Organization as a Means to Design

So, if you know me well, you know that I am an organizer at heart. I can even sometimes drive people (mainly my husband) crazy with my OC ways of cleaning and keeping things in order. The good thing about this drive of mine is that it coordinates well with my desire and gift for interior design.  Have you ever tried to design or decorate your home without removing clutter and cleaning it first? Disaster. Waiting. To. Happen. Not the best move, and as much as I just built myself up in this area,  I am just as guilty.

I want to encourage you with a pre-requisite, so to speak, for interior design/decoration of the home.  First things first: remove clutter/sort/organize. Start small and start one room at a time. Literally go from your front entry and work your way around your house. Try not to stress or get overwhelmed. Allow yourself a few days for each space, especially if you have a lot of extra square footage.

Remember as you are sifting through your things to only keep things that you love and that go with your decor or things that you use. If you can live without it, set it aside in a box to sell or a box to take to Goodwill.  I promise that you will start to feel a weight lifted off as you go.

The next step is cleaning. Not the most fun step, but necessary. After you have gone through your things in your designated area, clean the area thoroughly and then put back what you want to keep.  Once you have gone through the whole house, (don't forget the closets and yes, the bathrooms too!) you will be exhausted, but rejuvenated at the same time.  In my experience it is much easier to start with a clean slate in your home to truly be able to decide what direction to take design-wise.

From here, is the fun part.  Go through each space again and make notes about what you love and what you don't love. Are you sick of the wall color? Change it! Are you ready to add more color? Do it with paint or accessories! It is also worthwhile to think through what this space accomplishes and how you want it to function (ie. Living Room to be conducive to TV watching and socializing).

After making your list, start looking through design magazines and books and compiling a notebook of your favorite design inspirations. Consult with an interior designer if you desire a space plan with dimensions or are in need of a more serious overhaul (or if you just need help with a general direction).

The main goal in this process is to be able to diminish clutter and to be able to better assess what your design needs truly are.  I did not go into great detail with how to organize and clean your home, but there are some amazing resources out there that have inspired me tremendously.

My favorite blogger and guru for organization and simple living is Tsh Oxenreider.  She has written two books that have become my right arm as I think through what it means to live simply and to have an organized and clean home.  She goes into even more depth with the importance of family and other topics like living green.  Not to mention she is a Mom of 3!! Her blog website is: simplemom.net

Here are her two books:

You must check her out! Most of what I have mentioned above for organizing and cleaning I got from her book and give credit to her. Feel free to comment or post if you are in the midst of this home project yourself or if you want further design help. I would love to hear personal stories and updates.