De-Cluttering! First Step to a Fantastic Looking Room!

Want to improve the look and feel of a room? One of the quickest ways to improve a space is by removing cluttering.

When we help clients “declutter”, frequently they feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.  If you want to live a more organized life in 2010 or are planning to sell your home, here are a few decluttering ideas to get you started!

Start small – a bookcase, a shelf a drawer.  Don’t try to tackle an entire room or house in one day.  It’s much better to take this process in small steps on a regular basis than becoming overwhelmed and discouraged.

Remove everything from the space you are decluttering.  Before putting it back into the space ask yourself these questions:

• Is it necessary or does it bring me joy?
• Do I similar items that I like better?
• Has it been used in the past year?
• Could someone else benefit better from owning it?
• Could this be used in another area of my home more efficiently?

As you sort these items put them in piles to:

• Donate/give away
• Put away elsewhere in the house
• Sell (do you really have time to do sell it and is it really worth the effort?)
• Garbage

Put the items to donate/give away in the car and take care of it the next time you go out.  Take the items to put away within the house and do it right away.  If selling – list it on craigslist, ebay, paperback swap today (if you don’t have time now you probably won’t later either so reconsider donating).

Take this kitchen for example.

It has lots of counter space, but the window and sink area are packed with cookbooks, plants and more.

The view from this window is beautiful, but buyers will notice the “things and clutter” – NOT the view!

For better organization and a sleek look when selling clear off the fridge!  Mingling reminders, calendars, art and notes isn’t effective!

After decluttering this space, it is more restful to the eye.

Here’s another example.

If you are planning to sell your home, storing things on the counter indicates to buyers that:

• your home lacks storage
• the kitchen cupboards are inadequate
• the home owner is disorganized or sloppy

All these are negative messages you don’t want to portray!  Seeking a more organized lifestyle?  A counter full of items encourages more items to be placed on the counter — easily becoming an overwhelming and cluttered space

This decluttered home sold quickly — beating out dozens of competing properties! Whether creating a look you love or one that will be envied by others, decluttering is the first step to an organized and great looking home!

Margaret Oscilia | Home Staging and Redesign Specialist | Creative Concepts and Contracting
Cell 503-881-0886