I'm no expert in organizing or purging belongings - you can just take a peek into my basement to see that. I also don't think every space needs to be white and filled with mid-century furniture (although I definitely love that style). I just know that I have been craving simplicity in our home and making space for the things that matter most.
I went through our books and gave away boxes full of books that I read
once and had just sitting on shelves. I did keep the ones that I loved
or knew that I would read again. I then went through the knick knacks or
"extra" stuff on the bookshelves and around the house and put those
things in boxes that went in the basement to pull out later or
eventually go to the thrift store.
The piles of paper and old magazines got sorted and recycled. That left blank spaces, shelves and baskets (bonus).
So how to make our space still homey but with less clutter?
Lots of different textures; specifically plants, wood, baskets, metal, blankets and pillows are the thing that I look towards in decorating our home now.
I have been pleasantly surprised that I have been able to keep the plants alive (so far!) and I've used a mix of real and a few fake plants that I've had for years from the dollar store.
I feel that we are able to really rest, relax and breath in this space now. At the end of the day, it takes just a few minutes to tidy and we are left with a clean space to begin the next day in. Our house is on the smaller side, so with clean, open areas, it seems more spacious than it actually is.
Lots of work still needs to be done to do to get rid of the rest of the clutter in our house - mainly in the closets and bedrooms, but that will be done in due time.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with your house, I challenge you to put stuff away in boxes for a few weeks and see what a difference having less clutter makes. The Nester talks about "quieting your house". When you pull those boxes out later, you will see that maybe you didn't even miss those items and now are able to start fresh and simplify the space around you.
How do you simplify your home?
