9 Home Decor Tips for a Chic, Clean and Clutter-Free Home
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Creating a stylish and organized living space is about fostering a sense of beauty, functionality, and serenity. Here’s how to accomplish this with simple home decor and organization tips.
There’s a misconception, especially in Western society, that the home is a distinct and separate entity. However, the psychology of home is an actual concept, because where and how you live defines your sense of self.
People and the places where they reside are engaged in a continuing set of exchanges; they have determinate, mutual effects upon each other because they are part of a single, interactive system.
— William Sax
A chic, clean, and clutter-free home not only positively shapes your identity, but promotes a peaceful atmosphere that allows you to relax and unwind. In this article, I discuss my personal home decor and organizational tips that can help you turn your home into a haven.
Decorate with functional items
Almost everything I own serves at least two purposes: it has to be beautiful and useful. Vases are also used to hold flowers. Books double duty as decorative objects. Marble and acrylic trays help organize and arrange objects that need to be accessible. Utility items such as storage containers, cleaning products, and electric tools and appliances, are all aesthetically pleasing.
To strike the right balance between form and function consider elevated home decor that is multifunctional such as bed frames and ottomans with hidden storage, coffee tables with built-in shelves, and sideboards that double as media stations. I’m thinking about enhancing my desk area so it can also serve as a vanity. The possibilities are endless if you get creative and don’t force yourself to confirm to traditional interior design rules.
Opt for aesthetic packaging
Most of my foodstuffs are put into glass storage to keep fresh longer and to be more visually appealing. Any items that I like to have out on the counter and on hand (such as olive oil) I purchase from brands with beautiful packaging. The same goes for beauty and personal care items. That way, these items blend in seamlessly with the overall aesthetic of my space.
Don’t discount the importance of luxury and beauty in your space, as it has a powerful impact on your mood and mindset. For those who skew more maximalist in their aesthetic, you can have several items sitting out and about on your surfaces and if you deem them to be beautiful it won’t even register in your mind as clutter. Beauty is very forgiving, so if minimalism is not for you this tip is the next best thing.
Create a short tidying routine
You’d be surprised how easy it is to keep your home clean and decluttered if you consistently devote a few minutes at the beginning and end of the day to put things in order. I think many people overhype the organizational process and end up making it more overwhelming than it needs to be. If you commit to a simple but regular habit of sorting out your space, it won’t even get to the point where you need these massive clean up and clean out efforts.
I find it a pleasure to wake up, open my shades and windows to let in natural light and fresh air, and do a quick tidy around my flat. Not only is this a way to practice gratitude and appreciation for what I have, I find these few minutes quite meditative. It’s a soothing way to start the day. At night, a short sort is part of my wind down process. Knowing that my home is in order at the close of the day helps me sleep more peacefully.
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Invest only in quality essentials
There is nothing in my home that I don’t need and love. That is really the only hard rule that I abide by. In that way, I maintain a beautifully curated environment that sustains peace, tranquility, and happiness. My home is truly a haven because of this habit. My philosophy is quality foremost, and I always prefer to buy the best for whatever I’m willing to spend. I’d rather purchase one high quality essential that I can derive a lot of value from, then a lot of cheap products that don’t do the job well.
It’s better to invest in the best upfront, than have to spend more repurchasing, repairing, or rejiggering things that don’t work the way you need them. Also keep in mind that quality may be correlated with cost, but it’s not always the case that you must spend an exorbitant amount of money. Well-made items are available across all price ranges, so cultivate discerning taste and you’ll be able to curate less but better.
Keep things in their proper place
This tip is for those who have a habit of just throwing things around and about, which I believe is a sneaky form of procrastination. I’ve been in a lot of people’s homes and have seen this peculiar habit of just carelessly leaving items anywhere. When you get up from the table, push the chair back in. When you take off your clothes, hang them back up in the closet. When you finish eating, put the dirty plate in the dishwasher. When you are done cleaning, place the spray bottle back under the sink. Place keys at the entry so they won’t be misplaced.
There are natural places where most items should be placed and stored, and you can designate specific areas for different activities (working, eating, lounging, etc.) to prevent clutter from spreading throughout your home. To maintain order, do not let items pile up in random areas. It takes a second to be thoughtful about putting things in their proper places, and will spare you a long and drawn out declutter process later on.
Organize hidden areas as well
If you come into my home and open any door, drawer, closet or cabinet, it will all be nicely organized. I keep all areas and every single space, whether visible or hidden, clean and decluttered. I pride myself in knowing that everything is nicely arranged, and it gives me peace of mind to be able to easily access the contents of these closed off areas with ease.
Cleanliness is a form of self-care, and you can’t feel fully comfortable in your home if you have a mess lurking in the background. These areas may be out of sight, but they are not out of mind. They secretly induce stress, especially because it’s a pain anytime you have to access them. It’s better to create a simple system to keep these areas clean and clutter-free.
Streamline your clutter culprits
Clutter culprits are small, seemingly harmless, things that in aggregate can become a big problem. For some it is mail, documents, and paperwork. For others, it can be water bottles and plastic storage containers. Many people normalize having a junk drawer full of random loose items that are scattered about. Dealing with these culprits can cause a lot of irritation, especially when you are trying to find something important.
My simple solution to this problem is not bringing random objects into my space and not keeping anything that is not regularly used. For example, I’m not the type of person that takes home the complimentary hotel toiletries unless they are brands and products that I normally use. I do not collect mugs, totes, and other promotional products from events. Just because it is free doesn’t mean it’s for me. I’m discerning about what I bring in my home, and once I notice any unused items building up I get rid of them immediately.
Disregard systems you can’t maintain
You will never see me labeling anything. I’m not about to purchase a label maker and then spend time printing out these little pieces of paper to permanently stick on things, only to have to peel it off later because I changed my mind. I do not have the energy for that. One of the reasons my organizational system works so well is that I don’t bog myself down with extra steps, and I keep a certain level of flexibility for how I can arrange things throughout my home.
I’m not against labeling, if it works for you, but organization doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The more complex it feels, the less you will adhere to it. I can adhere to not bringing unnecessary objects into my space. I can adhere to spending a few minutes each day tidying. I can adhere to only purchasing beautiful, functional items. I can adhere to immediately getting rid of things I don’t love or need. To keep your home clean and chic, only opt for sustainable solutions that you can easily commit to.
See your space as a sanctuary
When you start to see your home as a haven, you will begin to naturally make decisions that lead to enjoyment in your space. A home is just a place where you live, but a haven is a place that nurtures your well-being, promotes relaxation, and reflects your personal style. In fact, the formal definition of haven is a place of safety, refuge, and retreat. This is the one space that you can control, so why not make it your oasis? For me, home is where I can be a lady of leisure.
When going through the process of turning your home into a haven, always consider how you feel. You can mentally rationalize any choice, but your feelings will reveal the truth about whether that choice is right for you. There is no reason why your home, and every area within it, shouldn’t make you feel a sense of peace and pleasure. My one question for determining how to design, organize and maintain my home is “does this feel pleasant?”, and I only condone a positive response.
