theSun Property March 2017

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theSun ON FRIDAY

MARCH 11, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2017

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complexities of house

purchase has been done

finally, and now it is time to

get the interiors of this place

to call home decorated. While

scouring glossymagazine spreads

and endless Pinterest pins and

internet posts for the next chic

design that will keep you one up on

the Joneses (or at least at par), don’t

forget that reality is far different

froma perfectly arranged photo,

especially in the case of comfort.

Whether decorating your new

home for the first time or looking

to de-clutter and bring some order

to the chaos, here are some tips and

ideas for a fresh new and organised

look for home.

ORGANISATIONMATTERS

There are many reasons why

including proper home

organisation into one’s ID blueprint

is important. For starters, good

organisation planning ensures the

home looks polished time and time

again. Every itemdoes and should

have its own place in the home and

when kept in its place, gives a

particular roomor space a

streamlined appearance, like what

you see in home designmagazines.

For 2017, make it your personal

aspiration to find each item its own

space in your home – not in the “out

of sight, out of mind” (under the

table cloth or behind the curtain

kind of way) – instead, a specific

place that will enhance or beautify

an area. If you find yourself

struggling to do so, it might mean

that it is time to de-clutter, give

away or discard the odds and ends.

BYE-BYE CLUTTER

Many people make the mistake of

purchasing storage containers

before they have de-cluttered and

reorganised their interiors to even

knowwhat will be going into those

“plastic boxes”. Says Neat Method

lifestyle organiser Marissa

Hagmeyer: “We can’t stress enough

that you shouldwait to buy

anything until you have done the

organising andmeasured your

space to figure out exactly what you

need before you ever step foot in a

store. Professional organiser and

designer Jeffrey Phillip adds in: “It

can also lead to keeping things we

do not need since it feels good to

contain things and say or think, like

‘Ah, I have a bin for that!’”

One of the most popular de-

cluttering trends at the moment is

the KonMari method. Readers

around the world have been

inspired by Japanese organising

consultant and author Marie

Kondo’s book

The Life-Changing

Magic of TidyingUp

and can attest

to the effectiveness of

Kondo’s methods. The

philosophy is simple –

get rid of what does

not “spark joy” in you.

Kondo’s advice:

Tackle clutter by

category rather than

room. The reason,

being that categories

of items can be in

different rooms.

When you gather

all items in a category

into one spot, it will be

easier to de-clutter.

Clothing, according to

Kondo, should be the

first category, because

it has less emotional

attachment to a person

(or so they say).

This may seemodd

to some, but Kondo

talks about considering the

“feelings” for your items. For

clothes, she asks one to think how

would a t-shirt feel huddled up in a

corner? Howwould socks feel to be

balled up and thrown into a corner?

“Sort through the pieces that you

definitely do not associate any form

of joy with and chuck it out. Then

move on to the next category.”

Kondo has even created her own

special technique of folding clothes

that doesn’t just save you a ton of

space, but also gives drawers a neat

and streamlined look.

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Once the de-cluttering is done, the

organisation and configuration

planning follows.

Baskets are your best (storage)

friend. Even interior designers and

home organisers swear by it.

Baskets come in varying shapes,

designs andmaterials, whichmake

it easy to blend into the landscape

of home.

First mark downwhich parts of

home you will need baskets for –

think the lowest level of the shelves,

on top of cupboards, under the bed

– and be sure to take down

measurements for these areas.

Interior designer Judith Balis is a

fan of baskets. She says, “Baskets

not only hide a multitude of sins,

but they are also a great way to add

texture to a room.”

When decorating with baskets,

Balis likes tomaintain consistency

by using the same material for all

baskets. She does this to avoid

visual clutter, but adds that the

baskets can be of varying shapes

and sizes.

Use open shelving to hold

yourself accountable for every item

in the house. With no dark corners

to hide the clutter, you will be more

likely to reduce impulse spending

and be disciplined in keeping your

things organised.

Open shelving alsomakes it

easier to put things away, as Impact

Organizing LLC owner and

certified professional organiser

Kate Brown points out. “Make

everything a one-handed operation

and avoid lids at almost all costs.

The fewer steps, the better the

organising system,” says Brown.

To avoid visual clutter,

especially in places like the

pantry or kitchen, invest in clear

containers of varying shapes

and sizes for refillable foods like

cereal, pasta or rice. Arrange and

display your items as if they are

pieces of art.

Don’t be afraid to use the back

of doors for vertical storage either.

A simple plastic shoe organiser can

be used to hold other belongings

like spices in the kitchen, toiletries

in the bathroomor even small toys

in the children’s room.

STAYING IN LANE

No doubt it isn’t easy getting

organised the first time round, but

maintain that state as it takes some

discipline and picking up of good

habits for any positive change.

Put limits by keeping track on

howmany of certain items you can

own at a time. For example, if you

are a collector of coloured pens,

know the limit as to howmany you

own and howmany you can own –

depending on the “storage” capacity

and space you have.

A huge tip (as this bad habit is found

inmany a home) is to place

decorative items in places where it

is easy to dump clutter such as

coffee tables, bedside tables or

kitchen countertops. Professional

organiser Maeve Richmond

suggests, “Place a plant, a figurine

or a framed photo on your side

tables, or even add a table runner or

centrepiece to a dining room table.”

With something that looks nice and

in its place already there, there

really is no place for “bits and

pieces” or a mishmash of what-nots.

If all else fails, do not be afraid

to seek professional help. At

time external intervention is

required before a situation takes a

deep dive into being the next home

onHoarders!

> Ideas on organisation for better home interior design

Trendy systems

and

configurations

ALYSSA J. OON

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