Picture this. You wake up, and after a quick meditation, you’re ready to start your day!
You’ve prepped breakfast, kids are getting ready for school and you’re feeling good! But then, just as you finish prepping school lunch, you realize you can’t find your kiddo’s water bottle.
You run around the house and spend 5-10 minutes searching until you realize it’s actually on the kitchen counter!
Has this happened to you? Do you sometimes feel like with all the life things piling up, so have all the things in your home?
Kid’s toys are everywhere, shoes are in places where they don’t belong.
Or maybe it's a pile of books you’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t gotten to.
Yes, I’ve been there, way too many times than I care to admit.
And recently, because of an incident with our newly adopted puppy, I found myself taking some time to slow down and sit more.
But let me back up to two weeks ago.
The midnight trip to the ER.
One night, to our dismay, our new rescue puppy unexpectedly bit our daughter in the face. Thank goodness the bite was fairly minor, nevertheless, it was bleeding and we needed to go to the ER.
After a harrowing night that resulted with in stitches, my partner and I had to make the difficult decision to re-home our pup.
Thankfully, we were lucky to meet a kind-hearted soul who heard about our situation. Even with full disclosure of the incident, they were willing to take our fur baby into their home.
Now, our puppy is on another farm where she can romp with four other dogs, some cats, chickens, ducks, and goats. And our daughter is doing loads better!
Grieving the loss and seeing home with new eyes.
After our pup moved to her new home, I felt the emptiness of loss looking at her dog crate. It was in those moments of sitting still and staring at the space where she loved to take her afternoon naps, that mobilized me to action.
I started to see our living space with new eyes. The piles of shoes by our door, and the general chaos of our shelves. It was time to move things around.
So you can see from this before photo here, a baseline of what I had to start with.
We moved into our home a few years ago, and as life got busy, so did our things. We’re a creative family, so our "pile of things" usually includes projects.
Maybe this is you and you’ve lived in your home for a while. Things have slowly piled up and before you know it, you’ve gotten used to the new normal of clutter.
Or maybe you've finally had enough of wasting time to look for things that are right there, in front of your face.
So forget waiting for spring to do some cleaning. Fall cleaning is in!
For an uncluttered home and more peaceful mind this winter, follow these tips to create your own sanctuary without having to hire a designer or having to spend a boatload of money.
Tip # 1 - Grab a notebook and sit.
Take a seat in each room of your home. Sit and look at the entry and exit points. Ask yourself these questions.
Where do you put your keys and the things in your hands when you first come through the door?
Where are the places of flow versus the spaces of refuge?
Where are the spaces to gather versus the spaces for reflection?
When you identify the day-to-day flow, and how you move in and out of each room, make a note of where to remove obstacles to keep the flow through that room.
Ideally, by taking time to slow down and sit, you'll easily find the answers you’re seeking for designing your space.
Also, take measurements of each room. Keep them handy in your phone so that when you’re out looking for key pieces for your space, you have an idea of the floor plan with dimensions.
Tip #2 - The catchall, aka Where do things pile up?
For us it’s always shoes by the door. We’ve tried a few different systems and shoe racks, and our latest favorite is a big shoe basket by the door. For some reason, we always have shoes piling up and they’re just unsightly.
If this is you and you have things that pile up in certain areas of your home, find a beautiful catch-all container like a basket that you can use to collect these items. My favorite places to find baskets are at local markets or up-cycle shops where you can find ones that have a more lived-in look.
Also, the level on which you place the container can enhance its beauty so that you can easily access what’s inside, without having to see what’s inside. In this photo, I elevated the basket on a short step stool and voila, when we sit on the sofa, we see the rim of the basket and not the shoes.
For you it may not be shoes, but something else that piles up. Maybe it’s bags, keys, newspapers, or mail.
Find a catchall container to put these things away. Baskets make for an easy solution where you can grab things when you’re going out the door. Don’t select too large of a catch-all, so that you’re not tempted to put more than what’s needed in that space.
Tip #3 - See the light.
As you sit in your space, observe the light and see how it changes and shifts throughout the day.
If reading in the sun is your favorite activity, where would you move your sofa or reading chair to so you can do just that?
If the room gets dark early, and you need ample light to read, locate the nearest outlets to your reading chair.
Or perhaps you’re looking for mood lighting for meditation or yoga nidra. Make note of the nooks and spaces that lend themselves towards low or mood lighting.
It may be odd to think about the light, but if you’re looking to set the mood in how you live in a space, light is an integral consideration in creating these special moments for yourself and your loved ones.
(We moved the sofa from its previous position to catch the light rays from the windows).
Tip #4 - Pick your colors wisely. Ask yourself, how do I want to feel in this room?
Do you want to feel calm, or relaxed in this space?
Is this a social space where you can sit with loved ones and have a game night?
Or maybe its’s a creative space for you to gather ideas?
Sit and imagine how you want to feel in this space and the activities you plan to do there. Design your space to support these moments and feelings.
The main color of each room can impact how you feel. Go beyond looking at Pinterest or books for color inspiration. Look at colors in nature that inspire you.
What colors do you usually like to wear?
What colors are you drawn to time and time again?
What colors make you feel happy or invigorated?
What colors feel calm and peaceful to you?
The psychology and emotion behind color is a complex topic that surpasses the scope of this post. But I assure you, start creating a mood board of your favorite colors and note how they make you feel.
Select from the ones that land with the feelings that resonate most with you. and don't worry about the latest trends or what you see on your Pinterest or Instagram feed.
Start with one main color and build slowly from there to create harmony in your home.
Be selective and choose furnishings and accessories with the emotion of color in mind.
This is why I absolutely love decorating with flowers. Because flowers are ephemeral in nature, even dried ones that last 2-3 years, can be changed out to evoke a totally different mood or feeling.
Tip #5 - Repeat this mantra: A place for everything and everything in its place.
AKA - stop playing the “where is that (insert lost item)” game. If there’s one lesson that being an artist has taught me, it’s this.
There must be a place for everything, and everything in its place.
The one thing about having a limited amount of space is that it forces you to be disciplined about what you’re willing to have in your space. That and try moving a bunch of times.
In my studio, the hierarchy of storage is based on where I use my tools, and how often I use them.
For example, my pruners, buckets, and twine are right by the entry door ready to be used as I bring flowers in from the garden.
If I have a tool that I don’t use or need, I pass it on to another artist who’s happy to receive it.
If it’s a tool I know I’ll use within the next 6 months, it goes into mid-time storage. No, not long-term storage. Long-term storage is a fallacy. It’s a place where things just go to die, never to be seen again.
So apply this mantra to your living space and do the following:
- Grab some boxes and pile up like things with like and place those things together. This way when you go to store things, you can pull from these boxes, just like as if you just moved into your home.
- Designate a spot to store items you use regularly use. If they are things you use together, place them in or near the same areas and close to where you use them.
- If there’s no place for something and it’s an item you have not used in over a year, let it go.
Forget spring cleaning. Autumn is a great time to do some fall clearing.
Let's take these lessons from the garden and prepare for a peaceful holiday season. As we clear away fallen leaves and the last of the annual blooms and prepare for winter, we can do the same in our homes.
Some of these tips seem quite simple. But they’re simple so that you can easily achieve them.
It’s the tiny, small changes that we make to our lives that can have the greatest impact.
I hope that you find this post helpful and that it inspires you.
I hope you’ll save yourself more time and freedom to do things you are meant to do in your day and less time looking for that missing water bottle you were searching for.
And I sincerely hope you’ll feel peace in your mind, in your home, and in your heart.
With all my love,
Charina