a place for everything

…and everything in its place. We share the whys and hows of creating a perfectly organised home that’s packed with purpose

WORDS Amelia Smith

We’ve all seen them. Those people who seem astonishingly organised. People who can instantly lay their hands on a pack of batteries, an elastic band or some leftover euros, because they know the exact location of every little thing in their home. Well, it’s those people, let us tell you, who are doing it right. Having an organised home – where everything has a place to live and is always living there – comes with benefits that extend far beyond being able to find things quickly. In order to achieve this almighty feat, we’re breaking it down for you, from storage solutions to sensible shopping. So follow our simple guide, and take control of your home, before your home takes control of you.

how an organised home can make your life better

Having an organised home can improve your life in more ways than one. Brace yourself, because once you’ve read this, you’ll soon be grabbing a bin bag and emptying those shelves for good.

Having an organised home can make you feel happier – yes, really. A study by psychologists Saxbe and Repetti found that women who describe their home as ‘cluttered’ and filled with ‘unfinished projects’ were more depressed, fatigued and stressed than those who describe their home as ‘restful’ and ‘restorative’. Clutter is a list of jobs slapping you in the face every time you enter the room. If you’ve ever felt that sinking feeling of coming home after a long day to a house where there’s just stuff everywhere, the link between clutter and unhappiness becomes evident. Banishing clutter can therefore make for a happier and calmer household; a simple solution with huge impact.

An uncluttered space can make you physically healthier, too. A study by psychologists Vohs, Redden and Rahinel found that people working in a neat office were twice as likely to choose a healthy snack over a sugary treat than people working in a messy office. Sugary snacks act as a comfort in reaction to stressful surroundings. So tidy up your home, and sticking to your healthy eating plan could become a whole lot easier.

As if you need any more reasons to declutter, an organised home can even make you more sociable. Have you ever felt embarrassed about inviting your friends over as you’re ashamed of all the mess? Improved organisation could open up your home to being the next spur-of-the-moment party pad. Friendships are important for your wellbeing, so create a space you’re proud of, where your friendships can flourish.

When trying to engage in mindfulness, clutter is the enemy. The piles of paperwork and mountains of shoes scream out to distract you and make you feel guilty for not having already tidied them. Clearing the clutter means clearing away distractions, so an organised home enables you to focus on yourself, your senses and the present moment, more easily.

In short, an organised home can make for a happier, healthier, more sociable and more mindful household. It’s a no-brainer!

ready to organise? rethink your space

Knowing where to begin when the piles of stuff have spread to every room can be tricky. Go right back to the beginning: find a floor plan of your home, or if you can’t find one (don’t worry, lost items will soon be a thing of the past) simply sketch one out – it doesn’t need to be to scale. Consider the purpose of every room and give it a clear name. Is the dining room also the playroom and the study? Is your guest bedroom empty and unused for most of the year? If one room is used in several different ways, you’ll typically have an awful lot to store in there. It may be worth breaking habits and utilising your rooms differently. In this example, using the guest bedroom as a study for the majority of the year means you can store your work materials in there, freeing up more space in the dining room.

The more effective your storage is, the easier it is to maintain an uncluttered space. Look at your floor plan again and discover places where you could fit additional storage. “Built-in storage is a great way to make the most of every inch of your space,” says home design expert Laura Crombie. “It’s especially useful in awkward areas such as beneath a sloping roof in a converted loft, or even in the wasted space under your stairs. Bespoke designs aren’t always as expensive as you may think, and as every piece is made to measure, it’s a more sustainable option, too.” Also, consider getting creative with your storage by investing in innovative dual-purpose designs. Think storage headboards,

secret storage behind your staircase risers and coffee tables or footstools with hidden compartments. Creating plenty of hidden homes for your possessions is a big step forward on the journey to a more organised home.

what is all the clutter anyway?

We all love a good storage solution, but a key way to make organisation considerably easier is to have fewer things to organise in the first place. The fewer things you have, the less space you will need to store them all, and the less space they’ll take up when they’re (inevitably, sometimes) not being kept in their rightful place.

As far back as the 19th century, textile designer and poet William Morris famously said: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Two centuries on, and we’re still trying to live up to this. Marie Kondo has become a household name with her lusted-after tidying method KonMari. Her practice focuses on what you should keep in your home, rather than what to discard, by considering which items you truly cherish. Everything in your home should have a purpose, either to be functional or to ‘spark joy’ and make you happy. Otherwise, what’s the point in having it?

With this in mind, be selective when shopping for your home. No matter how great the sale, it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it or if you don’t absolutely adore it. Invest more money into fewer items that you love and that will last longer – one painting that prompts a daily smile is better for your wellbeing than four paintings that you don’t have space for and forget to look at. Fast fashion and its damaging impact on the world applies to interiors too. So buy less and buy better, and not only will your home have fewer visual distractions on your route to mindfulness, but you’ll be helping the planet too.

shop your home and get creative

Sometimes we can go one better than buying less… buying nothing! It’s human nature to want to create a lovely, cosy and safe home environment where our family can be happy. But this doesn’t mean constantly spending money to keep things spick and span. Rather than heading to the shops for a sparkling new console table, shop your home instead. Once you’ve identified that everything in your home has a purpose, remember that these purposes are not fixed. If the table on your landing does nothing more than collect dust, repurpose it in the living room, where it can function as a home for your house plants and candles. Make your current possessions work harder for you, so you can purchase less. If an item sparks joy, let it spark joy in different rooms of your home – you’ll get the kick of updating and reorganising your space without having to spend a thing.

Whether or not you’re a keen DIYer, upcycling is a great way to squeeze the most out of what you already have (see page 116). “Repainting an old sideboard to match your child’s bedroom is a simple, inexpensive way to give it a whole new purpose and lease of life,” says Laura. “An activity like this can also be incredibly beneficial to your wellbeing. Upcycling fosters creativity, innovation and the accomplishment of creating something new.” So stand back and marvel at your achievement, and let a sense of satisfaction and positive vibes flood your mind.

With these tips you can start breaking with routine and get creative with how you use your space. Your home is a kingdom for you and your family, not just for your things. Reap the rewards of an organised home and enjoy every inch of it. Maximise every inch of your storage space

© Cuckooland

can’t sleep? g et organised

A tidy bedroom could be the key to a good night’s rest

Many of us struggle to get to sleep. While we’re all aware of the obvious remedies, such as avoiding screen time in the evenings and taking a lavender-infused bath, a solution that’s less well known is having an organised space. A study by the National Sleep Foundation found that people who tidied their beds every morning were 19% more likely to report getting a good night’s rest. It makes sense – clutter causes us to feel stressed, making it harder for us to drift off. There’s something about having a perfectly neat bed that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together, and this sense of calm stays with you right until your head hits the pillow.

But it’s not just the tidiness of your bed that can affect your sleep, it’s the cleanliness of your bedding too. The same study found that 75% of people said they slept better when their bed sheets were clean and fresh, because they felt more relaxed and comfortable. It’s easy to let too much time roll by without changing your bedding, but when there’s a chance of this leading to a better night’s sleep, it’s a chore that could prove invaluable.