3. Bedside Tables - A book and a lamp will suffice. O.K. perhaps a phone charger, but that's it.
4. Book Cases. So the secret here is in the name folks. Bookcases should be for books. Art and decorative accessories are also good, but if you are getting into the board game, news-papers-I'll-Get-to, dead gold fish state of affairs ... it's time to take action.
Photo: Anthony-Masterson for Atlanta Magazine's Home Edition
How to begin your home edit:
1. Edit down to essentials in your wardrobe and elsewhere. If it's not being used daily/ weekly, it needs a permanent storage solution. If it's not being used annually (Christmas decorations and party platters), it needs to be purged. Save nothing for Halloween. If you say to yourself ... "I could wear that for Halloween" it most likely needs to go. Hawaiian Shirts and "ugly Christmas sweaters" are not part of an edited wardrobe.
2. De-clutter your most cluttered areas; Create strict rules about "nothing is housed in public view". This may seem drastic in the beginning, but eventually you will feel the peaceful state it brings.
3. Add smart storage solutions to kitchens, baths and closets. If utilitarian items have a place to reside out of sight, your home's design will be what is seen. (A lot to unpack here. This is a future post all to itself.)
4. With every purchase comes a purge. This is key. You think you need a new shirt? So does someone else so donate one. We should get our closets to a livable wardrobe that we love and never let it get bigger.
5. If one is moving, one should take advantage of the situation and edit down their belongings. Don't move stuff into a new house that you do not use. We've moved 9 times in 10 years and with every move we par down more.
We hope this post inspires you to enjoy your life and home as much as you would enjoy a nice hotel on vacation. That's what one of our tag lines is all about. To "nest and flourish" is to enjoy your surroundings 365 days a year.
